Ajax lost the away match at Olympique Marseille on Thursday in injury time by 4-3. This eliminates Ajax from the UEFA Europa League. They can still secure a place in the UEFA Conference League with a win over AEK Athens in the last group stage match.
With 23 players, Ajax boarded the plane for southern France on Wednesday morning. Destination: Marseille. In the French city, Ajax will play against locals Olympique in the UEFA Europa League at 21:00. We followed the team from Schiphol Airport to training at Stade Vélodrome.
Coach John van 't Schip and defender Jorrel Hato expect Thursday's game against Marseille to be a different game from the one against the French side at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. That match ended 3-3 in September. "It is no longer as open with us as it was a few months ago."
Ajax has signed Marijn Beuker. Beuker becomes 'Director of Football', a new titular management position falling under the general director. The 39-year-old Beuker reached an agreement with Ajax for a contract that runs from December 1, 2023, to July 1, 2028. He will be responsible for the youth academy, all directly supportive disciplines, and for the Scouting and Football Analytics departments. Beuker comes from the Scottish football club Queen's Park FC.