Ajax released a statement on Sven Mislintat's situation on the official club channels on Wednesday morning. The club management received questions regarding the shareholdership that AKA Global GmbH, a consultancy company for professional sports players, has in Matchmetric, which Mislintat co-owns. Because AKA Global supported a player who signed for Ajax in the summer, the club decided to take a closer look at the matter and is being assisted by external advisors.
"The only thing I thought when I read the news yesterday [Tuesday] was that it takes our focus away from what we have been focussing on since the match against FC Twente", Steijn said. "I haven’t spoken to Sven yet. We saw each other briefly just now. We haven’t had the time for it."
Focus on Thursday
Steijn and his players are entirely focused on the group-stage match against Olympique Marseille. "It’s up to me and the staff to prepare us for the match on Thursday. That is our main job and my responsibility. There will be almost 60,000 people in the stands tomorrow. I hope we will see the Ajax the fans deserve to see."
As an experienced player, Berghuis is disappointed in the mediocre start of the season but also knows that the team cannot stay disappointed for long. "We have to believe in our qualities and not let it bring us down because you take that to the next match. I try to tell my teammates that", the Ajax midfielder said.
Olympique Marseille
The Ajax staff is well prepared for the home match against Olympique Marseille. "We started doing that immediately after the match against FC Twente. Marseille is a good team from an underestimated competition. Physically, they are good and play in a strong formation."
Despite that, Steijn’s focus is on his own team. "On Thursday, I want to see a team with flair, a good appearance and fun. We have information on how Marseille have played in the last weeks. If they play differently, we have weapons, too", the Ajax coach said.
