THE HAGUE, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- One day after being knocked out of the Dutch Cup, Ajax fired coach Marcel Keizer following a mediocre first half of the season, the Dutch soccer club announced on Thursday.
Hennie Spijkerman, the assistant of Keizer, and former Ajax star Dennis Bergkamp, member of the technical heart of the club and also individual coach, were also fired.
"The club board do not have confidence anymore that the ambitions of Ajax will be realized with them," the club stated in a press release.
Last summer Keizer followed Peter Bosz, who led Ajax to the final of the Europa League and left the club for Borussia Dortmund. He signed a deal until mid-2019 with an option for one more season.
Keizer's start was extremely difficult after the 20-year-old Abdelhak Nouri suffered severe and permanent brain damage following a collapse during a friendly in pres-season in Austria in July.
In addition, Ajax failed to qualify for the main phase of the Champions League and the Europa League.
In the Dutch league, Ajax are currently on a the second place, five points behind league leaders PSV after 17 match rounds. On Wednesday, Ajax failed to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup after a loss on penalties against FC Twente.
