John Heiting sidelined, misses Benfica Champions League clash | OneFootball

John Heitinga was dismissed last night, November 5th, from his coaching position. The coach is no longer in charge of Ajax, Benfica's next opponent in the Champions League. The decision came following yet another defeat in the Champions League, causing the Dutchman to miss the clash with José Mourinho's team.

The final straw occurred last night, November 5th, when the Dutch team, like Benfica, suffered their fourth defeat in the Champions League group stage, this time losing at home to Galatasaray, 3-0. It is worth noting that the Clube da Luz also did not fare well, losing to Leverkusen (1-0).

Through an official statement made on the social network X, Ajax announced that they have ended their association with the former Dutch international: "Ajax has dismissed John Heitinga with immediate effect. The head coach's contract was set to last until June 30, 2027, but it will now be terminated".

Thus, the Dutch coach could not withstand the poor series of results, which have persisted since he took over the team's technical command following the departure of Francesco Farioi, now leading Porto. Heitinga failed to provide an adequate response, especially in the Champions League where, besides the defeat against the Turks, Ajax lost to Inter (2-0) and was thrashed by Marseille (4-0) and Chelsea (5-1).

The match against Benfica is scheduled for three weeks from now, on November 25th, in Amsterdam. Until then, the Dutch club is expected to appoint their new coach. Among the options considered, the press has reported in recent months that Erik ten Hag - without a club since leaving Leverkusen on September 1st - is the favorite among Ajax's directors.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.