Former Barcelona and Arsenal winger Marc Overmars has been banned from football by FIFA for sexual harassment. The Dutchman was in charge as Sporting Director at Royal Antwerp from March of 2022, but has been forced to leave his position.
Overmars was operating at Ajax in the same role until February of 2022, after a scandal broke that several employees had accused him of sexual harassment, including sending inappropriate photos while in the role. The Royal Dutch Football Federation (KNVB) had suspended him for a year, with a potential to extend that ban for a further year, but just a month later, he was in the Antwerp job.
As per MD, FIFA have on Wednesday agreed to uphold that ban on a global level, meaning Overmars is unable to take on any role in football until January of 2025 at the earliest. They agreed with the KNVB that his ban should not be restricted to just the Netherlands.
Overmars came through at Ajax and won the Champions League there before moving onto Arsenal. Joining Barcelona in 2000, Overmars decided to retire four years later, despite still having time left on his contract.
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