Marc Overmars to appeal against FIFA global ban

Royal Antwerp director Marc Overmars will appeal against the worldwide football ban handed down to him by FIFA, his spokesperson Frank Neervoort told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf on Monday. 

In January, world football's governing body, FIFA, accepted the national suspension handed down to Overmars in the Netherlands at the end of last year for transgressive behaviour during his time at Ajax. 

As a result, Overmars has been banned from holding any position in professional football for at least a year, including his role as technical director at Antwerp, which he joined shortly after his departure from Ajax.

"There are a number of reasons to appeal this punishment," Neervoort told De Telegraaf. "But one important reason is that a one-year ban from working worldwide is disproportionate to the offence, one case of transgressive behaviour for which he was punished by the ISR [the Dutch Institute of Sports Law]." 

On 16 November, the ISR banned Overmars from any position in Dutch football for two years, with one year suspended. The Dutch Football Association subsequently referred the decision to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, as required by FIFA regulations.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © Marc Overmars at a Royal Antwerp FC press conference, March 2022 © BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS}