Ajax appoint Steijn as head coach

AMSTERDAM : Maurice Steijn has been appointed as Ajax Amsterdam's new head coach on a three-year contract, the Eredivisie club said on Wednesday following a poor season in which they failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 13 seasons.

Steijn made his mark last year as he led modest Sparta Rotterdam to a sixth place finish in the Eredivisie, which was the team's best result in 27 years.

Despite that achievement, the 49-year-old's appointment to the club who have won a record 36 Dutch league titles came as a surprise as he has spent most of his 12-year coaching career at smaller Dutch teams.

"He has outperformed at every club where he has worked," Ajax football director Sven Mislintat said of the former ADO Den Haag and NAC Breda player.

"I am convinced he is ready to make the step up."

Ajax dismissed rooky coach John Heitinga earlier this month after finishing third in the standings, 13 points behind champions Feyenoord.