Ajax Amsterdam fires seven players via WhatsApp

It all sounds like a nightmare. Everyone at Ajax Amsterdam thought they'd seen the worst of it when they lost the Dutch league title at the very end of the season last May. Because Ajax had a nine-point lead just a month earlier.

Since then, the Amsterdam club has changed coaches, with the departure of Francesco Farioli, replaced by John Heitinga. And sporting director Alex Kroes has decided to clean up the squad. How he does it matters little.

Indeed, according to the daily newspaper De Telegraaf, Kroes targeted seven players who no longer had a place at the club . He let them know. Not after individual meetings, no. But with a simple, direct, and not necessarily very conciliatory WhatsApp message. Nothing more.

Borna Sosa, Chuba Akpom, Carlos Forbs, Kristian Hlynsson, Christian Rasmussen, Jay Gorter and Branco van den Boomen were asked to find a place to stay by unlocking their respective phones.

That's not all. These seven are truly unwanted visitors to Ajax territory. Indeed, their presence at the training ground, on the pitch, and in the weight room is only permitted after the team has trained. If there are two training sessions scheduled? Then they must show up after the second.

Also, they can no longer park in the spaces reserved for players and staff. But Kroes has still given them access to a physiotherapist. Well, just one. For the whole gang. Welcome to the loft: the exit is over there.