Ajax suffer humiliating 6-0 loss to Feyenoord, biggest defeat in 97 years

Dutch traditional powerhouse Ajax suffered their biggest loss in 97 years on Sunday after they were walked over 6-0 by Feyenoord in the Eredivisie game at De Kuip in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Igor Paixao, Yankuba Minteh, and David Hancko scored a combined three goals in the first half, giving Feyenoord an early, big lead. Then Minteh, Paixao, and Quinten Timber each netted one goal in the second half to cement one of the greatest disgraces in Ajax’s history.

Having suffered their eighth loss of the 2023-24 season, Ajax are currently in sixth place with 45 points, seven behind the No. 4 AZ Alkmaar and the UEFA Europa League qualification position. The club has been struggling for a long time during their campaign, including a 10-game winless streak and ranking at the bottom in November 2023.

Ajax did not have any chance of winning trophies in other competitions. They were eliminated from the KNVB Cup by USV Heracles last December and the Europa Conference League by Aston Villa in March.

Realistically speaking, when a club hires four different managers in one season, as Ajax did with John Heitinga, Maurice Steijn, Hedwiges Maduro and John van't Schip, they are unlikely to perform well because of inconsistency.

The past week has been all bad news for Ajax. On Tuesday, their CEO, Alex Kroe, was suspended because he "likely engaged in insider trading" before his appointment in August 2023.

Two days later, they narrowly avoided a loss to the Go Ahead Eagles thanks to a last-minute equalizer. Then, on Friday, it was reported that Michael van Praag, chairman of Ajax, "failed to declare several of his own shares in the club."

The 6-0 loss to Feyenoord on Sunday only added salt to the wounds for Ajax and their fans. Having the other side score six goals in 67 minutes, without even attempting a shot at goal, much else netting one against them, must sting.