AMSTERDAM - Former European champions Ajax Amsterdam have removed Fred Grim as interim coach and replaced him with Oscar García to finish the season, after losing at the weekend and dropping down the Dutch league standings, the club said. Garcia arrived at the club last month to take over Ajax’s reserve side, who compete in the Dutch second division, but will now take charge of the main team as the club looks to secure a place in next season’s European club competition.
A 3-1 loss at Groningen on Saturday prompted the change. Ajax have now won only one of their last seven matches and dropped from third to fifth on 44 points, 24 behind runaway leaders PSV Eindhoven and five points behind second-placed Feyenoord.
The top three finishers in the Dutch league qualify for the Champions League, although only the top two go directly into the group phase.
Grim had been acting as interim coach since early November, succeeding John Heitinga, and will return to his role in the Ajax academy as head of coaching. Heitinga was fired for poor results.
"The coming months are very important for the club," said new technical director Jordi Cruyff in a statement.
"We still have eight matches to play, and we have to make the most of them together."
The 52-year-old García is an old acquaintance of Cruyff. They played together at Barcelona.
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