Ajax v Tottenham: 'Sick' Dutch striker dismissed for skiving to watch first leg of Uefa Champions League semi-final

A Dutch second division footballer was fired "with immediate effect" after he called in sick for a training session and instead went to see the Champions League semi-final in London last week. Ajax fan and Telstar FC striker Jordie van der Laan was handed his marching orders after coaches spotted him in the stands during the broadcast of the game between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax last Wednesday. Van der Laan was set to leave the club over the summer, but his appearance among the Ajax supporters sped up things, his club said. "We wish Jordie all the success in the world and we parted with a handshake," the 15th-placed Telstar said in a tweet. Van der Laan said his dismissal gave him the chance to watch Wednesday night's second leg, played at the ArenA in Amsterdam. "I certainly now deserve a ticket for Wednesday's game -- after all, I'm free!" Van der Laan tweeted, offering his "services" to Spurs. "If Tottenham is looking for a striker, I'm available," the 25-year-old Van der Laan joked. But young and blond-haired -- resembling Ajax lodestars Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt -- the former Telstar striker conceded that playing truant was "rather clumsy."

Ajax v Tottenham: 'Sick' Dutch striker dismissed for skiving to watch first leg of Uefa Champions League semi-final

Ajax fan and Telstar FC striker Jordie van der Laan handed marching orders after coaches spotted him in stands