Marco van Basten would like to close the whole store straight away. “Stop professional football in the Netherlands. I mean that seriously, because obviously we can’t behave,” said the former Oranje star, commenting on the riots in Amsterdam, which have finally brought crisis-ridden record champions Ajax to a low point in their glorious history.
Former Bond coach and Ajax coach van Basten was shocked by the scenes that took place in the capital on Sunday. Ajax problem fans threw pyrotechnics and caused the home game against Feyenoord Rotterdam to be abandoned. At this point Rotterdam was 3-0 ahead. Riots broke out in front of the stadium, with some rioters arguing with the police and throwing paving stones.
“Shame yourself”
“It has nothing to do with football and being a fan. You are playing with the safety of the players, their fellow fans and themselves. Shame on you,” wrote Dutch Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgöz–Zegerius on Platform X (formerly Twitter) after frustration over Ajax’s sporting crisis turned violent.
With just one point from their first five games, Ajax have made their worst start to the season since 1965. Hours after the low point against Feyenoord, sporting director Sven Mislintat was fired. Interim managing director Jan van Halst cited the lack of cooperation as the reason for the separation.
Van Gaal says goodbye
“Various attempts to create a broader base have not had the desired effect and this is causing unrest in and around the club. This is also due to the disappointing performances,” Ajax wrote on its homepage. The club wrote of a “lack of broad support within the organization” for the former Stuttgart Mislintat. Coach Maurice Steijn is also criticized.
However, former Bayern coach Louis van Gaal is not available for a rescue mission. “My health comes first,” van Gaal told the TV channel NOS. The 72-year-old added that he was “no longer in a position to coach a club.”
The Ajax supporters kept chanting Van Gaal’s name before the game was abandoned. The former bond coach, who was briefly discussed as Hansi Flick’s successor as national coach, nipped hopes of a return to his former club in the bud. Van Gaal, who won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995, suffers from prostate cancer and is undergoing constant treatment.
Mislintats out after four months
What happens next with Ajax remains to be seen. First of all, Mislintat’s term of office, which lasted just four months, must be dealt with. The club wants to continue the investigation into the behavior of the former sports director surrounding the transfer of Croatian defender Borna Sosa (formerly VfB Stuttgart). Last Wednesday it became known that there could have been a possible conflict of interest in Sosa’s move to Ajax.
The background is Mislintat’s participation in the football data analysis company Matchmetrics. The player consulting agency AKA Global GmbH has also been involved in this company since the summer and recently arranged Sosa’s move from VfB to Ajax for a transfer fee of between eight and ten million euros.
The Dutchman Marco van Basten became European champion in 1988. : Image: picture alliance / PRO SHOTS
In a statement, the Dutch record champions said that the club was not aware of AKA’s involvement in Matchmetrics and that there would be an independent investigation. “As a player signed by Ajax was looked after by AKA Global this summer, the club is continuing to examine this and is receiving support from external consultants,” it said. Mislintat told the club that it would provide full cooperation, including passing on all relevant documents.
Mislintat has been Ajax’s director of football affairs since May 19. He had previously worked for VfB for around three years. During this time, Sosa also played for VfB. When he moved to Amsterdam, Mislintat’s stake in Matchmetrics was the subject of contract discussions. A contractual agreement was also made about this.
Elisabeth Schmelzerl, Munich Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 Daniel Theweleit, Dortmund Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 2 Christian Kamp and Christopher Meltzer Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 3
Mislintat was already criticized in Amsterdam because of its purchasing policy. In the summer, around a dozen players came to Ajax for more than 100 million euros, and in return the club also earned 150 million euros through player transfers. However, the start of the season was unsuccessful, with five points from four games Ajax are only 14th in the honorary division. On Sunday – Mislintat was not allowed to be in the stadium by order of the Ajax management – Coach Steijn mainly fielded players from the youth sector.
