Michael Reiziger has once again looked back on the choice of the then Ajax management to appoint John Heitinga to the group in 2023. Reiziger was then the assistant of the dismissed Alfred Schreuder, but saw Heitinga preferred as interim coach.
Two years ago Traveler has already spoken out about the situation at the beginning of 2023. Now he is doing that again in De Maaskantine. “I didn’t think it was logical,” says the former defender about the choice to promote Heitinga to interim coach, instead of himself. Heitinga was previously trainer of Jong Ajax, while Reiziger had been part of the Ajax staff for years, also under Erik ten Hag.
“At that moment I had the most experience around the team, which I also knew best. I also knew the way of playing best, because I had experienced all the good years and had played a large part in them. So for me that felt unfair,” says Reiziger, who then looks back on the moment the choice was made. “The moment Alfred left, it was first like: you do it together. Then I thought: if we want to do it together, we should first sit down together and discuss how we want to divide the roles. In the end it was: No, we’re going to do it like this.”
Reiziger believes, given what he knows now, that he could perhaps have reacted more strongly to that decision. “Yes. That decision had already been made at that time, the timeline was just very fast. The decision was made in one morning. At that moment I thought: If this is the time, it is not for me to become head coach here. Then I’ll go somewhere else.”
