Legend completely shattered
The rapid decline of Ajax results in excesses of violence
September 25, 2023, 1:53 p.m
Riots, expulsion, helplessness – things are going haywire at Ajax Amsterdam. With just one point from the first five games, the club is off to its worst start to the season since 1965. The fans are freaking out, sports director Sven Mislintat is fired and a legend is fed up.
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 world star, commenting on the riots in Amsterdam, which have finally brought crisis-ridden record champions Ajax to a low point in their glorious history .
The former Bond coach and Ajax trainer van Basten (“Politicians must address the issue”) was shocked by the scenes that took place in the capital on Sunday. Ajax problem fans caused the home game against Feyenoord Rotterdam to be canceled by throwing pyrotechnics. At this point Rotterdam was leading 3-0. As a result, serious turmoil broke out in front of the stadium, with some rioters arguing with the police and throwing paving stones.
“This has nothing to do with football and being a fan. You play with the safety of the players, their fellow fans and themselves. Shame on you,” wrote Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius on X, formerly Twitter, after the frustration over the sporting crisis Ajax had turned into sometimes unrestrained violence. With just one win 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. The club said the reason for this was the “lack of broad support within the organization” for the former Stuttgart player. Coach Maurice Steijn is also criticized.
Van Gaal waves it off, health comes first
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.
What will happen next with the “patient” 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 its behavior surrounding the transfer of Croatian defender Borna Sosa (formerly VfB Stuttgart). This is about a possible conflict of interest.
In the last transfer window, Mislintat bought players for 109 million euros. The commitments had not yet proven to be reinforcements. 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. Under Mislintat, Ajax earned 156 million euros through player sales. However, critics accuse him of having acquired some unknown players from second European leagues at excessive prices.