Partly due to those statements, Ajax fan Freek (not his real name) is not happy with the purchase. “I have been Ajax player all my life, I grew up in Amsterdam, it is with pain in my heart, but I am not going to watch Ajax match anymore,” he says. I don’t want anything to do with it as long as he (Gloukh, ed.) Plays and a genocide is going on. “
Because Freek caught for years with the fanatic supporters of Ajax and is afraid of any reactions, he remains anonymous and does not want to be recognizable. “Look, the fact that he is Israeli does not make him guilty. If he just says:” I don’t want anything to do with it, I am against what is happening in Gaza and it is outrageous what is happening in my country. “I say: equally good friends.”
One complaint
Fabian Nagtzaam, chairman of the supporters’ association, believes that the fuss among Ajax fans is not so bad. “We have a total of one hundred and sixty thousand members. And we received only one complaint in total,” says Nagtzaam. “We at the Supporters Association believe that sport and politics should not mix. From us he can just play with our logo.”
We asked Ajax if they discussed the situation with Gloukh. A spokesperson for the club says he does not respond to conversations with players: “But the situation has been discussed, including the context of previous messages. Our players and supporters know that at Ajax, just like in Amsterdam, everyone is welcome and that we respect everyone.” An interview with the player has also been requested, but that was not possible.
To pronounce
Does a public person always have to comment on certain things? Freek finds it striking that Gloukh now says nothing about the situation in Gaza. “And if the only thing you say is especially leaning on that you are very proud of your country and proud to represent your country, and that the entire Israeli media is full of how good it is for the Israeli image and that Israel is so important to him, then you make it political and you are already expressing yourself,” he says.