Ajax announced this week that Misha Salden will become the new head of youth academy of FC Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. De Zaankanter will implement and propagate the philosophy of the Amsterdam club at the club from the Middle East on behalf of the Ajax Coaching Academy. On the eve of his departure, Salden said in conversation with NH Sport that he was very much looking forward to the next step in his career. “The bags are packed, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
The 48-year-old Salden played in the past as a professional football player for Haarlem, Telstar and FC Volendam. At the latter club, he was also head coach, technical director and head of youth academy. “You can work for years in the kitchen champion division, but I feel there is more in the world,” says Salden.
Stamp
“Other people often want to give me a stamp. I think that if you have been a head coach, you can also train the youth. At Ajax I was able to get a look behind the scenes of one of the best clubs in the world, with one of the best youth training programs,” says Salden, who became a youth trainer at Ajax in 2019. “In addition, I always wanted to work abroad. This step may now be for one, two or three years, but maybe I want to visit more countries in the future.”
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The major cultural difference between the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates is no obstacle for Salden. Quite the contrary. “Working in Belgium or Germany was not an option. I was really looking for a challenge with barriers. So a country with a completely different language and culture. And this is not something that just comes into play. for years.”
“Working in Belgium or Germany was not an option”
Salden and his wife are well prepared for the move. “Hans Vonk (former keeper of Ajax, ed.) gives presentations on behalf of Ajax about the culture of a country. My wife and I went here. We also had contact with various people abroad to prepare as well as possible. to be.”
The Ajax philosophy
Salden, who will remain employed by Ajax, will put a lot of energy into training trainers as head of the youth academy of FC Sharjah. “The trainers have to start working according to the philosophy of Ajax. We are going to implement the vision that I have received from Ajax there. This is precisely why they use the Ajax Coaching Academy. Of course we also look at talents in the region, but in the first instance we want to organize training as well as possible.”
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