The book ‘Ajax in crisis’ describes the past months in which the club slipped from being a top European club, to even being at the bottom of the Premier League. Writer Menno de Galan is adamant that Ajax cannot recover in the short term. “No, I am convinced of that, because this is a structural crisis.”
Journalist, writer and Ajax supporter Menno de Galan was working on another book, but because he was approached by an Ajax director who wanted to tell his story, he decided to start working on this book this summer. And while writing, the record champion of the Netherlands is getting deeper and deeper into trouble and there is little left of top club Ajax. “It has collapsed on all sides, which was also a surprise to me,” he says.
And whether it would be fun for a supporter to read the book? “Terrible, and also a tragedy,” said De Galan. “On the other hand, you could say: perhaps also a revelation. As a fan, you now read not what other journalists think about it, but what Ajax has done internally.”
Abyss
In his book, De Galan outlines how the decline could get to this point and he sees the forced departure of technical director Marc Overmars after transgressive behavior as a starting point. While Overmars mainly plays a role in the success, Edwin van der Sar and later Sven Mislintat, among others, are responsible for the crisis, the book shows. De Galan calls everything that happened after Overmars’ departure ‘a one-way abyss’.
The certainty of future General Manager Alex Kroes is special. He will start at Ajax in March 2024, but speaks strongly and negatively about certain matters in the book. Kroes calls the dismissed technical director Sven Mislintat a ‘master swindler, a charming swindler’. He also sees the past two transfer periods as ‘the worst in the club’s history.’
Fury
When asked whether it is not surprising that a future director is already speaking out in this way about the club where he still has to work, author Menno de Galan says: “You should not forget that he was in the running as technical director , so as a successor to Overmars. He did not become that and he himself has the idea that he is done.” Kroes is referring to then RVC leader Leen Meijaard and then director Edwin van der Sar.
According to De Galan, this anger about the state of affairs is the reason why he is so fierce about Ajax. “He was still so angry that he had to get out,” De Galan said. “And perhaps it is also characterological that he is outspoken, open-minded, has a clear opinion and is also willing to speak out about it.”
Structural crisis
The administrative chaos, the disappointing performances on the field. Things are far from hopeful at the moment, but what does this mean for the future? According to De Galan, Ajax will not soon be the successful club it has been in recent years. “This is a structural crisis,” De Galan responds. “It is not pessimistic, but fiercely realistic. I have been a supporter of Ajax for more than half a century. I did not expect that something that was apparently so well put together could collapse so quickly. It is easier to destroy things than to put them back on again. build.”