Turbulent season for Ajax ends in victory

Ajax has become Dutch premier league champion for the 31st time. It’s quite an amazing feat as this has been the most turbulent year in the club’s history.
The incidents piled up in the boardroom, in court and on the field. Nevertheless, by the end of the season, Ajax took the trophy. So what changed the club’s luck? A tumultuous season with five low points and a huge turnaround.
Boardroom battles
There was utter chaos in the boardroom. A new Board of Supervisors, including Johan Cruyff, had the task of finding a new director. The old board had been elbowed out just weeks previously – and not particularly amicably – when Cruyff started his revolution at Ajax.
Rows broke out over all the candidates (one of them being Marco van Basten) between Cruyff and the other members of the board. According to Cruyff, the problem was simple: “They see Ajax as a company listed on the stock exchange. I see Ajax as a football club.”

Matters came to a head when then board chairman Steven ten Have announced in mid-November that Louis van Gaal would be the new club director. Van Gaal, successful trainer and (like Cruyff) an Ajax icon, was Cruyff’s sworn enemy. Cruyff was furious, not least because the legendary number 14 had not been consulted about the decision.
“They’ve gone mad at Ajax,” was his response. What followed was a series of mud-slinging matches, political wrangling, leaks to the press and even accusations of racism on Cruyff’s part. Ajax was adrift and the atmosphere was nasty. The battle moved from the boardroom into the courtroom.
Pitiful on the pitch
Even though Ajax held the premier league title, for most of the season its performance on the pitch was pitiful. The team was inundated with injuries and trainer Frank de Boer seemed to have lost his magic touch.
By February, the club was in the doldrums; within one week, Ajax lost 4-2 against its arch-enemy Feyenoord and 0-2 at home against FC Utrecht. Ajax fell to sixth place in the league, 13 points behind premier league leader AZ. The press made mincemeat of the club and De Boer was forced to admit that the title seemed out of reach.
Exodus in Europa League
On the last day of the group phase in the Champions League, Ajax was three points ahead and had more goals than its rival Olympique Lyon. But things went badly wrong: Ajax lost 0-3 to Real Madrid. The team from Amsterdam had scored twice, but both goals were wrongfully disallowed.
Meanwhile, Lyon won 7-1 against Dinamo Zagreb, after a 1-1 draw at half-time. There were rumours that a Dinamo defender had been bribed after he was caught on film winking and laughing as Lyon netted the ball for the umpteenth time. In the Europa League, Ajax was knocked out of the competition by Manchester United, in spite of a 2-1 victory in England.
Karate kick in KNVB cup competition
A game in the last 16 rounds of the Dutch football association cup was overshadowed when an Ajax fan ran onto the pitch (while Ajax was 1-0 ahead) and took a flying kick at AZ goalkeeper Esteban. Esteban anticipated the attack and kicked the hooligan twice while he lay on the ground.
Television images were broadcast around the globe. AZ refused to play on after the goalkeeper was shown a red card. Ajax was fined 10,000 euros and the fixture had to be replayed. Initially the reply was due to take place without fans, but eventually primary school children and their teachers were allowed to watch the game. A month later, 20,000 children watched Ajax lose 2-3 to AZ.
Muddling medics
At least six members of the Ajax squad (Gregory van der Wiel, Toby Alderweireld, Nicolai Boilesen, Miralem Sulejmani, Kolbein Sigthórsson and Derk Boerrigter) spent much of the season on the bench due to injuries. Ajax’s training programme and the club’s medical staff were severely criticised. In March, the medical team announced its departure.
Terrific turnaround
The turnaround came on 7 February, the same day that Johan Cruyff won his appeal against Steven ten Have. Cruyff won the power struggle at Ajax and the appointment of Louis van Gaal as director was cancelled, the whole Board of Supervisors stood down. Only Cruyff was able to continue in a “yet to be determined” advisory position.
Be it coincidence or not, since then Ajax has won all its league matches and all its rivals started losing. The club regained it confidence and Ajax climbed from 13 points behind to several points ahead.
Is it all down to Johan Cruyff? Football commentators say praise for the premier league title should go to two men: the brilliant Belgium captain Jan Vertonghen, who can now take his pick of European clubs, and above all trainer Frank de Boer, who kept his cool in spite of the boardroom battles, injuries and defeats. Right at the end of the season, Ajax turned out on top.

(nc/hs)