Koeman heavily annoyed by New Year's speech
21 January: An extraordinary affair arose at the ArenA
today, as head-coach Ronald Koeman's
heavily criticized the Ajax board in several
Dutch newspapers today. Koeman is angry with the
board because they hired Dutch comedian Freek de
Jonge for the club's traditional New Year speech. According to
the Ajax boss De Jonge's provocative speech, held on
Sunday 18 January in the restaurant of De Toekomst,
was "scandalous, humiliating and negative".
The New Year speech is an annual Ajax tradition in the
weekend prior to the resumption of the Eredivisie. Usually the
Ajax chairman takes care of the speech. Last year general
director Arie van Eijden did the honours. This year, however,
new chairman John Jaakke thought it was a nice idea to hire
prominent comedian and Ajax supporter Freek de Jonge
instead.
De Jonge's observations were snappy as expected. According
to De Jonge Ajax is playing with "a team
full of left wingers" this season, thereby referring to
the fact that Koeman purchased several players for that
position (Sikora, Boukhari, Soetaers, Mitea). He also said
that the supply room of the Ajax Fanshop has become too
small, because it is totally stuffed with superfluous
Sikora and Soetaers merchandise. "I am not speaking to you
for the money", De Jonge said, "but for Ajax! Perhaps it would
be nice if the players adopted this
attitude."
After De Jonge's speech both chairman John Jaakke and
general director Arie van Eijden told the press that
it was a great success. The audience at De Toekomst had
enjoyed itself thoroughly, said Van Eijden, who added, still
chuckling: "Perhaps this marks the start of a tradition."
Koeman, however, was not amused. According to the coach too
much of De Jonge's jokes were about the dismal last
month of the year. "I thought more positive than negative
things happened to Ajax in the year 2003", the coach said, "yet
the negative was predominant in the speech (...) Soeaters and
Sikora were rendered as complete morons. Freek de Jonge can
make me laugh in a theatre, but definitely not in the official
Ajax New Year speech."
Koeman, who lashed out at the board against Dutch press
agency ANP and journalists of newspapers such as Het
Parool and De Telegraaf, made his annoyance known
to Jaakke and Van Eijden and announced that he will discuss
their choice for De Jonge with the officials. "I do not blame
Mr De Jonge for what he said", stated Koeman. "It's his job and
it made him big. I blame the board for hiring him."
It is not the first time that Freek de Jonge causes
commotion as an official speaker on behalf of Ajax. On 28
September 1989 he was hired as the guest stadium announcer at
De Meer for the UEFA Cup fixture against Austria Memphis
Vienna. It became one of the most dramatic nights in club
history, as the Austrian goalkeeper was hit by an iron bar
thrown from the F-Side. Ajax was suspended from 'Europe' for
one season, a penalty of - at the time - almost fatal
impact for the club. An extra reason for the UEFA to
have no mercy with Ajax was a Freek de Jonge
joke about the alleged Nazi past of Austria's
president, Mr Kurt Waldheim. During the game De Jonge
announced: "Phonecall for Mr Waldheim. Please call Mr
Simon Wiesenthal back, thank you." Simon
Wiesenthal became world-famous for spending his
entire life collecting evidence against former Nazis.
Also, it is the second consecutive year that Ajax's official
New Year speech kindled Koeman's wrath. In January of 2003
general director Arie van Eijden caused a stir
by revealing the salary and financial demands of
Rafaël van der Vaart in his speech, thereby causing a
brief crisis in the player's contract talks with Ajax. After De
Jonge's speech an irritated Koeman told the press that he
thinks about holding the speech himself next year. (MP)
Sources: Het Parool, ANP, Ajax.nl
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