Ajax News 2002

Mido African Footballer of the Year nominee

31 Dec 2002

Ajax's Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam, has been nominated by the African Football Federation for the African Footballer Of the Year Award. The Egyptian international will be competing for the prestigious title against Liverpool's Senegalese forward El Hadji Diouf and French club Lens' Senegalese midfielder, Bouba Diop.  The winner will be announced in the South African capital of Johannesburg on March 31. The complete 22 man list: Burkina Faso - Moumouni Dagano (Genk/Belgium) Cameroon - Samuel Eto'o (Real Mallorca/Spain), Lauren (Arsenal/England), Geremi (Middlesbrough/England) Democratic Republic of Congo - Tresor 'Lua Lua' Lomana (Newcastle Utd/England) Egypt - Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam (Ajax Amsterdam/Holland), Ahmed Hassan (Genclerbirligi/Turkey) Ghana - Brahim Abdulrazak (St Etienne/France) Mali - Seydou Keita (Lens/France) Nigeria - Julius Aghahowa (Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukraine), John Utaka (Lens/France) Senegal - Salif Diao and El Hadji Diouf (Liverpool/England), Papa Bouba Diop (Lens/France), Khalilou Fadiga (Auxerre/France), Henri Camara (Sedan/France) Sierra Leone - Paul Kapaka (Antwerp/Belgium) South Africa - Benni McCarthy (Celta Vigo/Spain), Sibusiso ZumaCagen/Den) Tunisia - Selim Benachour (Paris SG/France), Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax/Holland) Zimbabwe - Benjamin 'Benjani' Mwaruwari (Auxerre/France)

De Boer willing to return to Ajax

31 Dec 2002

Frank de Boer has stated on Amsterdam's local TV station "AT5" that, although he would rather stay in Barcelona until his contract runs out,  he would have absolutely no problem in returning to end his career with Ajax if the Amsterdammers needed him. With Rumanian international Christian Chivu on most of the European top club's shopping list, an end of season switch is increasingly likely for the robust defender. Should Chivu decide to leave Ajax at the end of the season then the transfer-free De Boer could be the ideal replacement.

Henk Timmer expresses dissatisfaction

30 Dec 2002

AZ goalkeeper Henk Timmer, who is currently on loan to Ajax, hasy expressed his dissatisfaction with his current situation. Speaking on Ajax's website, Timmer stated that he is no longer prepared to sit on the bench and will try to find a new club at the end of the season. As Ajax already have 3 outstanding keepers it is unlikely that trainer Ronald Koeman will be in need of his services after this season while a return to AZ would mean competing with AZ's number one choice, Oscar Moens. Timmer, who has 2 years left on his contract, stated that he is prepared to join any club that can offer him a regular first team place.

AA Gent target Ajax's Van Halst

26 Dec 2002

Ajax midfielder Jan van Halst, who was recently informed by trainer Ronald Koeman that he was no longer needed, has attracted the attention of Belgian club AA Gent. Gent's Dutch trainer, Jan Olde Riekerink, previously worked for Ajax as youth trainer before making the switch to AA Gent and has stated that he would more than welcome the out-of-favour midfielder and hope's he can lure Van Halst to the club during the mid-winter transfer window.

Didulica to leave Ajax ?

24 Dec 2002

Ajax's Australian goalkeeper Joey Didulica has been expressing his doubts about his future with Ajax, stating that the possibility of regaining his status as no.1 choice has declined now that Maarten Stekelenburg has shown so much improvement. "With Stekelenburg Ajax have 'the new Van der Sar.' " Didulica, who has impressed in recent matches with an especially memorable performance in the Champions League against Valencia, will be transfer free this summer.

Ajax still faced with keeper problem

21 Dec 2002

Ajax remain faced with a continuing keeper-problem after an MRI scan revealed that reserve goalie Maarten Stekelenburg has broken a bone in his wrist.  It means that Stekelenburg will be out of action for 2 months and will certainly miss Ajax's last match before the mid-winter-break, against Excelsior on Sunday. Ajax's 1st choice in goal, Bogdan Lobont, has been out of action for months and 2nd choice Joey Didulica is still recovering from an injury. Ajax's 4th choice Henk Timmer is also on the injured list leaving Ajax with no other choice than to field Australian goalie Didulica.

Ajax join race for Sonkaya

19 Dec 2002

Both Ajax and Turkish club Galatasary have stated that they are keen to sign Roda JC's defender Fatih Sonkaya.  Ajax, who have also just added Sparta defender Mendes Silva to their squad, are probably willing to pay the €3 million asking price, whereas Galatasary will first have to sell players in order to fund the transfer.

Da Silva heads for ArenA this winter

18 Dec 2002

Ajax will bring Sparta's David Mendes da Silva to the ArenA in the coming winter-break on a loan deal for the rest of the season with an option to buy the 20 year-old. He will be a player Sparta can sorely miss, as they continue to struggle in their first season ever in the Eerste Divisie, but the move will relieve Sparta of the considerable wage-burden that Da Silva represents. Mendes made his 1st team Eer Divisie debut on April 14th 2000 in the match against Utrecht and has scored 4 goals in 80 appearances since.

Mido wants to stay with Ajax

17 Dec 2002

Egyptian international Mido has been telling sportsmagazine 'Sportsweek' that he wants nothing else than to stay with Ajax. He still regrets his emotional outburst of earlier in the season, after being dropped from the lineup, when he said that he was going to leave the club in the winter-break. If he had the choice between any number of top European clubs he'd still choose to stay with Ronald Koeman's Ajax. "At the end of the current season I've still got three years to go on my contract and I see all kinds of possibilitiesng up for the team. Just look at any number of players compared to last season: Van der Vaart, Maxwell Chivu, Galásek, Trabelsi, Bergdølmo and Van der Meyde are all better players than they were, and I feel I've also improved my game. I just hope noone is going to leave, especially Chivu who's probably the most important player for the team".

Blind new head of Ajax youth academy

16 Dec 2002

Danny Blind has been named as the new head of Ajax's youth academy and the former Ajax player/Oranje international will combine his new job with his current role as coach of the Amsterdammers' A1 youth team. He's extended his deal till the summer of 2006 and officially takes over from Kees Zwamborn, who's off to look after Sunderland's academy, on February 1st.

Ajax lose 4-2 to PSV

15 Dec 2002

Ajax suffered a painful 2-4 home defeat to rivals PSV this afternoon and hand over the no.1 spot to the Eindhoven side. Young talent Arjen Robben put the visitors ahead with a fine shot after soloing through Ajax's defense. Zlatan Ibrahimovich had a couple of great chances saved by Waterreus, and another disallowed for offside, before putting away a rebound for the equalizer in the 27th. Three minutes into the 2nd act, Ere Divisie top-scorer Mateja Kezman put PSV ahead with a close range shot and Ajax could begin all over again. Ajax's man of the match,Andy van der Meyde took care of a rebound in the 55th to draw Ronald Koeman's team level. Two goals by Vennegoor of Hesselink, the first a controversial header in the 57th preceded by a foul and accompanied by another, pouncing on a rebound in the 78th minute, knock Ajax off top-place and maintain PSV's record of being unbeaten in Ere divisie matches in the ArenA.

Chivu and Kezman fit for Ere Divisie clash

14 Dec 2002

Good news for both PSV and Ajax ahead of tomorrow's Ere Divisie clash in the ArenA as both Cristian Chivu and Mateja Kezman have been declared fit to play. It had been originally thought that Ajax's Romanian international would be out for at least two weeks but he's made a speedy recovery and will be glad not to miss the topper against their rivals. Hatem Trablesi, Rafael van der Vaart and Joey Didulica will be missing in the Ajax lineup. PSV's Yugoslavian striker had picked up a slight ankle injury but will be available to play, as will Danish right-back Kasper Bøgelund, back after a month's absence.

Litmanen equals Cruijff in Europe

11 Dec 2002

Jari Limanen has equalled Johan Cruijjf's record of Ajax's European top scorer with his 2nd half goal against AS Roma last night. The 31 year-old Finnish player has put away 25 goals in Europe - 19 in the Champions League, 4 in the Europa Cup II and 2 in the UEFA Cup. Cruijff scored 19 in the European Champions Cup, 4 in the Fairs Cup and twice in European Super Cup clashes. Litmanen scored his first European goal for Ajax on September 29th 1993, in the Europa Cup II 6-0 win against Hajduk Split. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whod the score last night, has now notched up 7 goals and is, together with Litmanen, the only player currently playing for Ajax on their list of top-scorers in Europe. Ajax's European topscorers  Player Goals Jari Litmanen 25 Johan Cruijff 25 Sjaak Swart 18 Søren Lerby 16 Ruud Geels 15 Piet Keizer 14 John Bosman 12 Stefan Pettersson 12 Marco van Basten 11 Shota Arveladze 11 Patrick Kluivert 10 Dennis Bergkamp 10 Gerrie Mühren 10 Frank Arnesen 8 Arie Haan 8 Frank de Boer 7 Ton Blanker 7 Ruud Krol 7 Zlatan Ibrahimovic 7

Koeman dreams of quarter-finals

11 Dec 2002

Ajax trainer Ronald Koeman was full of praise for his team after their gutsy 2-1 Champions League win against AS Roma in the Amsterdam ArenA last night. The 3 points earned mean he can even dream of a place in the quarter finals of the competition,"Eight or nine points could well be enough to go through and now that we've got 4 we're in a goood position to do just that!" Before the match he'd stated that winning this coming weekend's Ere Divisie clash against PSV, and it's significance for winning the Dutch title, was more important than winning last night's meeting. However, his team's performance gives him plenty to be pleased about and will undoubtedly be influential in how Ajax go into Saturday's topper against Guus Hiddink's boys.  Koeman was especially pleased with the team effort on show against Roma and singled out the young South African midfielder Steven Pienaar for special mention, "The fact that he played such a key role in the team's overall performance is amazing, considering his age. We were never in any real danger last night, deserved to win and everyone gave 100% which all in all is a compliment to the players". 'Fantastic Fin' Jari Litmanen emphasised the fact that Ajax were seemingly not at all hampered by the absence of Chivu and Van der Vaart, who are generally regarded as key players, and that the reserves have more than sufficient quality. "The difference in quality between the players in the squad is minimal - for example, Richard Witschge had a really good match", said the veteran, who put the 2-0 on the board with his 25th European goal (equalling John Cruijff's record for the club). Roma trainer Fabio Capello was unsurprisingly unimpressed by the young Ajax's achievement and blamed his own team's dismal performance on the early blunder by goalie Antonioli which gave Zlatan the chance tothe score in the 11th minute. "AS Roma were unconvincing but, to be honest, Ajax were also less than convincing in the manner in which they won the match", he said after the match. Koeman's reaction was to play the ball back, "If that's what he really thinks then Roma's performance was truly abysmal. Of course Antonioli's mistake was an important influence on the match, forcing Roma to go on the attack, something they're clearly not good at!"

Ajax in 2-1 C-L win against AS Roma

10 Dec 2002

Ajax found it difficult to find a way through, or around, the Roma defence in theng 10 minutes with just a couple of nice runs by Trabelsi on the right. In the 12th minute Nigel de Jong let fly with a shot that bounced off the hard ground, and off the head of goalie Antonioli, to land at the feet of Zlatan Ibrahimovich who was in the right place at the right time to coolly slot it home for the 1-0. Ronald Koeman's gutsy boys sometimes recklessly used a few back heels and other little tricks to get the better of their opponents but also fought and worked hard. It was only in the last 15 minutes of the half that Roma were themselves able to push forward a little as Ajax relieved the pressure. The Amsterdammers responded and continued to pester the Roma defence so that the Italians had to resort to a couple of fouls, on Mido (who was brought down in front of goal) and Zlatan, to stop any further danger.  It was again the young Swede, Ibrahimovich, who almost squeezed the ball though Antonioli's legs for a 2nd goal just before the halftime whistle. Everyone expected some of the 'name' players on the Roma bench would appear for the 2nd act to strike home a goal or two and turn the match around. Vincenzo Montella indeed came on for Traianos Dellas in the 61st and Gabriel Batistuta for Antonio Cassano in the 72nd. But it was, instead, the 'Fantastic Fin' Jari Litmanen, substituting for Mido in the 57th, who scored a great goal in the 66th, Zlatan setting him up on the edge of the box. The 'veteran' picked his spot and slotted it high into the right-hand corner for his 25th European goal and the 2-0. Boukhari replaced Van der Meyde for the last 10 minutes. Batitusta snatched a late 88th minute, and unnecessary, goal for Roma with a header, soaring above Yakubu to nod it firmly past Stekelenburg. Ajax held on through the last couple of nervous minutes and trainer Ronald Koeman can be well-pleased with their performance against a very unimpressive Roma side. The useful 2-1 result is a fitting reward for the efforts of the weakened-by-injury Amsterdam lineup who thank their win on a fine team effort.

Ajax tell Van Halst to look for new club

10 Dec 2002

Jan van Halst has been told by Ajax that he can start looking for a new club as trainer Rondal Koeman prefers to field either Nigel de Jong or Abubakari Yakubu for the rest of the season. The 33 year-old former Utrecht, Wageningen, Twente and Fortuna Sittard midfielder understands his coach's decision to choose younger players, "It's logical that he wants to give young talents as De Jong the chance to break through while, against Twente, even Jari Litmanen and Maxwell had to make do with a seat on the bench. I'm enjoying myself here for the time being and, if needs be, I'll be happy with a place on the bench or even in the stands for the rest of the season."

Mido's red card annulled

10 Dec 2002

The Dutch FA (KNVB) have annulled the red card handed out to Ajax's Egyptian striker Mido in the weekend's match against De Graafschap as there is no convincing evidence of an offence. Mido will, therefore, be able to play against PSV this Sunday.

Ajax-AS Roma...Champions League Preview

10 Dec 2002

Ajax face Italian giants AS Roma in tomorrow's Champions league clash. It's the first time the two clubs lineup against each other in a European competition and the two teams are equally balanced in terms of their other meetings - Ajax having won 9 matches, drawn 7 and lost 6. At home they've won 4, drawn 2 and lost 2. AS Roma have twice faced a Dutch team in Europe - they beat PSV 1-0 at home in the European Cup Winners Cup back in 1969 while PSV won by the sam emargin in Einhoven.   Ajax have played a number of friendlies against AS Roma, the Italians winning the first match of the Amsterdam 708-tournament 1-3 against a lineup including Ronald Koeman back in 1983. Roma were 0-3 up by half-time thanks to goals by Toninho Cerezo, Carlo Ancelotti and Francesco Graziani in the 39th, 41st and 42nd minutes. Jan Mølby got one back for Ajax after the break in a game where the Italian side, under the leadership of  the brilliant Brazilian Roberto Falcão, at times completely outplayed Ajax. their most recent meeting was in August 2001 in Berlin when Roma again won by a 2-1 margin in a match most notable for Co Adriaanse's introductuion of the so-called 5-3-2 defensive "Berlin System". While, Co was heavily criticised for deserting the tried and trusted Ajax house-style the team's current trainer is enjoying more than his fair share of success by using variations on just that theme, beating Olmpic Lyon using the very same sheme! It's a tactic regularly employed by AS Roma trainer Fabio Capello, makiing tomorrow's match a formidable task for Ajax who are plagued by ibnjuries with Rafael van der Vaart, Victor Sikora, John O'Brien, Bogdan Lobont, Henk Timmer and Johnny Heitinga all unfit, Cristian Chivu and Tomás Galásek sitting ot suiospensions and Hatem Trabelsi, Jelle Van Damme, Jari Litmanen, Nigel de Jong and Joey Didulica also doubtful.

Ajax's Victor Sikora out for 6 weeks

09 Dec 2002

Ajax's winger Victor Sikora is out of action for at least the next 6 weeks after hospital examination revealed that the knee injury picked up in Saturday's disappointing 1-1- draw against De Graafschap will need a lengthy absence.

Rafael van der Vaart out for two weeks

08 Dec 2002

Ajax will miss playmaker Rafael van der Vaart for the next couple of weeks after he picked up a thigh muscle strain in yesterday's match against De Graafschap. The young star will miss Tuesday's important Champions League clash with AS Roma and the Ere Divisie match against title-rivals PSV next Sunday. Fortunately for coach Ronald Koeman Joey Didulica's hip injury is less serious while Victor Sikora will have an MRI-scan made of his injured knee tomorrow.

De Graafschap and Ajax draw 1-1

07 Dec 2002

De Graafschap lineup: Jurgen Wevers, Tim Bakens, René Bot, Milan Berck, Beelenkamp, Edwin Hermans, Ilja van Leerdam, Damiën Hertog, Arvid Smit, Ruslan Valeev, Hans van de Haar, Dave Zafarin, Mido, Andy van der Meyde. Ajax lineup: Joey Didulica, Petri Pasanen, Nigel de Jong, André Bergdølmo, Tomás Galásek, Steven Pienaar, Rafael van der Vaart, Maxwell, Victor Sikora, Mido, Andy van der Meyde. Bottom of the table De Graafschap did well this evening, drawing 1-1 with top-of-the-table Ajax after trailing 0-1 at half time. Egyptian international goal-getter Midod the score for Ajax in the 18th minute, after which Rafael van der Vaart and Joey Didulica dropped out of the match injured, taking the wind out of Ajax's sails. The Amsterdammers lost their way from that point on, allowing De Graafschap to get back into the match. 2 minutes after the break Davy Zafarin caught Ajax's shaky defense sleeping and slotted home the equaliser. The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Mido was handed out an undeserved red card and headed for an early shower. Although they had a couple of good chances, Zlatan hitting the bar with a header, Ajax couldn't find a winner while Peter Bosz's boys also came close to passing Maarten Stekelenburg. It was a less than encouraging outing for Ronald Koeman's team ahead of their Champions League clash with AS Roma next week.

Lightweight Ajax travel to De Graafschap

07 Dec 2002

Ajax travel to Doetinchem for tonight's match against De Graafschap without defenders Jelle van Damme and Hatem Trabelsi as both are suffering from minor injuries picked up in training. Coach Ronald Koeman has also decided to leave Jari Litmanen at home as the Finnish star has been sick this week and is not fit enough to play. He'll be sorely needed for the coming Champions League clash with AS Roma. Cristian Chivu's place will be taken by either Petri Pasanen or Abukabari Yakubu while Jong Ajax captain Stefano Seedorf, who scored one of the reserve team's winning goals against Willem II in the Amstel Cup on Wednesday, may well get his 2nd chance to make an appearance for the 1st team.

Brutil Hosé keeping fit with Jong Sparta

06 Dec 2002

Former Ajax player Brutil Hosé is keeping fit with Sparta's reserve squad while continuing his search for a new club. The 23 year-old has already had a couple of loan spells with De Graafschap and Haarlem, since he was sidetracked at the ArenA, After his contract with the Amsterdammers was terminated he went on to have unsuccesfull trials at Eerste Divisie Dordrecht, English clubs Middlesbrough and Sunderland plus American Major Soccer League side Kansas City Wizards.

Ajax give Cup hero Akachar a contract

05 Dec 2002

A dream has come true for Jamal Akachar who's been offered a contract with Amsterdam giants Ajax! The youngster previously played for Ajax's A-youth team during a two year period without being offered a deal but, after a year without a club, returned to turn out for Ajax's Saturday amateur team while working as as a taxi driver. The 20 year-old striker's performances, and a lack of other available players, convinced Jong Ajax trainer John van 't Schip to give him a chance with the ArenA reserves. He continued to impress during his last four appearances for the team, crowning it all with a goal in last night's 2-1 Cup deafeat of Ere Divisie Willem II and today signed a contract for one and a half years.

Otto not returning to Haarlem

05 Dec 2002

Heini Otto will not be returning to coach Eerste Divisie Haarlem but is moving on to join the technical staff of Ajax's youth academy. Otto, who underwent heart surgery in June, took over as trainer at Ajax's Noord-Holland companion club in October 2000 and will now be replaced by Leo van Veen, who's been looking after the team since Otto's illness. It's not the first time he's worked at the ArenA as he was previously 1st team assistant trainer and also coached the B1 team.

Ajax reserves beat Willem II in Cup 2-1

04 Dec 2002

Ajax's reserve team are on track to repeat their Cup performance of last season after a 2nd round 2-1 win against Willem II in the ArenA. They kicked off the match looking for goals but they didn't come till the last half hour. With Nigel de Jong, Nourdin Boukhari, Petri Pasanen and Abubakari Yakubu in the lineup they had no trouble controlling the weak Tilburg side. Stephano Seedorf put away ther in the 67th and up-and-coming talent Jamal Akachar, recently playing for the Amsterdammers' Saturday amateur side, scored the 2nd in the 75th. Kew Jaliens scored an injury-time consolation goal for Willem II.

Trabelsi invited for Real's jubilee match

04 Dec 2002

Ajax's Tunisian defender Hatem Trabelsi has been invited by Real Madrid to take part in the centenary jubilee match between the Spanish giants and a World Eleven on December 18th. His teammate, Cristian Chivu, had already received an invitation but is doubtful to travel for the match after picking up a thigh muscle strain.

Zwamborn swaps Ajax for Sunderland

03 Dec 2002

Kees Zwamborn is leaving the Amsterdam ArenA, wher he's been head of Ajax's youth academy, to take up a similar post with English Premiership side Sunderland. The ex-Ajax player, for whom he made 93 appearances, was former Willem II coach Hans Westerhof's replacement in Amsterdam where he started work in the summer of 2000 after previously coaching Den Bosch and NAC.

Chivu out for 2-3 weeks

02 Dec 2002

An MRI-scan has confirmed that Ajax's Cristian Chivu has torn a thigh-muscle during yesterday's 2-1 win against Twente, when he had to leave the action close to the final whistle. The team-captain will be out of action for 2-3 weeks and, although he was due to miss the next C-L clash against AS Roma due to a Euroepan suspension, the Romanian international will probably also be unavailable for the Ere Divisie topper against PSV on December 15th.

Ajax to extend Didulica's deal

02 Dec 2002

Joey Didulica's fine performance, after a nervous start, against Valencia CF in the Champions League last week have convinced Ajax's technical staff that they should perhaps hold on to the young Australian keeper. The Amsterdammers's technical director Leo Beenhakker has told Dutch daily 'Het Parool' that, contary to earlier stories that he might be one of several players who will be heading for the ArenA exit at the end of the season, the club will be talking to the goalie about extending his contract.

Chivu in hospital for MRI-scan

02 Dec 2002

Ajax captain Cristian Chivu goes into hospital today to have the thigh injury, picked up in yesterday's Ere Divisie match against Twente, examined. The Romanian international will have to undergo an MRI-scan to see whether he's torn a muscle or simply strained it. It's unlikely he'll be fit in time for next weekend's match against De Graafschap and will in any case miss the following Champions League clash against AS Roma due to a suspension. Trainer Ronald Koeman is also saying that it's not 100% certain that Chivu will leave the ArenA in the summer although the fact that Real Madrid wanted to sign him last summer, combined with the fact that he's been invited to play for a World Eleven against Real on December 18th, clearly indicates the Spanish toppers' continuing interest in the star-defender.

Ajax beat Twente 2-1

01 Dec 2002

Ajax lineup: Joey Didulica, Hatem Trabelsi, André Bergdølmo, Cristian Chivu, Nigel de Jong (46. Maxwell), Tomás Galásek, Rafael van der Vaart, Steven Pienaar (64. Jari Litmanen), Andy van der Meyde, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (60. Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam), Victor Sikora. Twente lineup: Sander Boschker, Faouzi el-Brazi, Spira Grujic, Patrick Pothuizen, Jeroen Heubach, Rahim Ouédraego, Simon Cziommer, Kurt van de Paar (82. Chris de Witte), Sjaak Polak, Ellery Cairo (90. Jan Verlinden), Jurgen Cavens (64. Colins John). Ajax knock PSV off the top-of-the-table spot they took over yesterday on goal average with this 2-1 at home to Twente. As so often that 'little diamond' Rafael van der Vaart put them ahead in the 18th and decided the match in injury-time after the 'Tukkers' drew level with a spot-shot in the 42nd. Although the Amsterdammers dominated the match they couldn't translate their on-pitch superiority into goals in the-back-of-the-net. Nonetheless, they didn't seem in any kind of trouble after Van der Vaart's 18th minuter till Ellery Cairo was felled, leading to the penalty-equalizer which Sjaak Polak put away. Van der Vaart's 7th goal in 8 Ere Divisie matches gave Ajax their 30th home win, out of 37, against Twente and puts Ronald Koeman's boys back on top.

Ajax pleased with Ponce

30 Nov 2002

Chilean defender Waldo Ponce has made a good impression on Ajax's technical staff since he arrived for a short trial 10 days ago. The Amsterdammers' technical director Leo Beenhakker said, "We're pleased with what we've seen so far and will be looking at the possibilitiesto us. For the time being he will not be returning but perhaps he could pay us another visit at the end of the season".

Chivu to leave Ajax in summer of 2003

30 Nov 2002

Cristian Chivu will be leaving Ajax this coming summer announced the club's general director, Arie van Eijden, at a shareholders general meeting yesterday. Real Madrid is the most likely destination for the Romanian defender who has a price-tag of €20 million Euros due to the fact that his contract with the Amsterdammers runs till 2006. Van Eijden doesn't expect Rafael van der Vaart to leave before the summer of  2004 and the young star midfielder could stay at the ArenA till the middle of 2005. "Rafael has indicated that this is his intention", said Van Eijden in Dutch daily 'De Telegraaf'. Chivu's most likely replacement is Oranje captain Frank de Boer who's transfer-free this coming summer and has already indicated that he'd be interested in playing out his last years with his former club. Ajax could well decide not to extend the contracts of several players when they run out this summer, which could mean the exit of  Jan van Halst, Richard Witsche and Joey Didulica, as they try to repair last season's finacial damage, totalling €25 million Euros!

Ajax trial for Japanese youth player

29 Nov 2002

Ajax have joined the hunt for Asian players with the news that 18 year-old Japanese player Sho Naruoka arrived at the ArenA today for a week's trial. The multi-functional midfielder wil start off training with Jong Ajax before joining the 1st team squad on Monday. In Japan he plays for Fujieda High School and is also a youth international, having turned out for the Under 17s in last year's World Cup for that age group in Trinidad & Tobago where he played in all three matches.

Ajax draw 1-1 against Valencia

27 Nov 2002

Ajax almost did what noone had thought possible, almost winning in Spain from one of Europe's top sides with an 88th minute goal by Zlatan which forced an injury-time equalizer from Valencia. Ronald Koeman's team held up under incredible pressure and will have learnt a lot from their experience tonight. It was essential for the Amsterdammers not to give away a early goal and Ajax were lucky not to concede one in theng couple of minutes but they also had an earlyng of their own when Rafael van der Vaart tried out an overhead kick to connect with a Maxwell cross. Carew came close to heading in ther in the 11th while, seconds later, Chivu had to get sideline treament for a head wound. In the 14th minute Litmanen had an excellent chance in front of goal but failed to connect and put away what was the best chance of the 1st half. In the 17th Angulo shot just wide. Meanwhile Chivu had returned and soon picked up a yellow card (meaning he'd miss the C-L match). It was also unclear how long he'd be able to continue playing with his head injury but Nigel de Jong was already warming-up. Ajax were driven back into their own half for the next 10 minutes by the power and speed of their opponents. The pressure exerted by the Spanish giants was almost too much for the visitors who lost possession too often, too quickly and made too many mistakes, not giving themselves the chance to settle down and play the football they're capable of. They somehow managed to hold out till the half-time whistle. The pressure continued after the break and only some excellent saves by Didulica prevented Ajax from conceding a goal! The Australian had started the match looking very, very shaky but was turning into their 'saviour'. Ibrahimovich replaced an ineffective Litmanen and later Pienaar was replaced by De Jong in the 71st. Ajax managed to stand up under the Spanish onslaught, threatening to crumble under the constant pressure. In the 82nd minute Ibrahimovich had what was the Amsterdammers' 2nd best chance of the match but his shot through the defender's legs went just wide. Boukhari replaced Mido for the last 5 minutes. And then the unbelievable happend as Ibrahimovich was sent clear, surging into the area, kept his cool and pushed the ball through the keeper's legs from a really difficult angle for the 0-1! It forced Valencia to dig deep and Miguel Angulo snatched an injury-time equalizer against the brave and inexperienced Ajax team!

Latest on Tijjani affair

26 Nov 2002

Our thanks as always to Mohamed S. Chbaro at http://www.middleeastfootball.com for the story! JEDDAH, Nov. 26: Ajax's Nigerian international striker Tijjani Babangida, on loan to Saudi side Al-Ittihad, has revealed in a special press conference held in Jeddah that the club's new Brazilian manager Oscar is behind his desire to leave the club. “There is no doubt he is favouring his fellow-countryman Bebeto at my expense,” explained the striker who joined Al-Ittihad last September from Ajax Amsterdam on a 6 month loan deal.  “Everything turned sour for me as soon as manager Sylvester Takac left the club. Oscar came in and started excluding me from many matches, giving  his fellow-countryman the opportunity to play in many games despite the poor form he’s shown. I know my own capabilities, I can play for the full 90 minutes, but still Oscar never gave me a fair chance to prove myself,” he underlined. Bebeto, now out of favour at Al-Ittihad, is likely to leave the club in the next few days, with club chief Mansour Al-Balawi hinting that he's ready to cope with the loss of the $1 million transfer fee, but that he cannot afford to watch Al-Ittihad squandering points and lacking positive results due to poor performances by any player, whatever the name might be.

Sikora and Litmanen travel for C-L clash

26 Nov 2002

Victor Sikora and Jari Litmanen are fit enough to travel with the Ajax squad for their C-L clash with Valencia tomorrow. An MRI-scan has revealed that Sikora's hamstring injury is not serious and a decision will be made tomorrow whether he'll actually play, Litmanen played 15 minutes in the match against Heerenveen at the weekend without any problems and, according to coach Ronald Koeman, is fitter than when he arrived at Ajax. The Amsterdammers are full of confidence as they prepare to face the top Spanish side and feel they have nothing to lose after having got this far in the tournament.

De Boer in return to Ajax?

25 Nov 2002

Ajax trainer Ronald Koeman's remark that the club already have a replacement lined-up for Cristian Chivu, if he does indeed leave the ArenA next summer, has set the rumour-machine in motion. The no.1 candidate is apparently Barcelona's Frank de Boer who has told Radio Noord-Holland that he'd be happy to spend the last two years of his career with the Amsterdammers when his contract runs out next summer. The record Oranje international has not yet had any official contact with his former club but if they decide to give him a call during the winter-break he'd be more than ready to discuss a move back to Holland.

Liverpool's Houllier wants Van der Vaart

24 Nov 2002

Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier is quoted as saying that he wants to add Ajax star Rafael van der Vaart to the squad this Christmas when the next transfer-window comes round. The BBC, daily paper 'The Guardian' and other sources are indicating that Houllier sees the 19 year-old as the perfect addition to 'The Reds'. However, Van der Vaart is known to regard Spain as his destination when he leaves Ajax (his mother is Spanish) and has apparently expressed a preference for Real Madrid but has also said he's planning to stay at the ArenA for another few years before moving!

Babangida exits Al-Ittihad

25 Nov 2002

According to a story being run by French sports paper 'L'Équipe', Ajax's Nigerian player Tijjani Babangida has been shown the door at Saudi side Al-Ittihad after only two months of his 6 month loan deal. He's not the only one leaving as the Brazilian player Bebeto has also received the same treatment, the duo being accused of a lack of commitment. What  Babangida's future will be remains uncertain as there is clearly 'no room for him at the inn' of the ArenA where his contract runs till the summer of 2004.

Sikora doubtful for Valencia

25 Nov 2002

Ajax's Victor Sikora is doubtful for the Amsterdammers' C-L 2nd round 1st leg match against Valencia after picking up a hamstring injury in Saturday's 0-3 win at Heerenveen. An MRI-scan is being made today and a decision will be made tomorrow whether or not he wil travel with the squad to Spain.

Valencia miss González for C-L clash v Ajax

25 Nov 2002

Ajax will welcome the news that their Champions League opponents Valencia will miss Kily González for this Wednesday's clash in Spain. The Argentinian midfielder is out of action with an ankle injury while his teammate, and fellow-countryman, Pablo Aimar has already called off for the match with a torn muscle injury.

Heerenveen lose to Ajax 0-3

23 Nov 2002

Heerenveen Lineup: Vonk - Venema, Edman, Hansma, Hansson - Radomski, Jensen, Väyrynen, de Jong - Nurmela, Denneboom Ajax Lineup: Didulica - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu - Galásek, Pienaar, Maxwell, van der Vaart - van der Meyde, Mido, Sikora Heerenveen were unable to continue their recent run of improved performances, losing 0-3 at home to Ajax. Although they played well, they were no match for Ajax. Van der Meyded the score in the 6th minute when his shot was deflected into goal by a Heerenveen defender.  Ajax's 38th minute 2nd goal needed no deflection at all as Tomas Galásek's 35 yard rocket-shot soared past goalie Vonk, smashing into the back of the net.  The first 10 minutes of the 2nd half were Heerenveen's but their forwards could not penetrate Ajax's well organized defensive wall. After Ajax had swapped Pienaar for Litmanen and, a few minutes later, Witschge for Mido, they regained control of the match. In the 79th Andy van der Meyde put the final score on the board, neatly rounding off a Litmanen/Witschge combination.

Litmanen returns against Heerenveen

23 Nov 2002

Jari Litmanen is set to return tonight for Ajax in their away match against Heerenveen but will most likely start on the bench. With the Champions League clash against Valencia looming next week Ronald koeman doesn't want to take too many risks with the the injury-prone Fin. Tunisian defender Trabelsi will also start on the bench as he picked up an injury in the recent international between Tunisia and Egypt and Koeman wants to spare him as much as possible between now and the winter-break to avoid aggravating the problem. It looks as if the young Brazilian Maxwell will take the place of Jelle van Damme at left-back as the Belgian player has picked up a broken toe. Koeman will decide today whether Maarten Stekelenburg or Joey Didulica will be in goal.

Machlas picks up ankle injury

23 Nov 2002

Nikos Machlas has picked up an ankle injury during training at Ajax in a tackle by teammate Mido. The 29 year-old Greek striker has been relegated to 3rd choice behind Mido and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and has yet to make a 1st team appearance this season. He's been expressing his unhappiness with the current situation and has been told to sort out a solution by looking for a new club. Machlas is not the only injured player at the ArenA this week after reserve-keeper Henk Timmer developed a knee injury. It leaves Ronald Koeman with two keepers to choose from, the Australian Joey Didulica and the recently returned from injury Maarten Stekelenburg.

Ajax advise Aron Winter to quit

22 Nov 2002

Aron Winter and Ajax's management will be holding talks to discuss the veteran midfielder's future after coach Ronald Koeman advised the 33 year-old former Oranje international to consider ending his career earlier this week. "It's a piece of well-meant advice and we'll be discussing the situation with Aron within the near future", explained technical director Leo Beenhakker in Dutch daily 'Algemeen Dagblad'.

Trabelsi returns to Ajax with injury

22 Nov 2002

Hatem Trabelsi has returned from the friendly international for Tunisia against Egypt with an injury picked up after only 12 minutes of play. The 24 year-old defender has been troubled for some time with a hamstring problem although it's still unclear whether or not that's the cause of this particular injury. Ajax-teammate Mido was playing for Egypt in the friendly, which was held in Tunis, and came close to scoring in the 0-0 draw.

Ajax miss Van Damme for 2 weeks

21 Nov 2002

Ajax will miss their young defender Jelle Van Damme for the coming two weeks after he picked up a fractured toe in the Belgian youth team's friendly against a Scottish youth eleven on Tuesday. Van Damme has played in 5 Ere Divisie matches this season as well as 4 Champions League matches.

Stekelenburg on the way back!

19 Nov 2002

Maarten Stekelenburg made a tentative reappearance in goal for Jong Ajax yesterday in their 1-1 Amstel Cup (for reserve teams) draw against Jong Utrecht, after being out of action with an achilles problem. After the match the young keeper was positive, "It went well and I only experienced a bit of muscle pain. I didn't have to hold back because of the injury and would not have played at all if I'd thought I wasn't fit enough! I'm glad everything went well because I've been out of action for too long already! I'll play another game for Jong Ajax on Thursday and then it's up to the trainer (Ronald Koeman) whether or not he decides to field me. In any case I'll be doing my best to convince him!"

Ibrahimovich gets Swedish award

19 Nov 2002

Fredrik Ljungberg may have picked up the Swedish 'Footballer of the Year' award and Henrik Larsson the 'Best Striker' award but Ajax's Zlatan Ibrahimovich can feel more than  happy with his 'Footballing Personality of the Year' award! The award ceremony is organised by the Swedish FA and the country's best read sports magazine, 'Aftonbladet', while Zlatan managed to get more votes than UEFA chairman Lennart Johansson to earn his award!

Ajax go top after 6-0 against NEC

17 Nov 2002

Ajax lineup: Didulica - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu - Galásek, Pienaar, van der Vaart, Maxwell - van der Meyde, Mido, Sikora NEC lineup: Gentenaar - Schuurman, Wielaert, Wisgerhof, Leiwakabessy - Wegh, Govedarica, Hersi, Ax - Demouge, de Nooijer Ajax go top of the table with an impressive 6-0 win against Johan Neeskens' NEC who were totally outclassed. Egyptian striker Midod the score in the 16th minute and added a 2nd two minutes into the 2nd act. Six minutes later Andy van der Meyde made it 3-0 (53rd) and Rafael van der Vaart, who's scored in every match since his return, added a 4th in the 72nd. André Bergdølmo put away a spot-shot in the 77th and Nourdin Boukhari a 6th for the final 6-0 score in the 90th.

Ajax lose to Inter Milan 1-2

12 Nov 2002

Ajax played a storming first half in their Champions League match against Inter Milan in a vibrant Amsterdam ArenA. They had a perfectly good goal disallowed early on when Rafel van der Vaart was at hand to push in Mido's down-header. The Amsterdammers controlled much of theng half, playing attractive, threatening football while there were only a couple of moments that Inter looked at all threatening. Unfortunately everything changed after the break when the visitors were allowed a dangerous amount of space which they used to score with two Hernán Crespo headers (50th and 52nd) disappearing into the back of the net, effectively closing down the match for the Italians. Ajax heads sank and the home team only really burst into life again when the news came through that Rosenborg had gone 1-0 up against Lyon. Inter Milan made use of all the usual cynical/professional time wasting tricks and were able to contain Ajax with efficient ease. They even came within a whisker of getting a 3rd goal in the 82nd but it hit the bar, rebounding onto the back of Didulica's head and over the bar. As the last seconds ticked away the ArenA burst into cheers when the news came through that Rosenborg had held Lyon to a 1-1 draw, giving Ronald Koeman's team a place in the 2nd round. Rafael van der Vaart (who else?) scored a more than well deserved consolation goal for Ajax who never really gave up and kept pushing forward till the end.

Roda and Ajax draw 1-1

08 Nov 2002

Roda and Ajax have treated their fans to an attractive game in the Parkstad Limburg stadium with both teams playing attacking football and plenty of goal-scoring chances on both sides. Ajax were without the injured Cristian Chivu, Jari Litmanen, Andy van der Meyde and John O'Brien but got off to a good start. Within theng minute Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a greatng but his shot was too weak to surprise Vladan Kujovic. The Yugoslavian goalie had to react alertly to a Van der Vaart shot whose shot ricocheted off the keeper onto the post. Yannis Anastasiou and Tom Soetaers has chances for Roda but their efforts failed to trouble the Australian goal-stopper and Hatem Trabelsi cleared Ivan Vicelich's header off the line in the 23rd. The 'Kerkrade Crew' had the better of the early chances in the 2nd act with Soetaers shooting wide in the 46th and two minutes later Christiano narrowly failed to connect with a Sonko pass. Two fine saves by Kujovic, stopping Ibrahimovic's shot and Van der Vaart's header, in the 59th kept the scoreboard clean. Three minutes later Didulica failed to smother a Predrag Filipovicá cross and Sonko pounced on the chance to notch up his 5th of the season. In response Ronald Koeman brought on Victor Sikora and Wamberto for Richard Witschge and Ibrahimovic but it was Van der Vaart who showed one of his famous turns to slot home a finely placed ball in the 72nd for the equalizer. The teams took the remaining 15 minutes at an easy pace, happy to have a point each.

Waldo Ponce headed for Ajax trial

08 Nov 2002

Waldo Ponce is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Feyenoord's Sebastián Pardo and sign for a Dutch club. The Chilean defender, who plays for Pardo's old club Universidad de Chile, is set to visit Ajax for a trial.  The 20 year-old's agent Alan Silberman, who was also responsible for guiding Pardo during his move to Feyenoord, has been telling English site PlanetFootball.com that Ponce is headed to the ArenA for a trial and the distinct possibility of a contract. Ponce's price-tag is €1,800,000 Euros.

Koeman gives De Jong 1st team place

04 Nov 2002

Ronald Koeman has given defender Nigel de Jong, the newest of Ajax's homegrown stars, a place in the 1st team squad after the talented youngster's recent, and impressive, performances. "When a player goes through this kind of accelerated development it's not beneficial if he has to take a step back again", said Koeman. De Jong, who turns 18 on November 30th, replaced Christian Chivu for yesterday's Ere Divisie game against Willem II and was showered with praise, "I'm amazed by the maturity he's already showing and the qualities revealed in his game. He makes few errors and is aggressive in the man-to-mans". De Jong made his 1st team debut two weeks ago in the 6-2 win against AZ but really drew attention to himself in the Champions League clash with Olympic Lyon where he was charged with marking French international Sidney Govou. As a result Ajax are planning to offer De Jong a professional deal in December to replace his current youth contract.

Ajax go top after 3-0 against Willem II

03 Nov 2002

Ajax lineup: Didulica - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, van Damme, de Jong - Galásek, Maxwell, Van der Vaart - Van der Meyde, Mido, Sikora. Willem II lineup: De Vlieger - Jaliens, J. Mathijsen, Van Nieuwstadt, Janssens, Mariana - Landzaat, D. Mathijssen, Victoria, Sektioui - Van der Vaart. Ajax go top of the table after this less-than-convincing 3-0 win against Willem II at the ArenA. Willem II coach Mark Wotte chose a more defensive look, with Danny Mathijssen and Youssef Mariana in place of the suspended Jattoo Ceesay and the out-of-favour Dmitri Shoukov, after the 5-1 thrashing at Feyenoord last weekend but his team were soon trailing. Egyptian striker Mido, starting in preference to Zlatan Ibrahimovich,d the score in the 8th minute. There were few real highlights in the match but Rafael van der Vaart's goal in the 72nd minute was one of them, Mido heading on for the 19 year-old to shoot in off the post. A 3rd goal by Steve Pienaar in the 86th sealed the points for Ronald Koeman's team.

Hardworking Ajax beat Lyon 0-2

30 Oct 2002

Ajax got off to a good start against the French French league leaders who were unable to deal with the 2-5-3 fielded by Ronald Koeman. Ibrahimovich had a golden opportunity to put his team ahead after a couple of minutes but didn't connect well enough with the ball. A few minutes later a good run by Trabelsi put Nigel de Jong in position to cross to Mido and the Egyptian striker unselfishly sent the ball across goal for Pienaar to put away in the 7th. The Amsterdammers gave away control of the match for most of theng half but were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty for a foul on Chivu. To balance things out, the French side had a few chances of their own, with Govou skimming the bar and Anderson's attempt cleared off/behind the line by Chivu, the 'goal' being controversially disallowed. Chivu was sent off in the 62nd for a very yellow card type offence but Ajax stood up well and Van der Vaart, replacing Mido, still managed to give Lyon some worrying moments. Van der Meyde replaced Ibrahimovich who'd been losing the ball too often as Koeman tried to plug all the holes. The Amsterdammers came under plenty of pressure in the closing minutes but survived it all. Their late injury-time 2nd goal by Rafael van der Vaart gave Ajax a very valuable away win, the young international coolly slotting Maxwell's cross behind Gregory Coupet.

Van der Vaart starts against Willem II

30 Oct 2002

Ronald Koeman is planning to field Rafael van der Vaart this coming Sunday when Ajax play host to Willem II. Jari Litmanen will be absent as the Finnish international is still suffering from his hamstring injury and medical staff at the ArenA do not want to risk the injury-prone midfielder aggravating the problem. Van der Vaart made a good impression in his 30 minute appearance against Olympique Lyon on Wednesday where he scored the injury-time 2-0. "It's vitally important for Van der Vaart to get in as many match-minutes as possible, whether as 2nd striker or in a role behind the strikers."  Koeman is planning to fill the gap left by the suspended Christian Chivu with the young talent Nigel de Jong, who's put in impressive performances since making his debut for the 1st team. "De Jong holds his ground well and already exhibits a mature attitude which is exceptional for someone who's yet to turn 18 years of age. He's well on his way to earning himself a regular place in the team and I'll be giving him every opportunity to do just that. I could well give him a role in central defense for tomorrow's match."

Ajax confident ahead of C-L clash

30 Oct 2002

An optimistic Ronald Koeman has been talking about Ajax's chances in their C-L clash with Lyon tonight. "I see enough positive signs to support my expectations of a good result." Rafael van der Vaart's return is one of them although it's uncertain whether or not the Finnish playmaker Jari Litmanen will be fit enough to play. Koeman is still undecided whether he'll field a 4-3-3 or the 4-4-2 option and has hinted that Victor Sikora could well be back in the lineup. At left-back either Maxwell or Nigel de Jong will replace the suspended Jelle van Damme. Ajax have always performed well in France with 3 wins and a 0-0 draw booked so far with only the 4-2 defeat by Auxerre in the 1992/1993 season blemishing their record. Lyon will miss former Vitesse striker Mahamadou Diarra who's gone down with a case of malaria. The French side wil be placing their bets on Sonny Ânderson to score the necessary as the Brazilian has put away a goal in every C-L match so far. Another man to watch for the Amsterdammers will be top-scorer Juninho Pernambucano with 7 so far, including a hattrick last weekend and two from direct freekicks.

Heitinga's operation successful

28 Oct 2002

John Heitinga's knee operation has been deemed a success by the specialist, Richard Steadman, who was treating him and the Ajax defender has already left the hospital in Vail, Colorado where the surgery took place last Friday.  "The leg feels good and some rest and a lot of ice are all I need at the moment". The youth international will stay in the united States till Novemebr 8th before returning to Holland for the rest of his recuperation.

Babangida uninterested in return to Ajax

25 Oct 2002

Tijjani Babangida has said he's no intention of returning to Ajax after his current 6 month loan-spell to Saudi side Al Ittihad is over. The Nigerian winger sees no future for himself at the ArenA where he's under contract till the summer of 2004. The 29 year-old explained, "At this point in my career I can't afford to spend time playing in the reserve team or sitting on the bench, which is why I chose this move to Al Ittihad, They are a top club here and the Brazilian player Bebeto is also playing for them. I've an option to extend my stay for another two months and hope to win a trophy with the club." Babangida arrived at Ajax in 1996 from Roda JC and was a regular face in the team during his first season but, after Louis van Gaal's departure, he lost his place and was hired out to Gençlerbirligi and Vitesse.

Litmanen and Van der Vaart travel to Lyon

28 Oct 2002

Jari Litmanen and Rafeal van der Vaart will be travelling with Ajax for their Champions League match against Olympic Lyon tomorrow. Although the Finnish international picked up an injury during Saturday's 1-1 draw at RKC Waalwijk, it turned out to be a minor one and he'll be fit enough to play. Rafael van der Vaart has also been included in the squad after training with his teammates last Friday for the first time since September. Although he's unlikely to actually play in the match, trainer Ronald Koeman wants the young midfielder to be match-fit a.s.a.p. and allowing him to train with his teammates shoudl help to speed-up that process.

Heitinga's operation successful

28 Oct 2002

John Heitinga's knee operation has been deemed a success by the specialist, Richard Steadman, who was treating him and the Ajax defender has already left the hospital in Vail, Colorado where the surgery took place last Friday.  "The leg feels good and some rest and a lot of ice are all I need at the moment". The youth international will stay in the united States till Novemebr 8th before returning to Holland for the rest of his recuperation.

RKC and Ajax draw 1-1

26 Oct 2002

RKC lineup: Van Dijk - Boulahrouz, Nikiforov, Van den Berg, De Graef - Van Diemen, Molhoek, Greene - Hoogendorp, Oost, Cornelisse. Ajax lineup: Timmer - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu, Van Damme - Galásek, Litmanen, Witschge - Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Boukhari. Ajax drop a couple of points in Waalwijk and lose pole position to PSV after this 1-1 draw against RKC, who once more prove that they are no push-over for the Ere Divisie top. Ajax should have decided the match in theng half but, Zlatan Ibrahimovic in particular, couldn't find the back of the net. Things didn't improve for the Amsterdammers after the break as Martin Jol's team grew ever more confident. Rick Hoogendorpd the score for the home team in the 58th with a freekick goal after Christian Chivu had been sent off for felling the striker. The referee, René Temmink, halted the match for 10 minutes, due to offensive chanting by sections of the crowd, which actually gave the Amsterdammers time to recover and Maxwell equalized for them in the 70th.

Van der Vaart back against Lyon?

26 Oct 2002

Rafael van der Vaart could well travel with Ajax for their Champions League match against Lyon next week. The 19 year-old midfielder had his first training session with the squad since picking up a knee injury in Oranje's EURO 2004 qualifier against Belarus at the beginning of September. Ronald Koeman is positive about his progress and said, "The last phase of Rafael's recovery from an injury always goes quickly and he needs less time than others to regain his rhythm."

Beenhakker has words with Ibrahimovich

24 Oct 2002

Leo Beenhakker has had a chat with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich about his aggressive behaviour during Tuesday's Champions League match against Rosenborg when the Swedish international was clearly seen to punch his opponent. The Amsterdammers' technical director thinks it's an incidental lapse of self-control under considerable pressure, a question of immaturity that will pass in time, although Ibrahimovich was 'guilty' of a similar 'offence' last season in the match against Groningen and at times seems to exhibit a particularly volatile nature. "The youngster had a difficult match, things didn't go his way and the opposition did everything they could to stop him. And then something snaps inside these kind of guys. I'd simply call it part of growing up - file it under the path to maturity."

Ajax and Rosenborg draw 1-1

22 Oct 2002

Ajax wasted a chance to earn 3 points and take a step closer to the 2nd round of the Champions League. The Amsterdammers had several golden opportunities to score in theng half and had by far the most possession but lacked sharpness in the passing and finishing departments. Zlatan Ibrahimovich, back from injury at the expense of Mido, had the best chances for the home team in the 9th (18 metre shot), 10th and 14th (twice failing to connect with Nourdin Boukhari crosses). The Swedish striker was lucky not to be sent off for stupidly punching an opponent early in theng half as his frustrations boiled over. Rosenborg came close to scoring when Harald Brattbakk missed narrowly with a header. Ibrahimovich finally found the back of the net, tapping in a Trabelsi cross in the 41st. After the break the Norwegians fought back while Ajax were unable to press home their advantage and wrap up the match with a 2nd goal. Nourdin Boukhari saw a fine shot go just wide by a whisker after an hour's play and Ibrahimovic also missed anotherng in the 70th. He continued to commit unnecessary fouls, risking a red card and was soon replaced by Mido. Ajax fell further and further back from then on and paid the price when Azar Karadas' 14 metre shot was cleared off the line by Jelle Van Damme who, in a reflex, used his hands to stop the ball from going into the net. He was sent off and Dagfinn Enerly put away the spot-shot to give Rosenborg a point to take home. Koeman will not be amused.

Ajax legions expect their team to win!!

22 Oct 2002

A veritable legion of Ajax fans in Holland, and elsewhere of course, are expecting their team to do well tonight in the Amsterdammers Champions League clash with Norwegian side Rosenborg. If they win they are more or less guaranteed a place in the 2nd round, needing only three points from their remaining games, away against Olympic Lyon and home to Inter Milan. They have, however, plenty of injury problems in terms of their goalkeepers to deal with - Maarten Stekelenburg, Henk Timmer and Joey Didulica have been on and off the injured-list all season and Bogdan Lobont has yet to play a game this season. Stekelenburg's latest injury during the 6-2 win against AZ on Saturday meant that Ronald Koeman has even had to ask the 'retired' Fred Grim to return and occupy a place on the bench for tonight's match. Fortunately the Ajax trainer is able to welcome back Cristian Chivu, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jelle Van Damme. It will not be an easy match because Rosenborg are fighting for C-L survival after two draws and a  5-0 defeat by Olympique Lyon. Ajax have also only won one of their last five matches against Norwegian opponents - the last being a 4-0 win against Lillestrøm SK back in 1977. Victory tonight will at least guarantee a place in the UEFA Cup if they fail to make it through to the next round of the C-L.

Ajax ask Grim to keep one-more-time

21 Oct 2002

Ronald Koeman has asked Fred Grim to take up a place on the bench for one last time in order to help Ajax out as they prepare to face Rosenborg tomorrow in the Champions League. Grim is currently the Amsterdammers' keepers-trainer after hanging up his boots (and gloves) at the end of last season but has been enrolled for Champions League duty just in case and can be fielded tomorrow if necessary! The no.1 choice Maarten Stekelenburg plus backup keepers Bogdan Lobont and Joey Didulica are all now out of action and even reserve keeper Robert Zwinkels is injured which means that Ajax are currently without a reserve keeper. Henk Timmer took over from Stekelenburg during Saturday's Ere Divisie match against AZ and will be taking his place in goal for the match against Rosenborg BK with Fred Grim on the bench!

Van der Vaart in cautious return to training

20 Oct 2002

Rafael van der Vaart has made a cautious return to training after picking up a knee injury in Oranje's EURO 2004 qualifier against Belarus. Although an operation was not necessary it was still expected that he'd be out of action for 6-8 weeks. Van der Baart would like to return for Ajax's Champions league match against Inter Milan on November 12th but coach Ronald Koeman thinks that's too soon.

Heitinga flies to US for operation

20 Oct 2002

Ajax defender John Heitinga is travelling to the United States later this week for a knee operation to be performed by Colorado-based specialist Richard Steadman. The 18 year-old picked up the injury in the match against NAC on September 29th after only recently recovering from two previous knee operations.

Ajax beat AZ 6-2

19 Oct 2002

Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Yakubu, De Jong - Galásek, Litmanen, Witschge - Van der Meyde, Mido, Sikora. AZ lineup: Moens - Tobiasen, Wijker, Opdam, De Cler - Meerdink, Lindenbergh, Robbemond, Van Galen - Nelisse, Perez. AZ got off to a fast start against Ajax in the ArenA, Kenneth Perezng the score for the Alkmaarders in the 3rd minute and Barry van Galen's attempt, a couple of minutes later, hitting the bar. Ajax's Egyptian striker Ahmed Mido Hossam, replacing the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovich, scored twice in the 10th and 12th minutes. The first was a fine header from a Van der Meyde cross and the second a simple goal from close by. Jari Litmanen added a 3rd in the 22nd to give the Amsterdammers a comfortable 3-1 half-time lead. The Finnish international and crowd favourite has clearly recaptured his form of old and came up with a fabulous lob to beat Oscar Moens two minutes into the 2nd half. Kenneth Perez scored his 2nd on the hour to close the gap as AZ fought back but substitute Nourdin Boukhari put away two of his own in the 89th and 92nd minutes for the final 6-2 score.

ArenA nominated for C-L Finals

19 Oct 2002

The Dutch FA (KNVB) have nominated the Amsterdam ArenA as candidate venue for the 2004 and 2005 Champions League finals. There are 7 other stadiums competing for the prestige involved in hosting the event: Olympia Stadion (Berlin), Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen), AOL Arena (Hamburg), Luzhniki (Moscow), Stade de France (Paris), Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) and Vicente Calderón (Madrid). UEFA will announce the 'winner' in February next year. The Amsterdam Arena previously hosted the C-L Final in 1998 when the match was between Real Madrid and Juventus, the Spanish side winning 1-0.

Lobont back in training at Ajax

19 Oct 2002

Things are starting to look up in the goal-stopping department at the ArenA. Ajax coach Ronald Koeman will be relieved to see Bogdan Lobont and Joey Didulica are back from their respective injuries, although they are training separately from the group for the time being, while  Maarten Stekelenburg and Henk Timmer are training as usual. "It's great to be back on pitch after two and a half months away," said Lobont, who thought he'd be out till after the winter-break with his shoulder injury, while Australian goalie Didulica is still only able to do a limited amount of training and it will be longer before he's ready to return.

Mido back against AZ

19 Oct 2002

Mido will be back in the Ajax lineup facing AZ in the ArenA tonight. The Egyptian striker, who was dropped a couple of weeks ago for unprofessional behaviour, replaces the Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic who's still recovering from the head injury he picked up oin Sweden's match against Hungary. Although coach Ronald Koeman was told the bad news this week that John O'Brien (achilles) and Maxwell  (ankle) will take longer to recover from their injuries than originally he's also received the good news that Victor Sikora, Andy van der Meyde, Cristian Chivu and Jari Litmanen are all fit.

Victor Sikora ready for AZ

17 Oct 2002

Ajax's Victor Sikora is fit to play in this Saturday's home match against AZ. The winger was in full flight again during training in Wednesday after recovering from his knee injury and is raring to go! Ajax were forced to train with only 6 players and 2 keepers due to the many absentees who were playing internationals.

Ajax track Razvan Rat

15 Oct 2002

Ajax have been tracking the talented Romanian defender Razvan Rat who's currently playing for Rapid Boekarest. The 21 year-old plays at left-back and has a price-tag of €2 million Euros but other clubs are also interested, such as Galatasaray and Dynamo Kiev. Although Ajax-coach Ronald Koeman is positive after a first assessment of the youngster the player he's said that Mr. Rat is not the only player they are looking at.

Chivu not in need of knee surgery!

15 Oct 2002

An MRI scan carried out on Cristian Chivu's knee has revealed that the Ajax defender is not severly injured and no suregry is needed. The Romanian international is 'simply' suffering from a severe strain of the knee, resulting from a series of tough matches, and all the fears of recent days concerning a possible long absence have proved to be unwarranted. It's unclear though whether or not he'll be fit in time to play the Ere Divisie match against AZ this Saturday.

Black-eye for Zlatan only damage

14 Oct 2002

Ajax will be relieved to hear that their Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovcih has only a black-eye to remind him of his clash with Hungarian goalie Gábor Király in Saturday's EURO 2004 qualifier. He can't remember anything about either the goal he scored or the blow he received to the head which was thought had left him with a case of concussion. Zlatan wants to be fit in time to play in Wednesday's match against Portugal but the Swedish team's doctor has advised him not to play due to the risk of aggravating the injury with more serious consequences.

Chivu returns to Ajax with knee injury

14 Oct 2002

Christian Chivu is returning early to Amsterdam after picking up an injury in Romania's EURO 2004 qualifier against Norway on Saturday. The central defender will now miss his country's match against Luxembourg on Wednesday. It's unclear how serious the injury is with the Romanians fearing he'll need an operation which will keep him out of action for 3 weeks while Ajax are more optimistic and await the results of a full examination which will be made today.

Ibrahimovich has concussion after k.o.

13 Oct 2002

Ajax striker Zlatan OIbrahimovich is suffering from a slight case of concussion resulting from a blow he received after heading in the equalizer during the 1-1 EURO 2004 qualifier between Sweden and Hungary. Hungarian goalie Gábor Király tried to punch away the ball but connected with Zlatan's head instead and the striker had to be carried off k.o. ! Fortunately neither Sweden nor Ajax have need of his services during the coming days, the Amsterdammers playing their next Ere Divisie match on October 18th.

Ibrahimovich scores equalizer for Sweden

13 Oct 2002

Ajax's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich prevented an embarassing home defeat for his country against Hungary yesterday by scoring the equalizer in the EURO 2004 1-1 draw. After Krisztián Kenesei  punished a weak start by Sweden with a 4th minute goal Zlatan,  Fredrik Ljungberg and Michael Svensson all had several chances in theng half to draw level. Sweden pushed Hungary well back into their half during the 2nd 45 minutes and were rewarded 15 minutes before time with Ibrahimovich's goal which gives them their 2nd draw in a row.

Babangida happy with Arabian move

13 Oct 2002

Our thanks to Mohamed S. Chbaro at http://www.middleeastfootball.com for bringing us up to date on this one!  Nigerian striker Tijjani Babangida has been praising his former Ajax teammate Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam's tip that encouraged him to move to Saudi Arabaia and Al-Ittihad of Jeddah. "I'm really grateful to my Egyptian friend, and teammate, at Ajax Amsterdam Ahmed Hossam, for his advice regarding Al-Ittihad," Babangida told London-based Saudi daily paper Al-Hayat on Saturday. "He made me aware of the fans' increasing desire to see some silverware and also told me about the distinguished status the club has always enjoyed locally and in Asia," he added.  "Still, the main factor influencing my move was the way Al-Ittihad officials approached me. I am thankfull to all those who were behind the signing, and am really hopefull I will be able to pay them back on the pitch," he underlined. Asked about the problems he witnessed with Ajax, Babangida had this to say: "It wasn't easy to deal with coach Ronald Koeman at the start of the new season in Holland. I made my position clear when voicing my desire to be given a regular first-team choice place within the squad, but Koeman reiterated that no player is granted such status."

Ajax want to dump foreign interests

12 Oct 2002

According to a story in Belgian newspaper 'Het Nieuwsblad' Ajax want to sell off their interests in foreign clubs. Not only do the Amsterdammers want to dump their remaining 72% percent interest in Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen but also their shares in Ashanti Goldfields (Ghana) and Ajax Cape Town (South Africa). Ajax don't profit sufficiently from the involvement to make it worth while continuing and they've warned their shareholders that there is also little prospect of a profit from last season due to the stagnation of the transfer market.

Van 't Schip returns to Ajax on Monday

11 Oct 2002

John van 't Schip returns to the ArenA on Monday to succeed Gerard van der Lem as coach with the Amsterdammers' reserve team, Jong Ajax. Van der Lem is leaving to take up his post with the Saudi FA on Tuesday where he'll be presented as the national team's new technical director. For Van 't Schip it's his second return to the ArenA - the 38 year-old former  right-winger played 348 matches for Ajax before a back injury brought his career to an end. Between 1997 and the summer of 2001 he was a member of the club's technical staff, working as youth coach and as assistant to Co Adriaanse. He left to take over as trainer with Twente but resigned after a disappointing season in Enschede, recently signing a 3 year contract with Ajax to take over from Van der Lem.

Chivu plays against Norway

11 Oct 2002

Cristian Chivu's injury has indeed turned out to be, thankfully, nowhere near as bad as was originally thought. Ajax's captain picked up the knee injury during last Sunday's 1-2 win at Feyenoord and it was feared that the Romanian defender would be out of action for some time. Fortunately he's made a speedy recovery and will be able to play for his country in tomorrow's EURO 2004 qualifier against Norway.

Koopman joins Van der Lem's Saudi staff

10 Oct 2002

Despite his recent announcement that he would never work abroad again, Dutch trainer Martin Koopman will be joining Gerard van der Lem in Saudi Arabia as part of the national team's technical staff. Koopman's comments came after a disastrous experience with African Congo club Vita which ended without him receiving any payment whatsoever for his services and, the final indignation, saw him forced to leave his personal possessions behind when he returned to Holland. Van der Lem has somehow managed to persuade the former Veendam trainer to join his staff as field-trainer which means that his lineup is now complete! It includes Co Jager (his former assistant at AZ) and keepers-trainer Jan Nederburgh.

Reports of Chivu injury exaggerated

09 Oct 2002

The reports that have been circulating claiming that Cristian Chivu is faced with a possible knee operation seem to have been exaggerated. As a result of the stories being published in the press Ajax have contacted the Romanian FA who've assured Edwin Goedhart, head of the Amsterdammers medical team, that the injury is not that serious. Chivu is expected to be able to play for his country this Saturday in their EURO 2004 qualifier against Norway.

Chivu fears knee operation

09 Oct 2002

Ronald Koeman will have to miss captain Cristian Chivu for the coming 3 Champions League matches after the Romanian defender picked up a knee injury in the classic clash with arch-rivals Feyenoord in the Kuip last Sunday. It looks like he'll have to go into hospital for an operation to repair the damage and could be out of action for 4 weeks.

Ajax miss Wamberto for 2 weeks

09 Oct 2002

Ajax will have to miss Brazilian forward Wamberto for the next two weeks after he picked up an ankle problem during the recent 1-2 win against Feyenoord. The timing of the injury means that it will not present too much of a problem for the club or player as the following Ere Divisie match is against AZ on October 19th.

Babangida on loan to Al Ittihad

08 Oct 2002

Ajax's Tijjani Babangida will play out the rest of the season for Saudi club Al Ittihad on a loan deal for 6 months. The Nigerian forward, who joined the Amsterdammers from Roda back in 1996 and scored 22 goal in a total of 102 appearances, was out of favour at the ArenA and had been training with the Jong Ajax squad. The last details of the move, which we first wrote about a couple of weeks ago, have just been completed. It's Babangida's 3rd loan-spell in as many years after earlier adventures with Turkish side Genclerbirligi in 2000/2001 and last season with Vitesse.

Heitinga travels to US for treatment

07 Oct 2002

Ajax's young defender John Heitinga will be travelling to the Unied States to receive treatment from the same specialist who's previously helped Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane. The 18 year-old has decided after consulting Ajax's medical staff that it would be worth trying and he'll soon be paying Dr. Richard Steadman a visit in Colorado to have some knee surgery. Heitinga underwent surgery twice last season but fell out injured again during the recent Ere Divisie clash with NAC.

Litmanen lyrical after 1-2 at Feyenoord

07 Oct 2002

"These are always the best kind of games to play in", beamed Jari Litmanen after the classic duel between Feyenoord and Ajax yesterday. The Fin gets himself well charged up for these confrontations as he showed once more by scoring his 9th goal in 8 matches against the Rotterdammers. Despite Feyenoord's 2nd half onslaught both sides agreed that the result was a fair one. "We began ok but were ko-ed by theng goal and are lucky that we weren't 0-3 or even 0-4 down at halftime!" said Feyenoord-trainer Bert van Marwijk. Ronald Koeman was satisfied: "We failed to seal the match in theng half by missing too may chances, with the result that Feyenoord were able to get back into the match and, although they didn't cause us too many problems, the result could just have easily been 2-2."

Ajax win at 1-2 at Feyenoord

06 Oct 2002

Feyenoord lineup: Zoetebier - Emerton, De Haan, Paauwe, Rzasa - Song C G, Bosvelt, Ono, Pardo - Buffel, Van Hooijdonk. Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu, Van Damme - Galásek, Litmanen, Witschge - Pienaar, Ibrahimovic, Wamberto. Ajax go equal top after this away win at the Kuip, just behind PSV on goal difference. After anng spell where there was little to choose between the two teams till theng goal, beautifully curled in by Wamberto. From then on the Amsterdammers were completely in control during the rest of the half. Ajax were again inspired by the presence of Jari Litamanen, the Fin forming the hub of a well organised midfield. He missed out on several chances to score but a solo move by Steven Pienaar set up Litmanen with the 2nd goal in the 43rd. The 0-2 half-time score was richly deserved. Ajax started off in the same vein after the break but couldn't maintain the tempo, allowing Bert van Marwijk's team to get back into the match. The half-time introduction of Van Persie and Kalou, for Thomas Buffel and Sebastián Pardo, had introduced a bit more aggression into the Rotterdammer's game which at first didn't amount to more than a shot on the bar by Van Persie and the one goal by Pierre van Hooijdonk in the 56th minute. Feyenoord kept plugging away and Ajax had to hold on from then on while the Rotterdammers got the best chances to score but both Van Hooijdonk and Bonaventure Kalou failed to beat Maarten Stekelenburg. Feyenoord are now 6 points adrift of the top-two.

Feyenoord v Ajax - Classic Dutch Derby

05 Oct 2002

Tomorrow is the first classic derby of the season with two age-old opponents from Holland's two largest towns standing off against each other in one of the best stadiums in Europe for atmosphere and football - the Rotterdam Kuip. The distractions of this week's Champions League football has overshadowed the approach of this duel between the Dutch giants while there's already a lot at stake, especially for Feyenoord. A defeat at home by Ajax would be a major setback early in the season,ng up the gap between the two clubs to 8 points. "This match is particularly important because Holland will only be able to enter two teams in the Champions League next season, meaning an end-of-season 3rd place is no longer good enough", explained Ajax-trainer Ronald Koeman.  "A defeat would be bad for the team's spirit and morale", said Feyenoord defender Kees van Wonderen. It's doubtful whether he'll actually be fit to play after suffering a hamstring injury which meant he missed Tuesday's C-L match against Kiev. "You used to be able to become champions by beating the small teams but nowadays you've got beat Ajax to win." The coming two weeks rest, due to the imminent internationals taking place, will be most welcome for both teams. Feyenoord have played 12 matches in the last 6 weeks while Ajax have only played 10! The tell-tale and ever growing list of players who've gone on the injured list says it all!  Ajax will be glad to welcome the return of the ever influential Jari Litmanen in time for the match. He stayed at home while the team travelled to Norway for the C-L match against Rosenborg and worked in his own very personal, driven style to get himself fit again after picking up his hamstring injury. Young goalie Maarten Stekelenburg is also engaged in a similar struggle to regain fitness in time for tomorrow's match. The timing couldn't be better for Koeman as his goalkeeper problems just keep on growing with Joey Didulica, who'd replaced Stekelenburg when he picked up his injury, himself dropping out with an ankle injury. Of the 5 keepers in Amsterdam not one is fully fit - Robert Zwinkels and Bogdan Lobont have shoulder problems plus even Henk Timmer is being troubled by a hamstring injury but he'll take a place on the bench.

Tomás Galásek gets Czech Republic callup

05 Oct 2002

Ajax midfielder Tomás Galásek has been called up for the Czech Republic's EURO 2004 qualifiers against Moldova and Belarus. Coach Brückner's team plays in and against Moldova on October 12th and play host to Belarus on the 16th in Teplice.

Ajax's keeper problems continue

03 Oct 2002

Ajax's goalkeeper problems continue! Joey Didulica, who recently replaced the injured Maarten Stekelenburg, has picked up an ankle injury in last night's Champions League match against Rosenborg. The Australian goalie will almost certainly be unfit to play on Sunday when the Amsterdammers visit the Rotterdam Kuip to play Feyenoord. He's the 3rd goalie to go on the sick-list after Bogdan Lobont (shoulder) and Maarten Stekelenburg (hamstring) which leaves Henk Timmer, on hire from AZ, as the only fit goal-stopper left! Ironically, Timmer was on loan to Feyenoord last season and Sunday's match could well be his first Ajax-experience of the season since he arrived from the Alkmaarders.

Ajax and Brutil Hosé part

03 Oct 2002

Ajax and Brutil Hosé have reached agreement on the termination of the striker's contract which ran till July 2003. He's only made 20 appearances for the ArenA 1st team, scoring 3 goals, while he spent last season, apart from a short spell on loan to De Graafschap and trials with Sunderland and Middlesbrough, playing for Haarlem. During the summer he spent some time training with Eerste Divisie side Dordrecht'90. Since the summer he's turned out for Jong Ajax, the Amsterdammers reserve team.

Rosenborg and Ajax in 0-0 draw

02 Oct 2002

Rosenborg lineup: Arason, Olsen, Hoftun, Basma, Saarinen, Strand, Skammelsrud, Berg, Karadas, Braatbakk, Frode Johnsen.  Ajax lineup: Didulica, Trabelsi, Chivu, bergdølmo, Van Damme, Van Halst, Witschge, Galásek, Wamberto, Ibrahimovich, Mido.  Ajax went home without the three points they had ample opportunity to score and which would have earned them the table topping position in their group. Sloppy finishing by their strike-duo Mido and Ibrahimovich meant they left the stadium with empty hands. During theng quarter of an hour both teams were equally balanced with Rosenborg looking the more threatening from corners while the visitors slowly warmed to their task. Wamberto had the best chance for Ajax shortly after in the 19th minute. The diminutive Brazilian was Ajax's best striker in theng 30 minutes as the Amsterdammers managed to contain the Rosenborg attacks without too much trouble while failing to create many of their own. Finally Mido and Ibrahimovich began to get into gear and in the 34th they had their best opportunity in front of goal but Mido was judged offside. Only a minute later Skammelsrud shot just over for the Norwegian side. Witschge had a shot saved in the 37th as the Amsterdammers began to move the ball around a bit faster and pressed forward. Mido had a great chance to push the ball into the back of the net in the 40th but he was too slow. The Egyptian striker served up an impressive pass to Ibrahimovich in the 42nd which the young Swede took well, raced forward but blasted just wide. Australian keeper Joey Didulica, in his European debut, grew in confidence as the half progressed and it was a good thing as Rosenborg applied pressure close to the half-time whistle. Ajax could have been a couple of goals up as they left for the dressing room but were let down by less-than-perfect finishing in front of goal.  Koeman had some things to say to his team during the break and they came out looking sharper. Ibrahimovich blasted just over in the 50th but, as the 2nd half progressed, Ajax were again put under real pressure by the home team. Koeman decided to replace Ibrahimovich, who'd been too sloppy too often, by Van der Meyde and Van Halst by Winter. Witschge was also replaced by Maxwell as the Amsterdammers tried to find that goal, but it just wasn't happening. Ajax survived the 2nd half and a stormy closing quarter-of-an-hour without conceding a goal but Koeman will not be pleased with his team's performance, though the result could have been worse.

Ajax field mix of youth and experience

02 Oct 2002

Ajax will be fielding an interesting lineup tonight against Rosenborg with a mixture of veterans and young upstarts. Christian Chivu, who now looks likely to play, will be flanked by Trabelsi, new-kid-on-the-block Jelle van Damme and Bergdølmo, playing against his former club. The midfield is in the hands of experienced players such as Galasèk, Witschge and Van Halst. Wamberto, who's not been seen much recently, will be given a place behind 'bad boys' Mido and Ibrahimovic. In fact the formation looks very much like the one who put on such a fine C-L perfomance against Glasgow Celtic last year. Likely lineup: Didulica, Trabelsi, Chivu, Bergdolmo, Van Damme, Galasèk, Van Halst, Wamberto, Witschge, Mido, Ibrahimovic.

Chivu plays against Rosenborg despite pain

02 Oct 2002

Christian Chivu has decided to play in tonight's Champions League match against Rosenborg despite the bruised rib (picked up in last Sunday's 2-2 EreDivisie draw against NAC) that's still troubling him. "I'm determined to play and, with painkillers and Romanian willpower, I will do exactly that!" said the 21 year-old defender who impressed against Inter Milan last week. For the Amsterdammers' team captain it was 'business as usual' as he took part in the last training session yesterday in Trondheim.

Rosenborg - Ajax... a preview

02 Oct 2002

Rosenborg may be the least illustrious opponent in Ajax's C-L group, they could well prove to be the Amsterdammers' most difficult team to beat. In the past they have been a very consistent side who've managed to qualify for the last 8 Champions League tournaments, something no other team has done, and they have built a reputation as 'giant-killers'. They made their C-L debut in the 1995/96 season and had their best result the following season when they got to the quarter-finals, losing to Juventus (1-1 and 0-2). The current lineup doesn't look strong enough to do that well this time as, although they are on course for their 11th consecutive domestic title, they have not played convincingly and have been too inconsistent. There have also been several player-departures:  John Carew, Jan Derk Sørensen and Andre Bergdølmø to Valencia, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax. It's been left to the veterans Bent Skammelsrud (36) and Erik Hoftun (33) too fill the gap while Frode Johnsen (28) and Harald Brattbak (31) have to score the goals.

Chivu travels with Ajax to Norway

01 Oct 2002

Christian Chivu has travelled with the Ajax squad to Norway for tomorrow night's Champions League match against Rosenborg, though it remains doubtful whether he'll actually play. The Ajax captain picked up a bruised rib in Sunday's Ere Divisie clash with NAC in the ArenA and looked certain to be left at home. However, the injury is not as serious as originally thought, though he's still not 100%, and coach Ronald Koeman remains hopeful that he can field the Romanian international.

Litmanen unfit for Rosenborg match

30 Sep 2002

Jari Litmanen will not be able to play in Ajax's Champions League match on Wednesday, when the Amsterdammers travel to face Norwegian side Rosenborg BK, as the Finnish international is still being troubled by the hamstring injury he picked up in the C-L match against Inter Milan. He hopes to be back for the classic derby with Feyenoord in the Kuip next Sunday. Cristian Chivu still looks unlikely to play in Norway due to the bruised rib he picked up in Sunday's Ere Divisie clash with NAC and young Johhny Heitinga was unfortunate enough to pick up a serious knee injury in the same match which will keep him out of action for at least 6 months. It all adds to Ronald Koeman's injury worries with Maarten Stekelenburg and John O'Brien both out with hamstring injuries.

Johnny Heitinga out for 6 months

30 Sep 2002

Johnny Heitinga is back on the injured list for the coming half year after picking up a serious knee injury during Ajax's Ere Divisie 2-2 draw against NAC. It's devastating news for the young defender who'd only just returned from a long absence through injury and had been called up for the Champions League match against Inter Milan last week.

Chivu misses C-L match with bruised rib

30 Sep 2002

Ajax's Christian Chivu has bruised a rib during the Ere Divisie match against NAC and will miss Tuesday's Champions League away match against Norwegian side Rosenborg.

Ajax and NAC in 2-2

29 Sep 2002

Ajax lineup: Joey Didulica, Hatem Trabelsi, Christian Chivu, Abubakari Yakubu, Jelle van Damme, Tomas Galasek, Richard Witschge, Steven Pienaar, Victor Sikora, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. NAC lineup:Gabor Babos, Csaba Feher, Rob Penders, Mark Schenning, Nebojsa Gudelj, Earnest Stewart, Alfred Schreuder, Jurgen Colin, Igor Korneev, Orlando Engelaar, Kevin Bobson. Ajax got off to an absolutely disastrous start this afternoon and can count themselves lucky to have earned themselves a point out of this match. There were major changes made by Ronald Koeman to his lineup with Steven Pienaar starting in midfield alongside Richard Witschge, Sikora and Boukhari on the wings and no Jari Litmanen! A Trabelsi blunder allowed Kevin Bobson, on loan to NAC from Ajax, to put the visitors head after only 3 minutes. An equally incredible defensive slipup by the Tunisian defender allowed Amrican international Earnest Stewart to increase the Breda side's lead in the 21st. Mido was brought on for Yakubu later on in the half and Van der Meyde for Sikora to inject some energy into a lethargic looking frontline and later Chivu departed with a worrying injury to be replaced by Johnny Heitinga. Some very unhappy fans whistled their team into the dressing-room at halftime. Koeman gave his lineup a good talking to and Ajax reemerged with a better attitude, Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally slotting home a simple goal in the 47th and Mido scoring a fine goal in the 56th from a Zlatan pass. A lot of stoppages disrupted the flow of play from then on and the Amsterdammers lost their momentum. In fact they were lucky that NAC substitutes Boussaboun and Van den Eede weren't a bit sharper or else they'd have dropped 3 points.

Didulica keeps for Ajax against NAC

27 Sep 2002

Joey Didulica will be keeping goal for Ajax this Sunday in the Ere Divisie match against NAC after Ronald Koeman chose the Australian in preference to Henk Timmer as replacement for the injured Maarten Stekelenburg. It will be Didulica's first appearance for Ajax this season. The 24 year-old was originally being lined-up as Fred Grim's successor but picked up an ankle injury during the pre-season preparations. Romanian keeper Bogdan Lobont was already on the injured list at the time forcing Ajax to look around for temporary backup and they eventually signed a loan-deal with AZ's Henk Timmer to bring him to the ArenA. As it happens young Maarten Stekelenburg has become the regular keeper for the Amsterdammers until he picked up his injury during Wednesday's Champions League match against Inter Milan.

Al-Ahly - Ajax friendly a step closer!

27 Sep 2002

Our grateful thanks to Mohamed S. Chbaro of  middleeastfootball.com for this latest story to emerge from the Gulf region! Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Ahram revealed yesterday that reigning African champions Al-Ahly have been informed by the African Football Confederation that Ajax Amsterdam have been nominated as their  opposition for the Meridian Cup to be held in Cairo in January next year. It's a snub to local arch-rivals Zamalek who were reported to be trying to get the Amsterdammers to come and play against them back in August! The Meridian Cup is an invitational competition aiming at promoting the status of football throughout Africa, and will have the Egyptian capital as its venue next January. “Al-Ahly were a natural choice after they claimed the ‘Club of the Century’ award in Africa last year,” underlined a club spokesman. “The club administration will discuss the CAF offer in its next meeting this coming week and we hope that it will indeed lead to a high-profile match that will boost the image of Egyptian football throughout the world,” the spokesman added. Al-Ahly, Egypt’s most successful and popular club, have been in impressive mood against European opponents in the past two years, narrowly beating Real Madrid 1-0 on August 2001 before last month handing out a 2-1 defeat to Italian giants AS Rome. Both of these gala matches were held in a packed Cairo International Stadium. If the game were to be held against Ajax, it would be the first official confrontation between Egyptian and Dutch sides.

Stekelenburg out for several weeks?

27 Sep 2002

Maarten Stekelenburg will miss Ajax's match against NAC on Sunday after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League match against Inter Milan. 'It looks like he'll be out of action for a few weeks," said trainer Ronald Koeman. The 19 year-old keeper had to drop out half-way through the first half of Wednesday's match and his replacement Henk Timmer injured his big-toe but will be fit to play on Sunday. Koeman will have the 'luxury' of choosing between Timmer and Joey Didulica, who's back from his shoulder injury and has already played a couple of matches for the Amsterdammers' reserve team Jong Ajax.

Italian press full of praise for Ajax

26 Sep 2002

Despite the fact that Ajax lost 1-0 to Inter Milan the Italian press has had almost nothing but words of praise for the young Ajax team with special mentions/commendations for Christian Chivu and Jari Litmanen.  'La Gazzetta dello Sport' had this to say: 'After only a few minutes it was clear that Ajax were a far more flowing ensemble than Inter. As soon as the Dutch moved forward they looked as if they were going to inflict pain on Inter. Jari Litmanen was, paradoxically, responsible for most of the acceleration within the Ajax lineup, while his age and lack of matchplay would indicate that he's the least likely candidate to provide the bursts of speed required. He was the Amsterdammers' absolute play-maker.'  There were also words of praise for captain Christian Chivu, "Every time that Inter tried to threaten the Ajax-end Chivu was there ready to stifle all attempts, a veritable Nesta for Ajax! He intercepted every ball and was solely responsible for the build-up of attacking moves." 'La Corriera della Sera' even went as far as to give Ajax a place among Europe's top clubs. "Only the spectators who refuse to look at anything else but the result is it possible to claim that Ajax are a second-rate team. As far as both athleticism and tactical insight are concerned the young team is clearly already advanced. Precisely when it seemed that Ajax had attained domination, and looked close to unravelling the Inter defence, came the shock of Crepo's goal." 'La Stampa' was in agreement but had a few words of criticism, "Ajax have a young, brave team but they tend to be rather too narcisistic and, although they look good and move well they tend to make too many errors."

Koeman's nightmare comes true

26 Sep 2002

Ronald Koeman had warned his team before last night's Champions League match that Italian teams always make their opponents look better, lulling them into a false sense of security only to strike when you're least expecting it. "It's very disappointing to make one mistake and lose the match", the Ajax coach said. "We played better, had more possession but lacked that bit extra that makes all the difference at this (or any other) level. In attack we were not sharp, we were also too sloppy and paid the price, while Inter's quality is to get the maximum out of a match with a minimum of effort, even when they play badly". Koeman could at least be happy with the performance of 18 year-old defender Jelle Van Damme who made his debut as replacement for the injured John O'Brien. "He played a good match after an unsteady start and I'm satisfied with his performance - he did well!"

Inter Milan beat Ajax 1-0

25 Sep 2002

Inter Milan lineup: Toldo - Zanetti, Materazzi, Córdoba, Pasquale - Buruk, Di Biagio, Belözoglu, Dalmat - Vieri, Crespo. Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Pasanen, Chivu, Van Damme - Galásek, Litmanen, Maxwell - Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Sikora. Ajax had another footballing lesson as the Amsterdammers showed they can play excellent-looking football but consistently fail to close in for the kill when it matters most. Litmanen looked the absolute professional that he is, and all his talents were on display as Ajax got off to a fine start, leaving Inter looking rather powerless to cope with the visitors' talents and midfield organisation in theng hour's football.   Ajax had more than their fair share of chances but Zlatan Ibrahimovic especially wasted too many of them and their usual over-casual attitude let them down. Tomás Galásek and Maxwell had a go with distance shots but they didn't seriously trouble goalie Francesco Toldo. As the second half progressed the play became rather aggressive as frustrations and irritations came to the boil. It was left to Hernán Crespo to give Inter the points in the 75th, scoring from a Matías Almeyda pass. It was an undeserved goal and a big disappointment for Ajax who never looked like recovering enough to equalize, even with fresh-blood Mido and Pienaar in the side. They will get their chance for revenge in a couple of weeks in the ArenA.

Inter-Ajax a battle of opposites

25 Sep 2002

A battle of opposites is one description of tonight's Champions clash between Ajax and Inter Milan -  red-and-white against blue-and-black, attack against defence, youth against experience. The two teams have only met once in Europe and that was on May 31st 1972 in the Kuip in the battle for the European Cup Winners' Cup. Johan Cruijff was hero-of-the-hour-and-a-half, scoring twice to give the Amsterdammers the Cup for the second time in a row. It may seem a long time ago but even fresher in the Inter collective memory will be their UEFA Cup semi-final defeat at the hands-and-feet of Feyenoord last season. Ronaldo has left for  Real Madrid enabling Inter to add two new players in the shape of Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo and veteran defender Fabio Cannavaro but the latter will be missing tonight due to the red card he picked up against Rosenborg. Ronald Koeman's team is now clearly, and very positively, under the guiding influence of Jari Litmanen who helped them to a nail-biting 2-1 win against Olympique Lyon in the ArenA last week. Whether the Fin will be fit to play tonight remains to be seen, while defender John O'Brien will be missing, most likely replaced by 18 year-old Jelle ten Damme. Inter have never lost a Champions League match in their own Giuseppe Meazza stadium and will not be planning to make an exception tonight.

Koeman takes Van Damme to Milan

24 Sep 2002

Ronald Koeman has decided to take the young Belgian defender Jelle van Damme to Milan for tomorrow's Champions League clash. It's a dream come true for Van Damme who's been picked to replace American international John O'Brien. The 18 year-old who can't quite believe his luck. "I missed most of the pre-season preparations due to the matches I played for the Belgian youth team  and it was difficult for me to readjust when I returned to Ajax. Recently things have improved and last week I finally started to feel more confident, so the news that my trainer has chosen me to replace O'Brien is an opportunity not to be missed."

Heitinga called up for C-L clash with Milan

24 Sep 2002

Johnny Heitinga is back in the Ajax squad and will be travelling to Milan for tomorrow's Champions League clash. The 18 year-old defender has been out of action for some considerable time after undergoing two separate knee operations. He's been chosen to reinforce the squad due to John O'Brien's injury and Yakubu's unavilability due to the red card he picked up in last week's match. "I've been out of action for a long time with my injury and it's taken some time for me to catch up with the rest of the squad but I'm finally feeling fit again and the trainer's call didn't come as a complete surprise."

John van 't Schip returns to Ajax

23 Sep 2002

It's been confirmed that John van 't Schip will be returning to Ajax to take over coaching Jong Ajax when Gerard van der Lem departs for Saudi Arabia. The 38 year-old former right winger has signed a deal for 3 years with his old club where he was player, reserve team trainer and assistant to Co Adriaanse. before leaving for an unhappy season with Twente, where he resigned in July. When exactly he'll start work is dependent on when exactly Van der Lem leaves because, although his new deal with the Saudi FA begins in July 2003, Ajax have been asked to let him go earlier, even as early as the beginning of next month.

Ajax miss Litmanen against Inter

23 Sep 2002

Ajax will most likely miss Jari Litmanen for Wenesday's Champions League match against Inter Milan. The Finnish international was one of the highlight's of last week's C-L match against Lyon but has picked up an injury and had to drop out of Saturday's Ere Divisie match against RBC Roosendaal. "He's still suffering from an old hamstring problem that's playing up again and is doubtful to start on Wednesday," said trainer Ronald Koeman, while American left-back John O'Brien is also unlikely to play after picking up an achilles problem.

Ajax in injury worries

22 Sep 2002

Ajax are faced with injury worries as they prepare for their next Champions League matches with Jari Litmanen and Ramon van Haaren both doubtful to play. The Fin has picked up a thigh muscle strain while the Feyenoord defender has a hamstring problem. Litmanen appeared as a substitute in yesterday's match between Ajax and RBC but only lasted 9 minutes before leaving the pitch to be replaced by Jan van Halst. He blew life into the match, serving up an assist that Zlatan Ibrahimovic promptly netted but looks unlikely to be fit in time for Tuesday's clash with Inter Milan in the Giuseppe Meazza stadium.

RBC lose to Ajax 2-3

21 Sep 2002

RBC lineup: Aerts - Keller, Nascimento, Oliseh - Fleur, De Graaf, Heije, Tininho - Wooter, Vos, Sillah. Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Yakubu, Chivu, O'Brien - Galásek, Pienaar, Maxwell - Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Wamberto. Ajax and PSV are the only teams not to have dropped a point so far this season though the Amsterdammers made unnecessarily hard work of dealing with RBC Roosendaal tonight, where Henk Voss celebrated his 400th professional match, and almost gave away a 0-3 lead in the closing stages of the match. They kicked-off at a cracking pace and Maxwell, Van der Meyde and Zlatan, especially, had several good chances to go ahead in theng quarter of an hour but his efforts were parried by Aerts and the post. It took till favourite-son Jari Litmanen appeared for the back of the net to be finally found. Appearing as as substitute for young Brazilian Maxwell, he was once more quick to make his presence felt, feeding Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a ball that the Swedish international sent past goalie Maikel Aerts for the 1-0 in the 58th. A bit of a downer is the news of his injury, which the Fin picked up 9 minutes after appearing. Litmanen doesn't want to risk a more serious thigh muscle injury with the Champions League match against Inter Milan at the door and decided to drop out to prevent any further strain. Tomás Galásek increased the lead with a 2nd in the 67th with a beauty of a strike. When Cristian Chivu put away a spot-shot in 75th, for a hands-ball by former Ajax player Melvin Fleur, the match seemed wrapped up. However, RBC fought back with goals by former Ajax striker Nordin Wooter in the 82nd and Geert den Ouden in the 88th that were not quite enough to earn the Roosendaalers a point but did make the last minutes tense and exciting to watch.

Van der Lem closing deal for Saudi move

21 Sep 2002

Our grateful thanks to Mohamed S. Chbaro at http://www.middleeastfootball.com for the story!! Jong Ajax's trainer Gerard van der Lem has revealed to the Saudi press that he's close to finalising the deal which will see him move to Saudi Arabia as the national team's new technical director. "I am finalizing the terms of the move with Ajax Amsterdam before signing officially as coach of the Saudi Arabian national team." Talking on the phone to popular Saudi daily Al-Riyadh on Saturday, the Dutchman had this to say: "Three assistants will be assisting me in my new mission, two of them are Dutchmen and the third from South Africa. The team I am taking with me have a wealth of coaching experience here in Holland. This was a main point in my discussions with the Saudi officials who gave me a free-hand to obtain the best entourage for the work-at-hand here in Riyadh. "I'm currently rounding off my talks with Ajax in order to end my contract with the club on friendly terms. I am head coach of their Under-23 squad and I want to honour the contract with Ajax in a professional manner." Ajax's administration has been very cooperative in this regard, and the next step will be the official signing of the contract with the Saudi FA in the next few days in Paris, so that it can be officially announced to the international media," he concluded.

Ajax beat Lyon 2 - 1 in Champions League

17 Sep 2002

Ajax: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Yakubu, Chivu, O'Brien - Galásek, Litmanen, Maxwell - Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Sikora. Olympique Lyon: Coupet - Chanelet, Edmílson, Caçapa, Bréchet - Juninho Pernambucano, Violeau, Carrière, Dhorasoo - Govou, Ânderson Ajax got off to cracking start and almost went ahead early on. Jari Litmanen proved to be a source of inspiration for the fans, who chanted his name every time he stylishly made contact with the ball, as well as his teammates. The Amsterdammers put together some nice moves in a fast and entertainingng quarter-of-an-hour of good-to-look-at football. Zlatan rounded off a great piece of solo-work with a blistering shot that curved in for a terrific goal in the 11th. Stekelenburg made a really fine save to keep the score in the Amsterdammers' favour. The game see-sawed with chances on both sides. Then, in the 34th minute, Litmanen set in motion another fine move, feeding through a beauty of a pass to Sikora who used it to set up Zlatan who knew this was going to be his match - the young Swede sent it sailing past the goalie and into the back of the net. 2-0 up after half an hour's top-flight entertaining football against the French Champions, who would have thought it possible? It was as if the Amsterdammers had suddenly found their way to another level of skill and communication and they were looking very good indeed heading into the dressing room at halftime. The French came out for the 2nd half in a higher gear and pushed Ajax back which almost resulted in a goal after 10 minutes but another excellent Van Stekelenburg save denied them. Jan van Halst was brought on for Galasek to firm things up as the Lyon tempo dropped. With 20 minutes to go Pienaar came on to replace Sikora who'd picked up some kind muscle strain. Former Vitesse striker Mamadou Diarra appeared for Lyon and his presence reinspired them to push forward once more with a shot of his own that was saved by the mature-beyond his years Maarten Stekelenburg and John O'Brien cleared an Edmílson header off the line. André Bergdølmo replaced Ibrahimovich for the last 8 minutes and it immediately proved a dubious choice as the defender failed to cope with Sonny Anderson who deftly flipped ball over his shoulder, then lobbing it over Stekelenburg's head ... 2-1 in the 83rd. To make things worse Yakubu picked up his 2nd yellow card and was sent off in the 85th. Ajax fought back for the 4 minutes of extra-time and managed to hold on to their lead for a very encouraging performance.

Ajax on the defensive against Lyon

17 Sep 2002

Ajax-trainer Ronald Koeman has chosen to adopt a defensive tactic for tonight's Champions League match against French champions Olympique Lyonnais. "We'll be taking less risks tonight because we face a dangerous opponent and will be fielding a more defensive formation than against Zwolle last Saturday. Koeman remians tightlipped concerning the exact lineup but it's possible that one of the team's wingers, Andy van der Meyde and Victor Sikora (neither of whom played well against Zwolle), will be left out.

Van der Lem facing up to new challenge

17 Sep 2002

Ajax's Gerard van der Lem has been hailing his new mission as Saudi Arabia's technical director as a real challenge. In his first (telephone) interview with Saudi media the newly-appointed Dutch manager Gerard van der Lem seemed fully aware he is facing a completely new challenge after signing a four-year contract to guide the Saudi Arabian national team.  "This is the first time in my coaching career that I take charge of a national team,  in this respect the Gulf region-job is heralding in a new phase," the Dutch manager told daily paper Al-Riyadh on Tuesday. "From a personal point of view it is a whole new experience, and my target is to steer Saudi Arabia to the World Cup finals in Germany in four-years time. "This is exactly what I have underlined for the Saudi officials. I deeply believe that the four-year contract will provide me with a suitable length of time to reach this specific goal, while also re-establishing the status of Saudi Arabia as a leading football nation," he added. "Now that I have been given the chance to guide the national team, I will put all my experience at the disposal of Saudi footballers. We have many challenges lying ahead of us prior to the World Cup campaign, which will in itself provide a unique opportunity to better assess the capabilities of all the players at my disposal," he concluded.  Van der Lem made it clear he will arrive in the Saudi capital some time during the first two weeks of October and that a press conference will be held at the end of comprehensive talks with the local FA officials. "Till that time, I won't be ready to elaborate on anything connected with the contract and any plans lying ahead for either party," underlined the Dutch supremo. Once more our grateful thanks to Mohamed S. Chbaro at http://www.middleeastfootball.com for the story!!!!

Ahmed Mido Hossam apologises to Ajax

15 Sep 2002

Ahmed Mido Hossam has apologised to Ajax for the remarks he made to local TV station AT5 on Friday in which he said he was definitely going to leave the club when the next transfer-window came round! Although he's made his excuses to his fellow teammates as well as to the technical staff at the ArenA the temperamental Egyptian striker will still be subject to internal discipline in the form of a fine. The disappointed goal-getter was dropped after 30 minutes play in the match at, and against, Groningen last weekend and was accused of a lack of motivation by coach Ronald Koeman.  Mido has now woken up to his situation, admitting that his comments were both irresponsible and thoughtless. The 19 year-old still faces the prospect of an investigation by the Egyptian FA for his making himself unavilable for the African Nations Cup match against Madagascar which his country's team embarassingly lost! He'll also be missing from Ajax's squad to face Olympique Lyon in the Champions League but is expected to rejoin the squad on Wednesday.

Ajax struggle to beat Zwolle 2-0

14 Sep 2002

Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Yakubu, Chivu, O'Brien - Galásek, Litmanen, Maxwell - Van der Meyde, Ibrahimovic, Sikora. Zwolle lineup: Van der Werff - Doesburg, Schol, Kras, Van der Haar - De Ridder, Cvetkov, Van Steeg - Promes, R. Roelofsen, Lim-Duan. Ajax proved too much for freshly promoted Zwolle and are now unbeaten in 9 consecutive Ere Divisie matches although their performance was not an impressive one. Tonight was memorable for the return of jari Litmanen who displayed his talents as if he'd never been away. The crowd was chanting his name long before, and long after the match, and he returned from the dressing-room for his Player-of-the-Match award. Justly so, as he was clearly the superior player on-pitch and everyone, including Zwolle coach Peter Boeve, enjoyed the skills on show. Zwolle had unexpectedly beaten Vitesse but goals by Richard Witschge and Cristian Chivu (penalty) eventually gave the Amsterdammers the points. Jari Litmanen was invaluable in spying any possible hole in the opponents defence and fed Zlatan Ibrahimovich ball after ball but the young striker was either unable to get them on target or found keeper Van der Werff blocking his way to goal. The Fin also saw a header of his own making stopped by the Zwolle goalie. It took until the 58th minute for Witschge, who came on for Maxwell, to find the back of the net and  Chivu's 72nd minute spot-shot to seal the result which gives Ajax 2nd place in the table behind PSV who won 4-0 against RKC.

Egyptian FA investigate Mido injury story

14 Sep 2002

A story emanating from Cairo, Egypt suggests that Ajax's Egyptian international Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam is to be summoned by the local FA for an inquiry into his absence from the recent African Nations Group 10 qualifying match his country played against Madagascar. Egypt suffered a surprising 1-0 away defeat 1-0 and, according to almost all local observers, the absence of Ajax's marksman was the cause of the embarassing result.  The story has it that 'Mido' notified manager Mohsen Saleh about an alleged injury he sustained in a Dutch league game, three days ahead of the Madagascar outing, prompting the Pharaohs' coach to name Ahmed Salah Hosni a s his replacement but the newcomer proved a flop in the game, wasting two brilliant chances in the second-half as Egypt went down 1-0.  Local journalists informed the Egyptian FA early this week that the striker wasn't actually injured at all but, according to the Ajax website, had been subbed by coach Ronald Koeman after putting on a poor performance in the match against Groningen. The news has prompted the Egyptian FA to launch an investigation into the striker's 'story'.  Reports in the Egyptian capital have it that the player, who was married to an Egyptian model last July, even travelled to Cairo recently to attend a special football- school held at the Heliopolis Club, without alerting FA officials of his presence. Unannounced trips like this have also got him into trouble with the Amsterdammers in the past! "He will definitely be subject to an official inquiry," an Egyptian FA spokesman told local daily paper Al-Gomhouria, "And we are expecting him to come to Cairo with in the next few days to discuss the situation." Our thanks to Mohamed S. Chbaro at http://www.middleeastfootball.com for the story!!

Jari Litmanen in action tomorrow

13 Sep 2002

Ajax's Jari Litmanen will make his debut for the club in tomorrow's match against Zwolle. Ronald Koeman saïd, "Jari knows the club well and we know each other from our time together at Barcelona, so it was real easy to work him into the team. Jari is a clever player who picks things up real quick and we've had no problems at all." Abukabari Yakubu will replace Andre Berdølmo, who's been going through a rough stretch of games, in defence alongside Cristian Chivu while Mido will be replaced by Zlatan Ibrahimovich up front - see our other story!

Mido wants to leave Ajax

13 Sep 2002

Mido has announced that he is determined to leave Ajax when the following transfer window comes round during the coming winter-break. The temperamental Egyptian striker is annoyed at being dropped by Ronald Koeman after being substituted during the match against Groningen and has no intention of taking a seat on the bench while rival Zlatan Ibrahimovich gets the deluxe striker's role in tomorrow's match against Zwolle. Coach Ronald Koeman had this to say, "Zlatan deserves a chance and with Litmanen in the team to stimulate and 'feed' him I hope that everyone will get to see the Ibrahimovich we've been treated to in training! Mido has not been playing well and his performance during this week's training session has only confirmed my opinion." As soon as he heard the news Mido made clear his desire to leave the ArenA a.s.a.p. The 19 year-old joined Ajax from Belgian side AA Gent in the summer of 2001 and has so far scored 13 goals in 27 matches.

Litmanen arrives at Ajax

10 Sep 2002

Ajax's latest signing, Finnish international Jari Litmanen, reported for duty yesterday, receiving a hero's welcome by the fans, and immediately had his first training session with the squad. The former Liverpool and Barcelona player has been allotted the no.20 shirt with the club where he spent 7 years in the 1990s and the many banners hung up by fans to welcome him back have undoubtedly reassured him that he made the right decision to 'come home'. "It's great to be back and it's just like when I came here for the first time 10 years ago - I feel really at home again." The news that Rafael van der Vaart is out of action for the coming 6-8 weeks doesn't mean that Litmanen is seen as his replacement and coach Ronald Koeman has made clear that the two players could well be fielded together, with Litmanen getting a place behind the strikers as extra-striker or in midfield. The 31 year-old is also happy to see a young group of players at the Arena who are talented, hungry and with the will to go far. He hopes that his years of experience will rub-off on them.

John van 't Schip new Jong Ajax trainer

10 Sep 2002

John van 't Schip has been named as the new trainer to succeed Gerard van der Lem as Jong Ajax's coach. The former Ajax winger and Twente coach takes over when Van der Lem leaves to become the new technical director of the Saudi Arabian national team. Van 't Schip was formerly assistant-trainer at the ArenA before becoming Twente's coach in July 2001. He resigned his job in Enschede after an unhappily unsuccessful season with 'The Tukkers'.

Van der Vaart out for 6 weeks?!

08 Sep 2002

Ajax's Rafael van der Vaart will look back with mixed feelings on his part in Oranje's 3-0 win against Belarus last night. The young midfielder came on as a substitute in the 70th minute and played a part in Holland's 3rd goal of the match (scored by Chelsea's Jerrell Hasselbaink) but was back on the bench within 10 minutes after picking up a knee injury. The daring and skilfull midfielder was felled at the end of a solo-run and looks to have severely damaged his knee. Oranje coach Dick Advocaat said afterwards, "It doesn't look good." The 19 year-old is also pessimistic and thinks he could well be out of action for 6 weeks! Tomorrow he'll be reporting to Ajax's medical staff for a complete checkup to see exactly how bad the damage is. It's bad news for Van der Vaart, for Ajax and for Oranje! The young talent was making an excellent start to the season after missing much of the second half of last term due to a knee injury which necessitated an operation in February.

Ajax finds solution to Litmanen's contract

05 Sep 2002

Ajax and the Dutch FA have found a solution for the problem with Jari Litmanen's contract with the Amsterdammers. The original deal for 4 months has been 'converted' into a new one which runs for 1 year and 10 months with the proviso that there will be assessments made during the winter-break and again at the end of the current season. Litmanen is currently training with the Finnish national team in preparation for the coming EURO 2004 qualifier against Wales this weekend.

Van der Lem to be Saudi technical director

05 Sep 2002

Gerard van der Lem is leaving Ajax as of July 1st 2003 to become the new technical director with Saudi Arabia's football association where he's signed a deal till 2006. The Saudi FA have asked Ajax to consider releasing the 49 year-old coach, who is currently Ajax's reserve team trainer, as of October 1st this year and the Amsterdammers are considering the request. Van der Lem, who was Louis van Gaal's assistant during Ajax's run of successes in the 1990s, succeeded Jan Olde Riekerink as reserve trainer in May this year.

Litmanen transfer runs into trouble

05 Sep 2002

Jari Litmanen's move to Ajax is apparently against the current rules governing transfers. The Finnish international has signed a contract for 4 months with the Amsterdammers with the proviso that their would be discussions during the winter break in Holland for an extension of the deal for a possible further 18 months. It now turns out that any contract should have been for a minimum of one-year but fortunately for Jari, and Ajax, he cannot be denied the right to play as both the Dutch FA (KNVB) and UEFA have already given their blessing to the deal which has been signed! Litmanen will have his first training session on Monday at the ArenA and is still trying to get used to the idea that he's 'back home'! He'll make his first appearance for Ajax after Finland's match against Wales this weekend.

Mido out of Egypt's African Cup match

03 Sep 2002

Ajax striker Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam has pulled out of Egypt's African Cup qualifier match against Madagascar due to sickness. Mido was substituted after only 32 minutes in Sunday's Ere Divisie match against Groningen as a result of his lack of effort, said coach Ronald Koeman after the match. The trainer's negative comments concerning the Egyptian striker, and other players in the Ajax squad who seem to be lacking in motivation, were repeated in the Dutch media on Monday. Koeman is particularly worried that the team's successes last season, and their qualification for the Champions League, seems to have gone to some players' heads. It's resulted in a lack of effort in Ere Divisie matches so far which could have a disastrous effect on the team's performance in Europe! The Amsterdammers start their Champions League campaign in two weeks time!

Christian Chivu Footballer of the Year

03 Sep 2002

Christian Chivu was crowned "Footballer of the Year" at last night's award gala in Hilversum, organised by Dutch daily newspaper 'De Telegraaf' and football magazine 'Voetbal International'. The Ajax defender received his Gouden Schoen (Golden Boot) trophy from his footballing hero Gheorghe Hagi and dedicated his award to his father. Alfred Schreuder (NAC) received the Zilveren Schoen (Silver Boot) award, for his 2nd place in the same category, from former youth coach Huub Stevens, while the players who were voted joint 3rd, former Heerenveen striker 'Mighty Swede' Marcus Allbäck (now with Aston Villa) and Utrecht's Dirk Kuijt, received their awards respectively from Foppe de Haan (Allbäck's former coach at Heerenveen) and teammate Alfons Groenendijk. Ajax's Rafael van der Vaart was the uncontested "Talent of the Year" and received his award from his former youth coach Johnny van 't Schip. Finally Ronald Spelbos handed out the "Top Scorer" trophy to his former pupil (from their time together at NAC) Pierre van Hooijdonk who scored 24 goals last season.

Chelsea sign Ajax youth player

03 Sep 2002

Chelsea have signed one of Ajax's youth players just in time before the closing date for the transfer-market this summer. 18 year-old Moubarak Boussoufa has made the move to Stamford Bridge without the Premiership club having to pay a fee, the only money paid being in the form of compensation for the training the youngster's received in Amsterdam.

Ajax - Zwolle a day earlier

02 Sep 2002

The Ere Divisie match between Ajax and Zwolle originally planned for Sunday September 15th has been move forward a day, at the Amsterdammers' request, to Saturday September 14th, kickof 19:30. The reason for the change is that Ajax play their first Champions League match on the following Tuesday, September 17th, against  French champions Olympique Lyon.

Ajax's Pasanen picks up knee injury

02 Sep 2002

Ajax's Petri Pasanen is going into hospital today to have his left-knee examined after the Finnish defender picked up an injury during the last pre-match training on Saturday prior to the 1-3 win against Groningen. Pasanen, who's been called-up by Finland's coach Antti Muurinen for the EURO 2004 qualifier against Wales this Saturday, will have to miss the match. Ajax's latest signing, and crowd-favourite, Jari Litmanen has also been called-up for the match.

Van der Vaart welcomes arrival Litmanen

01 Sep 2002

Ajax's talented midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has welcomed the imminent arrival of former Ajax, Barcelona and Liverpool player (and crowd-favourite at the ArenA) Jari Litmanen. Speaking to Dutch public broadcaster the NOS' Studio Sport programme the youngster, who scored two goals in this afternoon's match against Groningen at the Oosterpark stadium, said there was much to be learnt from the Finnish veteran's experience as a player and that there was undoubtedly room in the team for both of them to work together. We can only look forward to the fruits of their on-pitch endeavours!

Groningen lose to Ajax 1-3

01 Sep 2002

Groningen lineup: Beukenkamp - Elshot, Boekweg, Allach, Florén - Hoogstrate, Matthijs, Krstev, Broerse - Ikedia, Tuhuteru. Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg - Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu, O'Brien - Galásek, Van der Vaart, Maxwell - Van der Meyde, Mido, Sikora. Ajax had an easy win this afternoon thanks to Groningen's overly-respectful and passive approach which gave Victor Sikora and Rafael van der Vaart all the room they needed to harrass the home team's defence. The Amsterdammers didn't even play particularly well and their fans, who were banned from showing their faces in Groningen by the local mayor, missed absolutely nothing in terms of footballing entertainment. Ajax went ahead early on when Sikora set up Van der Vaart with an easy chance to beat Roy Beukenkamp in the 13th minute, the outstanding young talent slamming the ball high into the back-of-the-net for the 1-0 and his first goal of the season. The Ajax duo were also in on the second of the Amsterdammers' first-half goals -  Zlatan Ibrahimovich (who replaced the injured Mido in the 36th) picked up the ball in midfield and fed it through to Sikora. The winger then passed it on to Van der Vaart who tapped in the low pass from close range to give Ajax a comfortable 2-0 lead to take into the dressing room at halftime. Six minutes into the 2nd half Sikora served up Andy van der Meyde with a fine cross which was neatly headed in for the 0-3.  Hugo and Martin Drent were brought on for Hoogstrate and Ignacio Tuhuteru but it didn't help the Oosterpark side very much, although they did put together some attacking moves which gave them several opportunities to score. Hugo finally put one away for the home team in the 75th when he hit in the rebound off Pius Ikedia's shot, which had been parried by Maarten Stekelenburg.  With the final whistle in sight(?) they then allowed Ajax to take over once more but the Amsterdammers neglected to add to their tally. Nonetheless, Ronald Koeman will be more than happy with the three away points and a top-of-the-table position.

AZ sign Ajax's Tim de Cler

31 Aug 2002

AZ have signed Ajax's defender Tim de Cler on a contract for 3 years. The 23 year-old left-back has already passed his medical with the Alkmaarders after getting permission to talks with them yesterday. It didn't take long for the deal to be closed and De Cler, who's turned out a total of 76 times for Ajax, will be happy to have found a new club after an unsuccessful trial earlier in August with English side West Bromwich Albion. He was told by Ronald Koeman that there was no room for him in the squad at the ArenA this season.

Willem II hire Van der Gun

30 Aug 2002

It's turned out not be Groningen but Willem II who've snapped up Ajax's Cedric van der Gun on a loan deal for the rest of the season. Only yesterday the 23 year-old forward was being linked with a move to the Oosterpark side but the Tilburgers, who were one of the clubs originally interested in adding him to their squad, have been able to reach agreement with him after earlier talks failed. In fact Willem II was Van der Gun's stated preferred destination when he started to look for new club after being told that he had no future in the 1st team squad at the Arena. It's his 2nd spell on loan away from Amsterdam after turning out at Den Bosch for a short while in the 1999/2000 season.

Jari Litmanen back at Ajax!

30 Aug 2002

Jari Litmanen is returning to Ajax after 3 unhappy years without a regular teamplace at either Barcelona or Liverpool! He's been clearly unhappy at Liverpool since his move there from Barça, making few appearances (to the disappointment of many Liverpool fans) and was unlikely to see much action in the future. Manager Gerard Houllier gave him permission to start looking for a new club but a brief flirtation with the Amsterdammers some weeks ago ended when Ajax said they couldn't afford his wage demands and a possible move to Turkish side Galatasaray was turned down by Litmanen. The 31 year-old will sign an initial deal for 4 months with the possibility of staying on for a further year-and-a-half if both parties are happy with the situation in January 2003. There are still a few formalities to be ironed today before the deal is official and technical director Leo Beenhakker will be meeting with Liverpool representatives to sort them out. Ajax's goal is to have Litmanen registered with UEFA before 16:00n hours today in order to make him eligible for Champiosn League football. Otherwise, according to Beenhakker, the aim of the transfer will have missed its mark!

Ajax sign Absalonsen

28 Aug 2002

Ajax have signed the 16 year-old Danish talent Johan Absalonsen who had a recent, and obviously successful, trial at the ArenA. The left-wingers, who comes from Odense side B1913, follows in the footsteps of Søren Lerby, Frank Arnesen, Jesper Olsen and Jesper Grønkjær, who all made the move to Amsterdam as teenagersd. In fact he's so young his mother had to sign the contract for him!

Vitesse lose to Ajax 1 - 2

25 Aug 2002

Ajax have broken their run of defeats at the Gelredome with a 1-2 win this afternoon. Cristian Chivu's 2nd half goal gave the Amsterdammers the points after Matthew Amoah had put Vitesse ahead in the 16th minute and Petri Pasanen had equalized in the 51st. Ajax fielded an eleven without wingers Sikora and Van der Meyde as Ronald Koeman experimented with a 4-3-3- formation. Ajax played with Ahmed Hossam and Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front but Vitesse looked the more threatening team in theng half. Emile Mbamba created theng for theng goal giving Amoah the chance to put it away in the 16th minute. Nick Hofs and Mbamba failed to convert otherngs while Rafael van der Vaart and Mido also failed to find the back-of-the-net. Theo Janssen hit the bar with a freekick after the break but, later on, Dragoslav Jevric's failure to clear Zlatan Ibrahimovic's shot gave Petri Pasanen the chance to slot home in the 51st. Christian Chivu slammed home a surprise winning goal from a freekick which remained unanswered by the home team's Kalle Sone, Mbamba and Janssen who all missed opportunities to level the score and retain their unbeaten home record against the Amsterdammers.

Koeman leaves Sikora at home

25 Aug 2002

Ronald Koeman has left Victor Sikora at home and the winger will not be playing against his former club Vitesse this afternoon. Trainer Koeman said, "He's picked up an injury and has also been sick since Thursday, missing the training session held that day. It was then obvious that he would not be able to play this weekend." It's also possible that Sikora's illness is not the only reason for his absence as it appears he may have received personal threats (possibly related to the fact that it will be his first appearance against his old club?!). Koeman will also leave out his other winger Andy van der Meyde from the starting lienup and he'll be watching from a place on the bench. It's expected that Ajax will field a 4-4-2 formation with Zlatan and Mido up front.

Ajax friendly against Zamalek in January?

25 Aug 2002

CAIRO, August 24: Eager to claim a resounding public relations success following the one achieved by arch rivals Al-Ahly two days back, Cairo giants Zamalek are reportedly engaged in talks with Ajax Amsterdam to entertain them  in the Egyptian capital next January. “We have already received encouraging signals from the Dutch club,” said Zamalek club president Dr. Kamal Darwish. “We are about to tackle the specific date now, preferably between January 28th and 31st.” Al-Ahly have been phenomenal successful in staging friendly matches against top-ranked European opposition over the last couple of years, beating Real Madrid 1-0 last summer before  flooring Italian giants AS Rome 2-1 early this month. The matches attracted 100,000 spectators each, and the money generated enabled the Reds to tackle the new season on solid financial ground. An Ajax friendly here in Cairo will provide the local faithfuls with a unique opportunity to see their national team's centre-forward, Ahmed “Mido” Hossam, in action for the mighty Dutch side, two years after leaving Egypt to play his club football in Belgium before moving to Holland where he has established himself as one of the Ere Divisie's most feared strikers. Story: -Mohamed S. Chbaro  www.middleeastfootball.com

Weekend's Topper - Vitesse v. Ajax

23 Aug 2002

All eyes (or at least a great many) will be focussed on Sunday's clash between Vitesse and Ajax. The Arnhemmers won the last 5 matches against the Amsterdammers in the Gelredome and are unbeaten at home in their last 21 league matches. The last time Vitesse lost at home was to Willem II in a 1-2 defeat on April 7th 2001. Since then they've won 13 matches and drawn 8 at home while, in total, they've beaten Ajax 6 times, drawn 6 and lost 5. The goal balance so far is Vitesse 27 and Ajax 26 scored. Last season they won 3-1 when André Bergdølmo put Ajax ahead via a penalty before goals by Jhonny van Beukering, Ruud Knol and an own goal by Bergdølmo gave them the points. Also of note, Ajax's Wamberto got a red card in the dying minutes of the match. The match marked Ronald Koeman's return to the Gelredome after swapping Arnhem for Amsterdam in December 2001. Victor Sikora followed his example this summer while fellow teammates Nikos Machlas and Ferdi Vierklau have also previously played for Vitesse. Some other statistical odds and sods: If Machlas gets a chance to substitute and scores twice he'll reach the magic 100 Ere Divisie goal barrier. His first was for Vitesse on November 17th 1996 away against NEC, after which he put away 59 more while for Ajax he's so far netted 38. Bergdølmo could play his 250th league match on Sunday after 115 for Lillestrøm SK, 83 for Rosenborg BK and 51 for Ajax. Belgian striker Bob Peeters could score his 50th Ere Divisie goal, having put away 39 for his previous club Roda JC and 10 for Vitesse since his transfer in the summer of 2000. Last but not least, Rafael van der Vaart will play his 50th match for Ajax.

Zlatan scores, De Vlieger blunders

22 Aug 2002

Ajax's young Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich scored Sweden's only goal in their 1-1 friendly draw with Russia last night. It took till the last minute of the match before he found the back of the net but it was enough to prevent defeat. The evening was a less than happy one for Willem II's Belgian keeper Geert De Vlieger whose blunder allowed Poland to snatch a 1-1.

Van Basten returns to Ajax

21 Aug 2002

Marco van Basten has returned to the training fields of Ajax after an absence of 15 years. The former international is training the club's A1 youth team as part of his KNVB coaching course and yesterday was his first session alongside another ex-international Danny Blind who is the squad's regular trainer. Although his contribution was a minor one his arrival was welcomed by the young talents and will hopefully grow during the coming months.

Ajax and Feyenoord in CNN Top 10

21 Aug 2002

Things can't be that bad with Dutch footbal after all! In the new CNN ranking Ajax have lept in out of blue to occupy 5th place in the American news broadcaster's Top Ten! Feyenoord are also in with a shared 9th place alongside Russian side Lokomotiv Moskow. No.1 are Arsenal, No.2 are Bayern München and No.3 Real Madrid. Liverpool is just ahead of Ajax in 4th place while Valencia, Juventus and Inter Milan are respectively 6th, 7th and 8th.

Sunderland bid for Zlatan Ibrahimovich

20 Aug 2002

English Premiership side Sunderland have made an official offer for Ajax's young Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich and would like to conclude the deal before the transfer deadline runs out on August 31st. Zlatan is quoted as saying that, for the moment at least, he's inclined to remain where he is at the ArenA but you never know!? Several times last season he was linked with a possible move to AS Roma but he and his agent decided it would be better to stay in Holland. It's unclear exactly how much has been bid by the 'Black Cats' and the Amsterdammers' technical director Leo Beenhakker is only going as far as to say that the amount on offer is well below the rumoured €11 million + being talked about in the press. As far as Beenhakker and Ajax are concerned there will be no further negotiations with Sunderland and that Zlatan will be staying with the club at least till the end of the season. "The new season's just begun and we don't have time to start looking round ourselves for potential replacements". Regarding his own situation at the club Ibrahimovich told Swedish newspaper 'Expressen' that Ronald Koeman has said it's 50/50, between him and Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam , who gets to play in the center forward position.

Van der Vaart pulls out of Oranje-Norway

19 Aug 2002

Rafael van der Vaart has had to pull out of the Oranje friendly against Norway this coming Wednesday due to a slight groin injury which he does not want to risk aggravating any further. The Ajax midfielder has contacted Holland's coach Dick Advocaat with the bad news but Advocaat will not be calling up a replacement for the match in Norway. It will be a bit of disappointment for the talented youngster who's been unable to play for his country since a knee injury put him out of action last February. He is, of course, hoping to be available for the far more importantng Euro 2002 qualifier on September 7th against Belarus.

Ajax beat Utrecht 3-1

18 Aug 2002

Ajax lineup: Stekelenburg, Trabelsi, Bergdølmo, Chivu, O'Brien, Galásek, Van der Vaart, Maxwell, Van der Meyde, Mido and Sikora. Utrecht lineup: Wapenaar, Vreven, Zwaanswijk, Touzani, Van Mol, Tanghe, De Jong, Bosschaart, Van den Bergh, Kuijt and Gluscevic. Utrecht were looking to revenge themselves on this blisteringly hot Sunday afternoon for their Amstel Cup final defeat by the Amsterdammers last season where (according to many) the cup was stolen from them by a dubious referee decision. Ajax kicked-off confidently, pushing their opponents back with Karim Touzani and Patrick Zwaanswijk havng the greatest difficulty in coping with Mido and the continually forward moving Rafael van der Vaart. Mido beat Zwaanswijk and simply served up Tomás Galásek with an easyner in the 5th minute. After theng 15 minutes the home team took their foot of the pedal and Utrecht were able to rally themselves, even looking the better team for much of the match. Tom van Mol equalized in the 31st, his shot deflected in off Chivu, and both he and teammate Igor Gluscevic had other chances to put the Domstad side ahead.  Mido returned the advantage to Ajax again in the 79th minute, heading in from a Sikora cross, which broke the Utrecht resistance, and substitute Steven Pienaar was able to take the score to 3-1 in the 85th.

Van der Vaart selected for Holland-Norway

15 Aug 2002

Rafael van der Vaart has been selected for Oranje's coming friendly against Norway on August 21st. Although coach Dick Advocaat has not officially announced the names of the squad to travel to Norway for the match, Ajax's website carries the news that the talented midfielder has been selected. His teammate Andy van der Meyde will also be joining him in the Oranje squad. Van der Vaart made his Oranje debut on October 6th last year in the World Cup qualifier against Andorra but his knee injury kept him out of action since. While Van der Meyde made his first appearance on May 19th of this year in the friendly against the United States in Washington.

Ajax and Machlas say "no" to Galatasaray

14 Aug 2002

Turkish side Galatasaray have made an official approach to Ajax to hire Nikos Machlas but both the player and the club have said "no" to the request as it concerns a temporary contract. Machlas' absence from training on Sunday, after being dropped from the squad for the SuperCup match against PSV, led trainer Ronald Koeman to say that, as far as he was concerned, the Greek striker could leave for a new employer. Both parties sat down to clear the air on Monday and are now willing to continue working together.

Koeman and Machlas clear the air

12 Aug 2002

Ronald Koeman and Nikos Machlas have cleared the air and settled their differences resulting from the Greek striker's absence from the squad which was selected to face PSV for Sunday's Super Cup. Machlas reacted angrily to being left out, refusing to join the group for lunch and failing to turn up for training with the reserve squad on Sunday afternoon. After a chat with the coach and technical director Leo Beenhakker all is hunky-dory once more at the ArenA and the former Ere Divisie top-scorer has resumed training with the 1st team squad. He'll have to pay a hefty fine for his 'misconduct' though, but that shouldn't break the bank on the kind of salary he must be earning, and he'll still have to accept the current striker-ranking which is no. 1: Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam, no. 2  Zlatan Ibrahimovic and then in 3rd place Machlas. If an interested club comes to call with an interesting offer he'll also be able to leave if he so wishes.

Machlas on his way out at Ajax?

12 Aug 2002

Nikos Machlas has told Ronald Koeman that he wants to leave Ajax after being dropped from the 18-man squad for yesterday's SuperCup clash with PSV.  The Greek striker, and former winner of the 'Golden Boot' award for top European striker, has been slowly pushed out of the lineup in Amsterdam, mostly making appearances as a substitute. He failed to turn up for training yesterday and there will undoubtedly be some heated exchanges later today when Koeman and Machlas sit down to discuss his future.

Ajax win SuperCup after 3-1 against PSV

11 Aug 2002

The SuperCup match kicked-off later than planned due to a blockade of the PSV players' bus by unhappy supporters in Eindhoven. PSV got off to a more assured start than Ajax and Mateja Kezman had a couple of earlyngs before a Rommedahl cross found the Yugoslav waiting to head in ther in the 10th minute. Van der Meyde hit the side netting minutes later as Ajax fought back. Sikora missed THE chance of the 1st half when his attempt to put the ball between Watereus' legs was smothered when the goalie simply sat on the ball. Van der Meyde got a yellow card minutes later for a dangerous sliding action which ended with Bouma receiving the winger's boot in his rump, resulting in a heated confrontation. Kezman had a shot stopped by the fine young goalie Maarten Stekelenburg before Rafael van der Vaart proved once again how invaluable he is for Ajax, picking up a Maxwell through ball on the edge of the box, turning neatly to slice it past Waterreus for the equalizer in the 42nd. Stekelenburg showed again how good he is by stopping a Van Bommel blast to keep the score level before the half-time whistle. Trabelsi got a Kezman elbow in the face as the injury-time seconds/minutes ticked on.  After the break Kezman missed a great chance when a sloppy back pass by Pasanen left him with only Stekelenburg to beat but his attempt was too nonchalant. In the 54th minute Galásek saw Trabelsi break down the right, crossed to the Tunisian wing-back who crossed perfectly for Mido to head in the 2-1! Kezman's 2nd 'foul' of the match earned him a yellow card in the 58th. Ajax were looking stronger and stronger as the minutes ticked by while PSV seemed to weaken mentally as their control of midfield slipped out of their hands. Vennegoor of Hesselink was brought on in the 65th to line-up alongside Kezman at the cost of Vogel, while Bruggink dropped back behind the front-duo. Stekelenburg stopped a Bruggink shot but had to give away a rebound that was (fortunately for Ajax) cleared. Trabelsi then broke free down the middle but was held back by Ooijer who got a yellow card only to miss a chance in front of the Ajax goal minutes later. Victor Sikora was replaced by Wamberto in the 74th. Van der Vaart did it again in the 77th when he was served up by Maxwell, taking his time to carefully and casually slot it past a helpess Waterreus for the 3-1. Mido was replaced by Zlatan. Galásek picked up a yellow card for a foul on Van Bommel in the 79th and Bruggink was replaced by Ramzi. As the clash drew to an end Ajax grew in strength while PSV looked increasingly irritated by their inability to impose themselves on the match. The Amsterdammers will be glad to add to their collection of silverware, winning this Cup for the first time in their 'new' stadium and breaking the run of ArenA defeats by PSV!

Stekelenburg in goal for SuperCup

11 Aug 2002

Ronald Koeman has given young Maarten Stekelenburg the chance to shine again in today's SuperCup clash with PSV. The 19 year-old had some really fine performances in the Amsterdam Tournament last weekend, and during the preceding friendlies, which have led Koeman to the logical conclusion: that he's no.1 choice for goal-keeping duties! It's always difficult for a young player to cope with pressure but Stekelenburg has coped remarkably well after being thrown in at the deep end and has kept his cool under all that he's so far had to deal with. In fact it reminds me very much of another youngster, Feyenoord's young winger Robin van Persie, who performed excellently for the Rotterdammers since joining the 1st team last season.

SuperCup Preview - Ajax v. PSV

10 Aug 2002

For the first time in years the battle for the Dutch SuperCup  and it's prize, the Johan Cruijff Trophy, will be between two Ere Divisie giants, namely Ajax and PSV. The Eindhoven side will face the Amsterdammers without their fans due to their protest against Amsterdam's city council's decision to only allow PSV supporters entry to the match if they travel by special supporters train. It will be a fascinating confrontation between two trainers who are in effect 'master' and 'pupil' as Ronald Koeman began his coaching career under Guus Hiddink's guidance. Koeman was Hiddink's assistant trainer, along with Frank Rijkaard, during the 1998 World Cup. Hiddink had this to say about his opponent, "After coaching Koeman as a player I was happy to see him, along with Rijkaard, Ruud Krol, Johan Neeskens and Ruud Gullit, enroll for the Dutch FA's (KNVB) elite-course for potential trainers. They all rolled up their sleeves during their period of training and it feels good to see how Ronald has come on since then".  Koeman went on to become Louis van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona and also learnt much from the Dutch Master himself, Johan Cruijff, when he played for the Spanish side under Cruijff. "I've always kept my eyesduring my playing career and I've definitely been formed by these three men. What I especially noticed about Hiddink was the calm air of self-confidence he radiated and communicated to his players plus the way he dealt with his squad, qualities which I think are reflected in my own style." Although PSV have only lost once to Ajax in the ARenA they will have to be especially on their gurad this time round because they face a team who won the 'double' last season and showed themselves to be worthy champions during the latter part of the season. Their revival has continued as they've grown in strength during their pre-season preparations, reinforced by the return of Rafael van der Vaart and Petri Pasanen. Veterans Richard Witschge and Aron Winter have also returned from loan spells with Alavés and Sparta, respectively, adding some extra experience and backbone to the squad. Ronald Koeman has also had his one 'wish' fulfilled with the arrival of winger Victor Sikora from Vitesse. Nourdin Boukhari was also snapped up from financially-troubled Sparta while Jelle van Damme, Nando Rafael and goalie Maarten Stekelenburg (who is currently 1st choice due to the abence of the injured Bogdan Lobont and Joey Didulica and really impressed during the Amsterdam Tournament last weekend) have all been promoted from the club's youth ranks. Last, but not least, Henk Timmer has been added as extra goal-keeping cover for the season on a one-year loan deal from AZ.

Jong Ajax draw 2-2 with AZ in Amstel Cup

10 Aug 2002

Jong Ajax look as if they're about to make as much of an impression in the 2002/2003 Amstel Cup as they did in last season's tournament after their 2-2 draw against Ere Divisie AZ. Last year's semi-finalists (they were knocked out by Utrecht on penalties) stood firm against the ambitious Alkmaarders, Stephano Seedorf scoring both their goals while AZ's striker Robin Nelisse also found the back of the net twice. Steve Pienaar in particular had a great match, causing all kinds of problems for the AZ defence and it was only Oscar Moens good work in goal that prevented Jong Ajax from going ahead early in the match. After 30 minutes they did just that when Pienaar's pass found Seedorf waiting to convert it. The South African international could have decided the match shortly after but it was Nelisse instead who netted his first of the evening to draw AZ level before putting his side ahead shortly after the break. Later in the 2nd half another Pienaar pass gave Seedorf his 2nd goal of the match leaving AZ trainer Henk van Stee full of admiration ("they could easily play in the Ere Divisie") and the team's trainer Gerard van Lem happy with a point, although a win would have been better!

Wooter back at Ajax

09 Aug 2002

Nordin Wooter, who left Ajax for Real Zaragoza in 1997, is back in Amsterdam to train with the ArenA side's reserve squad until he finds a new club.  The forward played the last three seasons for English side Watford but was not offered a contract extension when his deal ran out. The 25 year-old hopes to get an offer to play for a new club next season and has already been talking to Belgian side AA Gent and Portugese club Belenenses but nothing concrete has emerged.

Ajax hire Timmer for one year

08 Aug 2002

After days of speculation, rumour and confusion Ajax have been able to persuade AZ's reserve keeper Henk Timmer to come to the ArenA on a one-year loan deal. The 30 year-old keeper spent last season on loan to Feyenoord and was disappointed when he wasn't able to make the move permanent. The Rotterdammers and the Alkmaarders couldn't reach agreement on a transfer-fee and so he returned to AZ where Oscar Moens had been declared 1st choice. Another problem for Timmer in a move to Ajax was the risk of becoming 3rd or 4th choice keeper when Lobont and Didulica come back from injury. Another obstacle was that AZ wanted to sell him whereas Ajax only wanted to hire him for 4 months but the two clubs apparently reached agreement on the deal yesterday. Timmer himself has agreed today to a one-year spell in Amsterdam where he's already passed his medical and joined the squad for training.

No West Brom deal for Tim de Cler

07 Aug 2002

Tim de Cler's trial with English side West Bromwich Albion has not ended happily in the offer of a contract for the 23 year-old Ajax defender. He failed to impress coach Megson although De Cler himself said, after playing in the 0-0 friendly against Stoke City, that he would have liked to play for the Midlands side.

Ajax trial for Johan Absalonsen

07 Aug 2002

Ajax have offered the young Danish striker Johan Absalonsen a trial. The 17 year-old, who is regarded as a promising talent, currently plays for Odense side B 1913 and also had a short trial with Feyenoord last season.

Ajax to hire/sign Henk Timmer?

07 Aug 2002

Ajax are looking to solve their current keeper problem by hiring/buying AZ's reserve goalie 31 year-old Henk Timmer for this season. Although the Amsterdammers are loathe to buy another player at this stage, when they already have 3 keepers in the 1st team squad, their need to have an immediate backup for 19 year-old Maarten Stekelenburg could force them to make a decision today after Fred Grim declined a request to return temporarily. AZ have already agreed to let Timmer go and it only remains for the clubs to agree the financial aspect of the transfer: a straight buy, an exchange for another player or a loan-deal. Cedric van der Gun has been named as a possible player who could move to Alkmaar but is said to be unwilling to join AZ. Timmer himself was reserve goalie at Feyenoord last season and the Rotterdammers wanted to use their option to buy him but couldn't reach agreement with AZ on a move.

No RBC move for Van der Gun

06 Aug 2002

Cedric van der Gun has decided not to move to newly promoted RBC Roosendaal. The Ajax forward had asked RBC-manager Paul van der Kraan for some more time to think about the offer he'd been made but didn't get it! Talking to Dutch provincial newspaper the 'Brabants Dagblad' Van der Kraan said, "He only wants to use that extra time to see if he can find another club to sign for while what we need at the moment is clarity and a player(s) who actually wants to play for us".

Grim turns down Ajax request to return

06 Aug 2002

Fred Grim has decided not to return as temporary keeper at Ajax after being asked by the club to help out now that Bogdan Lobont and Joey Didulica are both injured, leaving Maarten Stekelenburg as the only fit keeper with junior goalie Robert Zwinkels acting as back-up. "The club asked me to train and get fit enough to return for temporary duty but I've declined their request due to the emotional aftermath of my departure from the team at the end of last season. I don't want to have to go through that whole process again when the other guys return!" Grim, who celebrates his 37th birthday on August 17th, became the Amsterdammers' keepers-trainer since hanging up his boots.

Ajax win tournament 4-3 against Barcelona

04 Aug 2002

Ajax looked as if they were going to be outclassed by Barcelona tonight but stirred themselves to put on a terrific performance. Although they got off to a slow start Barça's stylish football was rewarded by a Patrick Kluivert goal in the 10th minute, though he did look rather offside. The former Ajax player was extremely classy throughout theng half and formed a dangerous attacking duo with Saviola who scored the 2nd in the 40th. Young Maarten Stekelenburg put in another impressive, self-assured performance throughout the 90 minutes> He made a fine, alert first-half punched-save from a freekick that deflected off the wall and followed it up with a moment of bravery with the risk of injury to himself that had Ronald Koeman looking worried. Ajax got one back in the first minute after the break when Mido struck home a close range rebound from Van der Vaart's sharp-angled attempt but Saviola restored the lead only a minute later. The Amsterdammers looked broken but were not giving up in front of their fans and Rafael van der Vaart showed he was truly back with two goals in the 60th and 62nd minutes to draw Ajax level. The fans went wild and the stadium erupted with the chants of Ajax! Ajax!! Van Gaal was not looking happy! The home team upped the pressure and threatened to put away several more goals in the closing stages of the match. This was a team that was clearly maturing fast and if they could just find the back of the net once more they would seize the trophy, otherwise it would be Barça's. Machlas came on to save Van der Vaart from any late and unecessary injury for the last 5 minutes as Ajax continued to press forward. Richard Witschge celebrated his return from a loan spell at Alaves with a freekick goal in the 90th minute to give Ajax the win and the trophy!!!! Rafael van der Vaart was voted Player of the Tournament!!!

Ajax recall Fred Grim

03 Aug 2002

Ajax have asked Fred Grim if he'll don his keepers' gloves once more to help out the squad after Bogdan Lobont and Joey Didulica both went on the injured list, leaving 19 year-old Maarten Stekelenburg to take care of goal during the match against Manchester United last night. The 36 year-old ended his professional career to become the Amsterdammers' keepers-trainer at the end of last season when he was told he'd not be getting a new contract but Ronald Koeman may well need his experience when the team start their Champions League matches.

Ajax beat Manchester United 2 -1

03 Aug 2002

The Red Devils seemed not to be taking theirng Amsterdam Tournament match very seriously as it kicked off. In theng spell Van der Vaart hit the bar with a header as the Amsterdammers looked more hungry to please their fans and themselves. The young keeper Marten Stekelenburg put on a good, solid performance, coolly coping with a Van Nistelrooy attack. United slowly turned on the juice and started to control the match with their flowing passing style until Victor Sikora scored his first goal for Ajax from a Tomás Galásek free-kick in the 39th minute. Giggs missed narrowly with a header in the 45th as United started to push forward. After the break Ajax maintained the pressure while United failed to make much impression on the Ajax backline. Pienaar, Mido and Winter came on for Van der Vaart, Van der Meyde and Sikora so that the Amsterdammers operated for the rest of the match with two strikers instead of the ' classic' two wingers. A great through ball by Giggs in the 69th gave Keane the chance to shoot from close range but Stekelenburg was as sharp as ever in stopping it. Wamberto came on for Maxwell in the 72nd. Zlatan was suddenly free in the 75th to slip the ball past the limping Barthez for the 2-0. Chivu had put in a great performance but left with a slight injury in the 76th to be replaced by Pasanen. Scholes got one back from a fine Keane ball for the 2-1. All in all an Ajax performance that promises much for next weekend's SupCup clash with PSV and the coming Ere Divisie season.

Ajax's keeper problems grow!

02 Aug 2002

Ajax have a serious keeper problem indeed now that Bogdan Lobont's MRI-scan has revealed an injury which will keep him out of action for at least the coming 6 weeks with the threat of a possible 4 months absence if surgery is required to repair the damage to the Romanian's shoulder! Second-choice goalie Joe Didulica is also on the injured list, leaving 19 year-old Maarten Stekelenburg defending goal during this weekend's Amsterdam Tournament. Jong Ajax's Robert Zwinkels has been added to the squad for the time being and will take his place on the bench for the matches against Manchester United tonight and Barcelona on Sunday evening.

Ajax in serious keeper problems

02 Aug 2002

Ajax are faced with a serious goalkeeper problem as they prepare for theng of the new Ere Divisie season. Their Australian reserve-keeper Joe Didulica picked up an ankle injury several weeks ago and no.1 choice Bogdan Lobont has developed a shoulder problem which he'll be going into hospital to have scanned today. If the MRI-scan reveals a serious injury the Amsterdammers will consider buying another keeper. The ArenA side's 3rd choice goalie is 20 year-old Maarten Stekelenburg who'll have the daunting task of defending goal against Manchester United and Barcelona during this weekend's Amsterdam Tournament!

NEC beat Jong Ajax 5-1

02 Aug 2002

Jong Ajax created a new record last season by beating several Ere Divisie sides to reach the semi-finals of the Amstel Cup but last night they were given a severe 5-1 beating by Ere Divisie NEC in the traditional Helderse Maritime tournament. Fielding Nikos Machlas, Cedric van der Gun and Ferdi Vierklau the Amsterdammers were still outclassed by Johan Neesken's team who looked particularly strong in theng half. Frank Demouged the score in the 10th minute, rounding off a fine piece of work by former Ajax player Youssouf Hersi who put away the 2nd only 10 minutes later before Demouge got his 2nd for the 3-0 on the stroke of halftime. Nikos Machlas got one back for the Amsterdammers shortly after the break but NEC's Dennis de Nooijer scored the best goal of the match in the 63rd for the 4-1 before Ferdi Vieklau made Jong Ajax's misery complete by scoring an own goal.

Ajax's Richard Knopper off to Greece!

01 Aug 2002

Ajax's Richard Knopper will be playing in Greece next season for Aris FC. The Amsterdammers have hired out the 24 year-old midfielder, who's under contract at the ArenA till 2005, for one year. Knopper was voted 'Talent of the Year' in 1998 by the Ajax supporters but a series of injuries have side-lined him. He made his debut on November 1997 in the 0-5 away win against Sparta and has so far played a total of 66  matches, scoring 19 goals, in the Ajax shirt. Last season he had an unsuccessful trial with English Premiership side Sunderland.

Tim de Cler set for West Bromwich trial

31 July 2002

Ajax's Tim de Cler has been offered a week's trial with English side West Bromwich Albion. Manager Gary Megson will be testing the 23 year-old left-back in preparation for theng of the new Premiership season which West Brom kickoff in a match against Manchester United on August 17th. De Cler is one of three players who coach Ronald Koeman informed would not be offered a place in the 1st team squad at the ArenA this season. Teammate Pius Ikedia has already been lent to Groningen for the season while RBC Roosendaal are reportedly interested in taking on Cedric van der Gun.

Sparta's Da Silva moves to Ajax?

31 July 2002

Dutch newspaper "Rotterdams Dagblad" has reported that Sparta's David Mendes da Silva will be following his former teammate Nourdin Boukhari to Ajax. The clubs have agreed terms for the 19 year-old's transfer but have agreed that he'll continue to play for Sparta in the Eerste Divisie next season, something the player does not want at all! The midfielder feels that it would be detrimental to his progress as a player and wants an immediate move to the ArenA. So far neither club has made an official statement regarding the news. Earlier this year the Amsterdammers as well as English Premiership side Newcastle United were both linked with the young talent.

Ajax hire out Ikedia to Groningen

30 July 2002

Ajax are hiring out Pius Ikedia to Groningen for the coming season. The 22 year-old Nigerian winger arrived at the ArenA in 1999, and has a contract which runs till 2004, but has no chance of a place in the starting lineup under Ronald Koeman who's trying to cut back his squad from 26 to 22 players. Ikedia has played 25 matches for Ajax, scoring twice.

Ajax beat Norwich City 1-0

27 July 2002

Ajax have won the second friendly of their mini-tour of England and Scotland with a 1-0 win at Norwich City. The young Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the only goal of the match in theng half. Contrary to the formation fielded against Celtic, coach Ronald Koeman fielded two wingers, Andy van der Meyde and Wamberto. Although Nikos Machlas was the oringinal choice for the central strike-role he was deemed not fit enough and Zlatan got a chance to show he really can score goals! New signing Victor Sikora made his debut for the Amsterdammers in the 2nd half, replacing Wamberto. Ajax lined-up for the kickoff with Maarten Stekelenburg replacing the injured Bogdon Lobont in goal while Jan van Halst, Petri Pasanen, Richard Witschge, Nourdin Boukhari and Steven Pienaar, who are all on the injured list, had to watch from the stands.

Ajax beat Celtic 3 - 1

25 July 2002

Ajax won last night's friendly against Scottish side Glasgow Celtic 3-1, with all their goals scored in theng 22 minutes of the match. The Amsterdammers' victory, playing without their new wingers Victor Sikora and Nardin Boukhari, was a little bit of sweet revenge for last season's Champions League defeat by Celtic. Mido scored two of the goals and Zlatan Ibrahimovic put away the third, with Sutton getting one back for the Glaswegians after the break. Ronald Koeman chose to field a 3-3-2-2 formation instead of his preferred 4-3-3 as he is planning to use this system against C-L opponents and top teams in the Ere Divisie next season. The match against Celtic seemed a good opportunity to try it out but the Scottish champions, who'd already lost a friendly against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen 6-2, proved to be a weak opponent. That was partly due to the fine performance of the multi-national Ajax lineup (with no less than 9 nationalities). After the break the home team improved their performance considerably and showed more initative but were only rewarded with the one goal. Goalie Bogdan Lobont (Romania) made a good impression while Pasanen (Finland), Chivu (Romania) and Bergdölmo (Norway) looked solid in defence. Trabelsi (Tunisia) and O'Brien (United States) took care of the flanks while Maxwell (Brazil) controlled the centre. Van der Vaart (Holland) and Seedorf (Holland), making his debut, were the attacking midfielders. Ibrahimovic (Sweden) and Mido (Egypt) formed an effective duo upfront. After the break Winter, Van der Meyde and Yakubu had their chance to play 45 minutes while Wamberto and Machlas substituted.

Tottenham Hotspur target Nikos Machlas

24 July 2002

Ajax's Greek striker Nikos Machlas is being targeted by English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur. The North-London club have approached Machlas' agent Søren Lerby for a video showing the highlights of the former Golden Boot award winner's career. The Amsterdammers seem willing to let him go as they try to cut down on the number of players in the squad but will the Spurs be prepared to cough up the 5 million Euros being asked for the 29 year-old?

Ajax sign Nourdin Boukhari

23 July 2002

Ronald Koeman shouldn't be losing any more sleep concerning the left-flank of his team after Ajax snapped up Sparta's Nourdin Boukhari today. The 22 year-old forward has signed a deal for 4 years with the Amsterdammers and the (unknown) amount of money paid will undoubtedly help financially troubled Sparta out of some of their remaining debt-problems while strengthening their position as they attempt to gain a new licence for next season from the Dutch FA (KNVB). The left-footed player made his debut for the Rotterdammers' first team lineup on February 9th of this year and was under contract till 2003. Boukhari left Holland this afternoon to join Ajax's squad who've travelled to Scotland for tomorrow's friendly against Glasgow Celtic.

No return to Ajax for Litmanen

23 July 2002

There will be no return to Ajax for Finnish star Jari Litmanen after the Amsterdammers' technical director Leo Beenhakker explained that the striker's personal terms could not be met by the ArenA side. Having just signed Victor Sikora, and with a squad bloated by too many 'expensive' players (including the ridiculously over-rated Zlatan who's on something like a million Euros a year!), Ajax simply don't have the cash to support another top-wage earner! Despite Ronald Koeman's and the fans' enthousiasm to see Litmanen's skills on show again the Fin will have to look elsewhere in the bleak transfer market for a new employer. Watch out for our coming Speakers Corner story on the current crisis in football!

Darl Douglas on trial with Oldham Athletic

23 July 2002

Ajax's Darl Douglas is currently on trial with English side Oldham Athletic. He was on loan to Eerste Divisie Haarlem, who have a cooperation pact with the Amsterdammers, but a clause in his contract allows him to leave if he earns a deal with another club. Oldham-manager Ian Dowie is already familiar with Douglas saying, "He's a player with flair who can pass opponents easily and we'll see how he does in the coming week. Hopefully he'll be able to show his stuff in a couple of friendlies we've got lined up".  Haarlem chairman Aad Goedhart is quoted in local newspaper the 'Haarlems Dagblad' as saying that if the trial is unsuccessful Douglas will return to continue with the Eerste Divisie side.

Ajax sign Nourdin Boukhari

23 July 2002

Ronald Koeman shouldn't be losing any more sleep concerning the left-flank of his team after Ajax snapped up Sparta's Nourdin Boukhari today. The 22 year-old forward has signed a deal for 4 years with the Amsterdammers and the (unknown) amount of money paid will undoubtedly help financially troubled Sparta out of some of their remaining debt-problems while strenghtening their position as they attempt to gain a new licence for next season from the Dutch FA (KNVB). The left-footed player made his debut for the Rotterdammers' first team lineup on February 9th of this year and was under contract till 2003. Boukhari left Holland this afternoon to join Ajax's squad who've travelled to Scotland for tomorrow's friendly against Glasgow Celtic.

Ajax's Didulica injured in training

23 July 2002

Ajax travel to Scotland for their coming friendly against Glasgow Celtic on Wednesday evening without their Australian keeper Joe Didulica after he picked up an ankle injury in training which will keep him out of action for the coming 6 weeks. Didulica, who's competing with Bogdan Lobont and Maarten Stekelenburg for a place in goal, will miss the coming Dutch SuperCup match for the Johan Cruijff trophy and the start of the new ' Holland Casino' Eredivisie season.

No Ajax contract for Ognjenovic

23 July 2002

Ajax have decided not to offer Yugoslavian winger Perica Ognjenovic a contract after watching him in training and in action during the friendly against Emmen at the weekend, even though he scored twice. The signing of Victor Sikora, plus the fact that coach Ronald Koeman is trying to trim the squad down from 26 to 22 players, means there's simply no room for the 25 year-old former Red Star Belgrade, Real Madrid and 1.FC Kaiserslautern player at the ArenA.

Sikora signs for Ajax!

22 July 2002

Victor Sikora is on his way to Ajax on a contract for 4 years after the transfer to English Premiership side Fulham fell through at the weekend. The Dutch international will be presented to the press at the ArenA later today after which the winger will immediately commence training with Ronald Koeman's squad. Ajax are remaining tight-lipped concerning the exact details of the deal but it's generally accepted that Vitesse chairman Jos Vaessen will be receiving the last offer made by the Amsterdammers (ca. €4.5 million Euros). Ajax's general director Arie van Eijden said that he's pleased with the signing which results in a happy coach-Koeman and the opportunity to add a vital ingredient to the lineup for the coming season. Koeman, who worked with Sikora at Vitesse, is relieved that he's been able to fill in the missing piece of his footballing puzzle and expects great things of the 24 year-old, who's often been compared with Marc Overmars. Born in Deventer on April 11th 1978, Sikora has played 84 matches for Vitesse in 3 seasons at the Gelredome, scoring 20 goals. He began his career with Deventer amateur club DVV Roda, going professional with Go Ahead Eagles in 1994 and putting away 34 goals in 107 Eerste Divisie matches up till 1999, before moving to Arnhem. He made his Oranje debut on February 28th 2001, substituting for Marc Overmars in the 66th minute of the match against Turkey.

Ajax trio home alone!

22 July 2002

Cedric van der Gun, Pius Ikedia and Tim de Cler are staying at home while Ajax travel to England and Scotland for a mini-tour this week as Ronald Koeman tries to decide who will be dropped from the over-populated squad of 26 players at the ArenA. ''I've seen everyone at work now and need to trim back the squad to a more realistic 22 players", said Koeman after the latest friendly against Emmen (Ajax won 8-0). "We'll soon see during the next few weeks if my decision has been the right one!" Ajax will play Celtic in Glasgow on Wednesday and Norwich City this coming Saturday before returning to prepare for the Amsterdam Tournament which takes place during the first weekend of August.

Liverpool let Ajax favourite Litmanen go!

22 July 2002

Liverpool have turned their back on Finnish former Ajax striker Jari Litmanen! He's been told that there's no room for him in the squad at Anfield Road and, after only playing in 26 matches for "The Reds" (and 14 of those as substitute) he's likely to leave transfer-free. With five other strikers to choose from (Michael Owen, Emile Heskey, Milan Baros and the recently signed El-Hadji Diouf) manager Gérard Houllier figures that Litmanen has the least chance of getting a match. Nevertheless, the crowd favourite (at both Ajax and Liverpool) has never complained about his treatment and has still managed to score 5 goals under the adverse conditions he's experienced at his 'favourite' club! Several of "The Reds" supporters sites are crying shame at his treatment, claiming that the Fin is one of the most creative players to ever grace the fields of English football and has never been given a serious chance to shine! Who knows - if Ajax have their wits about them they'll snap him up and bring him to the ArenA!

Sikora off to Ajax after Fulham surprise!

21 July 2002

The world of football is always capable of surprising you with  its crazy antics and the Victor Sikora soap is developing into yet another one of those stories that make you laugh, cry, or drive you mad! After it looked certain that Vitesse's winger was finally on his way to a new club, English Premiership side Fulham, we now hear that the South-London club are making a problem of the transfer-fee that was supposedly already agreed by both clubs! Vitesse have now offered the Dutch international to Ajax (must be Ronald Koeman's lucky day) after Fulham said that they want to spread out the €5.5 million Euro fee over four-years! This is totally unacceptable to the Arnhemmers and their chairman Jos Vaessen has announced on Dutch public broadcaster NOS' sports programme "Langs de Lijn" that he will be going back to the negotiating table with Ajax who can have Sikora for €4.5 million Euros in cash! What a world, huh!

Ajax want Roda's Tom Soetaers?

20 July 2002

Roda's Belgian left-winger Tom Soetaers is rumoured to be Ajax's next candidate for the position they previously had hoped to fill with Victor Sikora until the former Vitesse player signed for English Premiership side Fulham. Roda's Nol Hendriks has told provincial newspaper the "Limburgs Dagblad" that they have heard of the Amsterdammers' interest but have not received an official enquiry yet. "If Ajax are prepared to pay our price they can have him", he said. Considering the fact that Ajax did not have enough money to sign Sikora it remains to be seen if they can meet Roda's asking price.

Fulham and Sikora agree terms

18 July 2002

Victor Sikora will be playing for English Premiership side Fulham after agreeing his personal terms and signing a contract for 4 years. He'll be joining fellow Dutchman and Oranje international keeper Edwin van der Sar. Vitesse had already accepted the London side's offer for the winger which is said to be worth €4.65 million. Ajax miss out on signing the Dutch international after failing to beat, or match, the South-London side's bid.

Brutil Hosé on trial with Dordrecht

18 July 2002

Brutil Hosé is going to try and convince Eerste Divisie side Dordrecht to offer him a contract. The forward has become superfluous at Ajax and, after a short loan-spell at Haarlem plus unsuccessful trials with English clubs Middlesbrough and Sunderland, he hopes that he'll finally find a new employer. The 22 year-old, who is currently a member of the Amsterdammers' Jong Ajax squad, was dropped from the 1st team squad by Co Adriaanse in the 2000/2001 season and spent a few months on loan to De Graafschap who quickly returned the temperamental striker.

Ajax scrape past Haarlem 1-0

18 July 2002

Ajax failed to convince against their 'partner club' Eerste Divisie Haarlem last night, only managing to score one goal. Zlatan Ibrahimovich put away the lonely goal after being 'king of the missers' in theng half. He wasn't the only one who failed to impress as, despite dominating theng 45 minutes, the Amsterdammers didn't convert their 'superiority' into balls-in-the-back-of-the-net! They were especially weak after the break and Koeman's 9 substitutions, including Yugoslavian winger Perica Ognjenovic (on trial), resulted in no improvement at all.

Ognjenovic gets trial with Ajax

18 July 2002

Perica Ognjenovic has been offered a trial with Ajax. The 25 year-old Yugoslavian winger will be trying to impress coach Ronald Koeman during the coming days as Ajax try to find an alternative for Vitesse's Victor Sikora who's signed for Fulham. Ognjenovic was once regarded as one of the most promising players in Europe when he was playing for Red Star Belgrade and clubs were queueing up to sign him. Real Madrid, coached at the time by Guus Hiddink, finally snapped him up. A long-term injury problem meant he played only 12 matches for the Spanish club in one and a half seasons and, due to the heavy burden of his extravagant salary, he was allowed to leave transfer-free. At the beginning of this year he signed for German side FC Kaiserslautern but also failed to make much of an impression, making only two appearances as a substitute. He was given the chance to play in last night's friendly against Eerste Divisie Haarlem which the Amsterdammers won 1-0.

Yulu on trial with Ajax's reserves

17 July 2002

Christian Yulu is currently on trial with Ajax's reserve team. The 19 year-old right winger, who has a French as well as a Congo passport, was recently on trial with Roda but according to trainer Wiljan Vloet he didn't fit into their system.

Ajax lose Hoogervorst to Spain

17 July 2002

Ajax are to lose yet another of their youth players to a foreign club -  Jeffrey Hoogervorst has signed a contract with Spanish side Sporting Gijón. The 18 year-old central defender had a successful trial back in May with the club from the province of Asturië who ended 6th in the Segunda División. Hoogervorst was looking for a move abroad and Spain in particular because he wanted to emigrate there. Next season the youth international will be hired out for a year to Marino de Luanco, a club in the Segunda División B, with the intention that he return to play for Gijón in the 2003/2004 season.

Ajax lend Jason Culina to De Graafschap

16 July 2002

Ajax are hiring out their young midfielder Jason Culina to De Graafschap for next season. The Australian hopes to see some first team action in Doetinchem with coach Peter Bosz's side. Since his arrival in 1999 the left-footed player has not got further than reserve duty at the ArenA, apart from one first team appearance during the Amsterdam Tournament in 1999. Last season the 21 year-old returned to Ajax after a loan spell with the Amsterdammers' Belgian satellite club GB Antwerpen and reached the semi-finals of the Amstel Cup with Ajax 2, scoring a goal in each of the two previous rounds. Culina remains under contract with Ajax till 2004.

Ajax win friendly against AGOVV 7-0

14 July 2002

Ajax have won their latest pre-season friendly against amateurs AGOVV. The Amsterdammers beat the club from Apeldoorn, who hope to go professional in 2003, 7-0. Ajax had to miss Rafael van der Vaart who picked up a calf strain in the pre-match warm-up.

Zlatan stays at Ajax

12 July 2002

Zlatan Ibrahimovich will be staying at Ajax next season after talks between himself, his agent Anders Carlsson and AS Roma ended with the sensible decision to stay and mature at the ArenA rather than try to compete with the likes of high-flying sharp-shooters Totti, Delvecchio, Batitusta and Montella at the Serie A giants. After spending much of last season on the bench in Amsterdam and failing to convince when on pitch (apart from getting the winning Amstel Cup goal against Utrecht) it seems only right that the youngster stay put and find his feet, hopefully maturing into the kind of goal-scoring talent that others say he is!

Ajax win friendly 0-11

12 July 2002

Ajax have won their third friendly of the summer, beating amateurs Achilles'12, who were celebrating their 90th anniversary, 11-0. Rafael van der Vaart again showed he's back in tip-top form with 4 goals, Nikos Machlas got 2, Andre Bergdølmo, Cedric van der Gun, Stefano Seedorf, Abubakari Yakubu and an own goal by their opponents took care of the remainder.

Sikora move to Ajax off!

10 July 2002

According to Amsterdam's local television station AT5, Ronald Koeman is resigned to the fact that Vitesse's Victor Sikora will not be coming to the ArenA and the coach has started looking for another left-winger to reinforce his squad. The last offer Ajax made of  €4 million Euros and midfielder Richard Knopper has been rejected and it looks as if Sikora will be staying at the Gelredome unless English Premiership side Fulham succeed in making an offer Vitesse can't refuse.

Ajax offer Knopper plus 4 million for Sikora

08 July 2002

Ajax have made what is most likely their last offer for Vitesse's Victor Sikora by adding midfielder Richard Knopper to the €4 million Euros already on the table. It's unlikely that Vitesse will be interested as they've been offered a straight €6 million Euros by Fulham who've also expressed an interest in Dejan Stefanovic. The Yugoslavian player is unlikely to want to move though as he's stated that he wants to concentrate on the coming season at the Gelredome side and has no intention of leaving for any club at any price!

Beenhakker denies Chivu - Real story

08 July 2002

Spanish sports magazine AS published a story in recent days quoting Ajax's technical director Leo Beenhakker as saying that the Amsterdammers' Romanian international Christian Chivu was still available to the right bidder. The former Feyenoord trainer has now jumped in to put an end to all the rumours that have been circulating linking Real Madrid to the defender. Apparently Chivu isn't interested in a move to Real (just yet!) and Beenhakker himself has not even talked to the magazine concerned!

Ajax win first friendly

06 July 2002

Ajax have won their first friendly of the summer with a simple 8-1 win against former neighbours, amateur side Zeeburgia. Rafael van der Vaart showed he's back in form and on target after a long absence through injury, putting away 2 goals in theng 30 minutes. By half-time Ajax were 5-0 up thanks to goals by Pasanen, Chivu and Mido. After the break only Tomás Galásek and Yakubu of the 1st half eleven returned but their 2nd half colleagues were not as sharp. Only Maxwell, Van der Gun and Pienaar found the back of the net. Zeeburgia's Remco Worst put one consolation goal past Bogdan Lobont.

Ajax's Pre-season friendlies

06 July 2002

Date Opponent Location Kickoff 06/07 Zeeburgia AWAY  14:30  09/07 Be Quick AWAY  19:30  11/07 Achilles '12 AWAY  19:30  13/07 AGOVV AWAY   14:30  17/07 Haarlem AWAY   19:30  20/07 Emmen AWAY   18:30  24/07 Celtic(Scotland) AWAY   19:45  27/07 Norwich City (England) AWAY   15:00  02/08 Man United (England) AmsterdamTournament Home   21:15  04/08 Barcelona (Spain) Amsterdam Tournament Home      21:15

Ajax have first pre-season training

04 July 2002

Ajax have held their first pre-season training with an almost completely fit squad including the returned-from-injury Rafael van der Vaart, Johnny Heitinga, Pius Ikedia and Cedric van der Gun. Only the World cup trio John O'Brien (United States), Hatem Trabelsi (Tunisia) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) were still missing. Richard Witschge, Aron Winter and Bogdan Lobont were also back-on-view after their various loan spells with other clubs and Winter in particular was looking forward to working with Koeman. "The current team lacks experience and it'll be my job to provide it - I've been given the task to motivate the team both on and off the pitch. I understand full well that last season's starting-eleven have priority but there are a lot of matches in a season and I still have a contribution to make. I want to play perhaps one more year and then I think I'll hang up my boots. On the other hand, never say never because I definitely don't feel like I'm 35 years old and could still decide to go on!"

Fulham battle with Ajax for Sikora

03 July 2002

Fulham have joined the battle with Ajax for the signature of Vitesse striker Victor Sikora. The English Premiership side have made an official enquiry for the Dutch international, upping the pressure on Ajax to improve their offer of €4 million Euros. The fact that Vitesse have received their professional licence for next season and have cleared most of their debts with the sale of Michel Kreek, Mahamadou Diarra and Remco van der Schaaf means they are no longer in a hurry to sell Sikora for a bargain-basement price. Sikora himself is not worried about the situation and, after separate talks with Ajax's Leo Beenhakker and Ronald Koeman, expects that a deal will be done within the near future.

RKC poised to sign Serghhino Greene

03 July 2002

RKC Waalwijk seem to have found the required defensive reinforcement for next season in the shape of Ajax's Serginho Greene after an earlier, unfruitful attempt to sign Roda's Regilio Vrede. The 20 year-old was on loan to Haarlem last season and is poised to sign a contract for two years with the Waalwijkers.

Vitesse reject latest Ajax bid for Sikora

02 July 2002

Vitesse are said to have already rejected Ajax's latest bid for striker Victor Sikora, saying that the €3.5 or €4 million Euros on offer (depending on the story!) is still too low! Apparently the Arnhemmers are confident that 'foreign interest' for the Dutch international will deliver a financially superior bid than Ajax have so far made. Vitesse are willing to let Sikora go for a minimum of €6 million Euros international which would help solve the last of their financial problems. They've already received their new professional licence from the Dutch FA (KNVB) and can start to look forward to next season.

Ajax make new bid for Sikora

02 July 2002

According to a report in Dutch provincial newspaper "Dagblad De Gelderlander", Ajax are poised to make a new bid for Vitesse's Victor Sikora. The Amsterdammers have supposedly made an offer of €4 million Euros for the 24 year-old international after the Arnhemmers had turned down an  earlier bid of  €2 million. Sikora, who is under contract at the Gelredome till 2005, already agreed terms with Ajax at the end of May.

Ajax to sell share in GB Antwerpen

01 July 2002

Ajax are negotiating with several candidates who they are lining up to buy out their major share in Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen. The Amsterdammers have been major shareholders since June 30th 2000 and currently possess 72.5% of the club's stock. Ajax will not be cutting all links and plan to continue sharing technical know-how with their Belgian satellite club just as they do with Haarlem. To that end they've already stalled Aaron Mokoena, Walker Fronio, Kwame Quansah and Anthony Obodai with GBA for next season. A likely reason for the sale is to raise money in order for Ajax to be able to buy some new players. They'd like to add Victor Sikora and Denny Landzaat to the squad but first need some cash before they can spend some!

Ajax go back to old shirt system

28 Jun 2002

Ajax have overturned their decision to make changes in the shirt numbers to be handed out to players for next season after protests from fans. The new system was an idea of the technical staff but proved not only to be problematic in implementation but also unpopular with the Amsterdammers' following. They've decided to retain last season's numbering which means that the no.10 shirt will go not to Rafael van der Vaart (he stays no.23) but to relative newcomer Steven Pienaar. Cristian Chivu (no.5), John O'Brien (no.18) and Tomás Galásek (no.4) all hold on to their shirts and 'prodigal veteran' Aron Winter profits by getting the no.6 instead of having to make do with the no.26. The full list of players and shirt numbers for the 2002/2003 season is as follows: 1. Lobont, 2.  Trabelsi, 3. Bergdolmo, 4. Galásek, 5. Chivu, 6. Winter, 7. Van der Meyde, 8. Witschge, 9. Ibrahimovic, 10. Pienaar, 11. Hossam, 12. Heitinga, 13. Maxwell, 14. Van Halst, 15. De Cler, 16. Pasanen, 17. Wamberto, 18. O'Brien, 19. Machlas, 20. Van der Gun, 21. Didulica, 22. Yakubu, 23. Van der Vaart, 24. Van Damme, 25. Ikedia, 31. Stekelenburg.

Koeman still fears losing Chivu

27 Jun 2002

Ajax coach Ronald Koeman is still worried that Real Madrid will swoop to sign Christian Chivu. Although a deadline has passed, which would have made it possible for the Spanish giants to make use of a clause in his contract to snap up the Romanian international for a 'bargain price', Koeman still believes that Real will make a move for the Amsterdammers' captain in the near future. Clubs in Holland simple can't afford to pay the kind of wages English, Spanish and Italian clubs pay their players and Koeman expects Civu will be lure elsewhere at some point. It would be a huge blow to the Ajax coach's plans for the future but for the time being he will continue to build a team around Chivu's undeniable talent.

Leo van Veen temporary trainer at Haarlem

24 Jun 2002

Leo van Veen will take over as temporary trainer at Haarlem while Heini Otto recovers from his heart operation. Van Veen was trainer at Ajax last season but became superfluous at the ArenA when Co Adriaanse was dismissed and Ronald Koeman arrived. He was given a job with the scouting staff but made known that he'd prefer to work with the players and has now been given the chance to do just that at Eerste Divisie Haarlem with whom the Amsterdammers have a cooperation pact.

Winter and Witschge return to Ajax

21 Jun 2002

Aron Winter's is the most surprising name in the list of players for Ajax's 1st team squad for next season. The 35 year-old, who was on loan to Sparta last season, was told in March by technical director Leo Beenhakker that there wouldn't be room for him at the ArenA on his return from Rotterdam but coach Ronald Koeman has insisted he be brought back! The veteran international's experience could be of great value to the team next season. Richard Witschge is also returning from his loan spell at Spanish side Alaves where has been since former coach Co Adriaanse dropped him. The only new face is that of Belgian youth international Jelle van Damme who had been playing for the Amsterdammers' Belgian satellite club Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen. The full squad with shirt numbers is: Lobont 1, Trabelsi 2, Bergdolmo 3, Chivu 4, O'Brien 5, Galasek 6, Van der Meyde 7, Witschge 8, Ibrahimovich 9, Van der Vaart 10,  Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam 11, Heitinga 12, Pasanen 13, Van Damme 14, De Cler 15 , Van Halst 16, Wamberto 17, Maxwell 18, Machlas 19, Pienaar 20, Didulica 21, Yakubu 23, Ikedia 25, Winter 26, Van der Gun 27, Stekelenburg 31.

Van der Vaart gets no.10 shirt next season

21 Jun 2002

Ajax's Rafael van der Vaart will be wearing the no.10 shirt when he returns to action next season. The 19 year-old central midfielder had been wearing the no.23 shirt when he scored his 14 goals in 20 matches before a serious knee injury kept him out of action for most of the latter half of the season. Richard Witschge is returning to Ajax and will be given his familiar no.8 shirt while Zlatan Ibrahimovic, if he's still with the club, will be given the no.9 shirt to wear.

RBC add Oliseh plus Heije and Piqué

14 Jun 2002

RBC Roosendaal are reinforcing their defence in preparation for their 2nd Ere Divisie adventure and, after already signing David Nascimento and Melvin Fleur, have added Utrecht's Azubuike Oliseh plus Ajax's wing-defenders Pascal Heije and Mitchell Piqué to their squad for next season. Two seasons ago RBC let in 90 goals and have no intention on making the same mistake again! Oliseh was under contract at the Domstad side till 2003, and has been allowed a free-transfer after spending the last few months on loan to Finnish side FC Jokerit. Piqué has only played 4 matches in 3 seasons for Ajax, was on loan to Haarlem last season where the 22 year-old played 14 matches and the season before that was on loan to Twente. Twenty-two year-old Heije has been on loan to the Roosendaalers for the last 2 seasons. RBC have now acquired 4 defenders and are looking to add another two Den Bosch players to the squad.

Jason Culina on trial with Sturm Graz

13 Jun 2002

Jason Culina is currently on trial with Austrian side Sturm Graz. The Ajax 2 (reserve team) midfielder has already had his first training session with the squad as they prepare for the coming season. The 21 year-old Australian was on loan to the Amsterdammers' Belgian satellite club GB Antwerp in the 2000/2001 season and last season played for Jong Ajax (Ajax 2/ reserve team).

Ajax to bring back Litmanen?

30 May 2002

Ajax are apparently thinking of bringing back Jari Litmanen, one of the Amsterdammers' all-time favourite players, to the ArenA! The Finnish striker has seen little action since moving to play for Liverpool last season and has had to watch from the bench as Emile Heskey and Michael Owen have been given preference. Manager Gerard Houllier is also planning to add another striker to the squad which means there's even less chance of him getting to play in the future. Ronald Koeman is a fan of the former Barcelona player and would love to add his experience to Ajax's young squad. Litmanen won the European Cup with Ajax in 1995 and there have been rumours circulating for some time linking him with a return to Ajax.

Ajax hire out Ruud Kras to Zwolle

30 May 2002

Ajax are hiring out Ruud Kras to Zwolle next season. The 20 year-old defender joined the Amsterdammers from Volendam last summer and has been playing for the reserve team, Jong Ajax, who were reserve Champions as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Amstel Cup.

Van der Lem new Jong Ajax coach

30 May 2002

Gerard van der Lem succeeds Jan Olde Riekerink as Jong Ajax coach. The 49 year-old trainer, who's signed a deal for one year, was Louis van Gaal's assistant between 1990 and 1997 when the team won 4 league titles, a KNVB Trophy (now the Amstel Cup), 3 SuperCups, the UEFA Cup, the European Supercup and the  Champions League. When Van Gaal left for Barcelona in 1997 Van der Lem went with him and the duo won 2 Spanish La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and 1 European Supercup. In 1999 the former FC Amsterdam, Roda JC, Feyenoord, Sparta and Utrecht player was approached by AZ and he served as the Alkmaarders coach till March 2001 after which he went to Oita Trinita in Japan.

Chivu stays, Zlatan to go

27 May 2002

Christian Chivu has turned down an offer to play for Real Madrid and confirmed that he'll be staying with Ajax for at least another year. The Romanian defender wants to play Champions League football next season with the Amsterdammers and if Ajax blossom, as they look like doing after the summer, he might be persuaded to stay for the 2003/2004 season too! Teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovich looks set to leave for Italy where several clubs are said to be interested with AS Roma heading the pack. The Swedish international has just scored 2 goals for his country in a pre-World Cup friendly.

Ajax sign Victor Sikora this weekend?

24 May 2002

According to reports in Holland, Ajax are apparently planning to present their latest signing Victor Sikora to the press this weekend. The Vitesse striker has been linked with a move to the ArenA for some time now and a reunion with Ronald Koeman is at hand! The 24 year-old will be the long wished for left-winger that Koeman wants to complete his frontline after the unsuccessful experiment with Mido last season. Mahamadou Diarra and Denny Landzaat are still on the coach's shopping list but Ajax will probably have to sell a player or two to raise the cash. Willem II have said they want a princely €9 million Euros for Landzaat and a possible part-exchange for Tomás Galásek is too expensive for the "Tricolores" due to his equally princely wages.

Ajax willing to sell Zlatan

24 May 2002

Ronald Koeman has revealed that Ajax will be willing to let Zlatan Ibrahimovic leave the ArenA if the right offer is made! Speaking on Amsterdam's local TV station AT5 the coach said, "It's clear that Mido is currently my 1st choice as central striker and we areto offers for Zlatan. As things stand it's more likely we'll let him go than Machlas". The young Swedish international was the club's most expensive signing (at €9 million Euros) and much was expected of him when he arrived last summer but he has failed to ignite!  It shouldn't prove a problem to sell him as Roma have already expressed interest and others are bound to join the queue.

Stefano Seedorf in Ajax 1st team squad

24 May 2002

Stefano Seedorf will be joining the 1st team squad at Ajax next season. Clarence Seedorf's younger brother will be accompanied by Jelle van Damme, a Belgian central defender who joined from the Amsterdammers' satellite club GB Antwerpen last season.

Ajax's Walker off to GB Antwerp

17 May 2002

Ajax's Fronio Walker is being hired out to the club's Belgian satellite club Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen next season. The 20 year-old central defender, who will be joined by Anthony Obodai, was captain of the Brazilian youth team that won the World Cup in 1999.

Ajax test two GBA players

16 May 2002

Ajax made use of the friendly played against the Dutch national team Oranje in Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium last night to test two players, Paul Kpaka and Kristof Snelders. Both currently play for Ajax's Belgian satellite club Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen. Kpaka has put in a good season, scoring 25 goals, but failed to make much of an impression against the Oranje backline of André Ooijer and Jaap Stam. Snelders had to make do with a role as substitute and equally failed to draw attention to himself.

Ajax's Anthony Obodai on loan to GBA

16 May 2002

Ajax are hiring out their Ghanian midfielder Anthony Obodai for next season. The 19 year-old has been playing for Jong Ajax who recently created Dutch footballing history by being the first reserve team to reach the semi-finals of the Amstel Cup. They were knocked out by Utrecht who went on to lose the final to Ajax.

Oranje beat Ajax

16 May 2002

Oranje beat an Ajax team 3-0 behind closed doors (no fans were allowed in) at Amsterdam's Olympic stadium last night as the Dutch national team prepared for their friendly against the United States on Sunday. Philip Cocu scored twice and Roy Makaay the 3rd goal for Oranje. Andy van der Meyde, in his debut for Holland, was clearly suffering from nerves and showed little of the talent he's put on show for Ajax this last season. Rafael van der Vaart played his first game in a couple of months, after two knee operations kept him on the sidelines, but had problems dealing with Edgar Davids' presence on the opposite side. He did however come closest to scoring for Ajax but his freekick hit the crossbar!

Chivu and Zlatan stay at Ajax next season

14 May 2002

According to Ajax's technical director Leo Beenhakker, speaking to Dutch daily newspaper "De Telegraaf", Cristian Chivu and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be staying with Ajax next season. The Romanian defender has already committed himself to staying at the ArenA and AS Roma's interest of last week in the young Swedish international has evaporated after they heard that the asking price was €14 million Euros.

Wamberto extends contract

15 May 2002

Ajax's Brazilian forward Wamberto has extended his contract at the ArenA till 2004, with an option for an extra year. The 27 year-old, who scored the controversial equalizer in the Amstel Cup Final on Sunday, began his career with Brazilian side São Luis. After a spell with Sampaio Correira he left for FC Seraing in 1991, moving on after 5 years to play for Standard Liège. Since moving to Amsterdam in 1998 he's scored 35 goals in 4 seasons.

PSV face Ajax in SuperCup

13 May 2002

PSV will play Ajax in this summer's SuperCup! Traditionally it's a match played between the Ere Divisie champions and the winners of the Amstel Cup. Due to the fact that Ajax have won both the Ere Divisie title and the Amstel Cup PSV, who ended the season in 2nd place, will face the Amsterdammers on August 11th. Since the KNVB (Dutch FA) renamed the SuperCup the "Johan Cruijff Schaal" in 1996 PSV have won 5 of the last 6 matches!

Ajax win Amstel Cup and do the double!!!

12 May 2002

The Amstel Cup was a highly desirable prize for both teams, Utrecht battling for automatic qualification to play UEFA Cup football and Ajax, having won the Ere Divisie title, equally desirous of "doing the double" to put the 'cherry on the cake' of their season. As it was the final 3-2 score was a shock for Utrecht, who'd gotten one hand on the cup but saw it snatched out of their grasp! A jubilant Ronald Koeman crowns his first (half) season with Ajax by getting himself in the history books with two trophies. The match itself started with a minute's silence as a mark of respect for the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn who was gunned down earlier this week. Things got off to a nervous start with Utrecht looking slightly more organised and cool than Ajax, who lost possession too often, and there was a flurry of fouls as both teams made clear their mutual dislike. Van der Meyde more than once revealed a weak spot in the Domstad side's defence and one of his crosses finally found an unmarked Mido who gratefully put away another of his  'trademark' headers in the 21st. The goal relaxed the Amsterdammers no end and they looked increasingly threatening through the remainder of theng half. Frans Adelaar obviously gave his team a good talking at the break  and they came out fighting for the 2nd half! They were rewarded with an equalizer in the 56th when Igor Gluscevic pounced in the box, hooking the ball past Fred Grim. Utrecht were later awarded a 'controversial penalty' in the 76th minute and, though Grim almost got his fingers to the ball, Gluscevic's spot-shot hit the back of the net as the Utrecht suporters went wild. The last 15 minutes were tense and exciting tennis-football as Ajax tried to get a goal back, launching wave after wave of attacks. Zlatan's was the best chance but his effort hit the bar in the 87th minute. In injury time the hard working Andy van der Meyde slipped a ball to a very offside looking Wamberto and the diminutive Brazilian slotted the ball into the roof of the net under Harald Wapenaar's nose. A very disappointed and angry Utrecht now had to grit their teeth and go into extra time. They were quickly put out of their misery as, only 5 minutes after the resumption of play, Zlatan finally showed us why he's already being called by some the new " Van Basten", lunging around his opponent with his left foot to hook in the 'golden goal' !!! Maybe he'll be staying at the ArenA after all!!! Koeman couldn't be more pleased with the progress the team has made since he took over and Fred Grim will be equally over-the-moon with two medals to take into 'retirement' as he hangs up his boots. Zlatan is grateful to have been the deciding factor and will perhaps be encouraged to stay in Amsterdam and show us what he's truly capable of. The double is an achievement that, at the beginning of the season, Ajax could only dream of and noone else thought possible. Utrecht will be incredibly disillusioned, disappointed and there could well be trouble on the streets tonight!

Van der Vaart returns for Cup Final

12 May 2002

Ajax's young star Rafael van der Vaart is back in training with the squad and could possibly make his reappearance in the Amstel Cup Final against Utrecht. The talented playmaker, who was recently voted "Talent of the Year", has been out of action for the last couple of months since picking up a knee injury. After undergoing two operations to correct the problem the midfielder, who made such an important contribution to the team's performances in the first half of the season, is finally set to return for duty and could even play a significant role in today's cup battle.

Ajax to sell Zlatan Ibrahimovich?

11 May 2002

Ajax seem likely to sell Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovich this summer after several Serie A clubs, with AS Roma heading the pack, and Spanish side Atletico Madrid have reportedly enquired if he's for sale! The 20 year-old has failed to make his mark in Amsterdam since arriving last summer and could be set to move on to a new club if the right offer (one which delivers a tidy profit for Ajax!) comes along. Zlatan says he's held discussions with Ronald Koeman about his current situation and claims he's been told that, despite his failure to impress so far on-pitch, his skills are recognised as being superior to those of the current attacking duo, Machlas and Mido! However, the coach's wish to play with wingers next season is one which doesn't suit his personal style and he added that Koeman is on the look-out for a real no.9 player to spearhead the Ajax attack, a position Zlatan does not want to play in!

Mido stays with Ajax!!

10 May 2002

Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam has been talking about his intention to play out next season with Ajax, despite recent interest from Liverpool and Inter Milan. He's only recently managed to 'find his feet' at the Arena and made an important contribution to Ajax's 28th championship success during the latter half of the season. After feeling out of place under Co Adriaanse, who fielded him on the left wing, he managed to persuade Ronald Koeman to give him a chance at centre-forward where he's put away 10 goals since the winter break! Although it's flattering to have top European clubs asking if he wants a move to the Premiership, or the Serie A, the 20 year-old striker is convinced that what his career really needs now is time to allow his talents and skills to ripen. The best place for that, for the time being at least, is with an Ajax side that looks set to make much more of an impact next season, both in the Ere Divisie and in Europe, than it has this term!

Christian Chivu "Footballer of the Year"

07 May 2002

Ajax captain Christain Chivu has been voted "Footballer of the Year" in the poll organised every year in Holland by daily newspaper "De Telegraaf" and "Voetbal International" magazine. The 21 year-old defender narrowly beat NAC's captain Alfred Schreuder, who came 2nd , while 3rd place was shared by Heerenveen's "Mighty Swede" Marcus Allbäck and Utrecht's Dirk Kuyt. Chivu will pick up his "Gouden Schoen" (Golden Boot) award at a special gala in September!  The "Gouden Schoen" has been awarded since 1982 when Haarlem's Martin Haar was the first recipient and, since then, has been awarded to such illustrious names as Piet Schrijvers, Johan Cruijff, Frank Rijkaard (twice), Ruud Gullit, Gerald Vanenburg (twice), Edward Sturing, Henny Meijer, John Metgod, Marc Overmars, Ed de Goey, Danny Blind (twice), Jaap Stam, Edwin van der Sar and Michael Mols. Non-Dutch players have walked off with the award during the last 3 years - Polish keeper Jerzy Dudek won in 1999 and last year it was the Swiss Johann Vogel who was the lucky recipient!

Rafael van der Vaart "Talent of the Year"

07 May 2002

The winner of this season's "Young Talent of the Year" award, in the poll organised every year in Holland by daily newspaper "De Telegraaf" and "Voetbal International" magazine,  is Ajax's Rafael van der Vaart, who picked up so many points in the poll before the winter stop that he's come out top even though he's missed the 2nd half of the season! The young  Feyenoorder Robin van Persie and another Ajacied, Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam, came in 2nd and 3rd respectively, picking up their points after the winter break.

Chivu stays with Ajax?

07 May 2002

Ajax's technical director Leo Beenhakker has been talking to local TV station AT5 about the likelihood of Christian Chivu leaving the ArenA. As yet he's received no calls from other clubs enquiring about the Romanian international and now expects that the 21 year-old will stay for at least another season. The defender joined Ajax in 1999 from Universitatea Craiova and is under contract till 2006.

Ere Divisie Championship Koeman's 1st title

06 May 2002

Ajax's Ere Divisie title is coach Ronald Koeman's first prize as trainer. His began his first job as assistant-trainer to the Dutch national team in July 1997. From July 1998 till December 1999 he was Louis van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona before being brought back to Holland by Vitesse. He spent almost two years in Arnhem before taking over from Co Adriaanse when he was sacked by Ajax last December. During an illustrious career as a player he turned out for Groningen ), Ajax ), PSV ), Barcelona ) and Feyenoord ). He collected a whole host of prizes including Championship medals with Ajax in 1985; PSV in 1987, 1988 and 1989; Barcelona in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. He won the Dutch FA Cup (KNVB Beker) with Ajax in 1986, with PSV in 1988 plus 1989 and the Spanish Cup in 1990 with Barcelona. He also won the European Cup I in 1988 with PSV and in 1994 with Barcelona, the Spanish Super Cup in 1991, 1992 and 1995 with Barcelona and, to top it all, the European Championships with Holland in 1988.