| Ajax | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax NV |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Godenzonen (Sons of the Gods) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | March 18, 1900 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam (Capacity 51,628[1]) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Uri Coronel |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Marco van Basten |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Eredivisie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007-08 | Eredivisie, 2nd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (Euronext: AJAX), also referred to as AFC Ajax, or simply Ajax, is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands. Football club names are a part of the sport 's culture reflecting century-old traditions nl '''''Naamloze Vennootschap''''' (usually abbreviated NV) is the Dutch term for a Public Limited liability Corporation. This is a of lists of the use of Nicknames in football (soccer. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The following is a list of Association football stadia. They are ordered by their capacity, that is the maximum number of spectators that the Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The 2007/2008 season of the Eredivisie started in August 2007 and ends on 18 May 2008 with defending champions PSV retaining Euronext NV is a pan- European Stock exchange based in Paris and with subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Netherlands Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered A football team or a football club, in football (soccer is the collective name given to a number of players who play together in a Football game be it Association Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The club is historically one of the three clubs that dominate the Dutch national football league (Eredivisie), the other two being Feyenoord and PSV. The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Ajax is one of the five teams that has earned the right to keep the European Cup; they won consecutively in 1971-1973. The European Champion Clubs' Cup, or simply the European Cup, is a Trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club In 1972, they completed The Treble by winning the Dutch Eredivisie, KNVB Cup, and the European Cup; to date they are the only team to keep the European Cup and accomplish the European Treble, also Ajax are one of the only two teams to win the The Treble and the Intercontinental Cup in the same season/calendar year,[2] this was achieved in the 1971/72 season. The Treble is a term in Association football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The KNVB Cup (KNVB beker is a competition organized by the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB since 1899. The Treble is a term in Association football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by [3] They are also one of only three clubs to have won all three major European trophies at least once (the European Cup, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup). See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. [4] They were the first team to win what has become the UEFA Intertoto Cup. The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for [5] Ajax has also won the Intercontinental Cup twice. The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by
Contents |
History
Amateur Era
The club was founded in Amsterdam on March 18, 1900 by Floris Stempel, Carel Reeser and the brothers Han and Johan Dade. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar It was the second incarnation, after a short-lived previous attempt (as the Footh-Ball Club Ajax) in 1894.
After several years, Ajax succeeded in promotion to the highest level of Dutch football in 1911, under the guidance of Jack Kirwan (their first official coach). John Henry Kirwan (born February 9 1878, County Wicklow, Ireland; died January 9 1959, London, England The promotion meant that Ajax were forced to alter the club's strip, as Sparta of Rotterdam had the same kit, red-white vertical stripes with black shorts. Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of Ajax adopted a broad vertical red stripe on a white background with white shorts, the club's kit to this day.
Although their efforts were not unnoticed (Gé Fortgens became a frequent member of the Dutch national team for a while) they were relegated in 1914. The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association While they immediately bounced back, they had to wait until 1917 to regain higher level status again: they did become league champions in both 1915 and 1916, however the 1915 league was declared unofficial (due to World War I), whereas in 1916 they did not make it through the promotion round.
Under the guidance of Jack Reynolds (Kirwan's successor as of 1915) the club was promoted to the highest level in 1917 and won the Dutch national cup final - defeating VSV with 5-0. John "Jack" Reynolds ( 23 September, 1881, in Manchester, England - 8 November, 1962) was an Englishman Ajax went on to win their first national championship in 1918. The championship was secured in Tilburg where they faced Willem II without Jan de Natris, arguably the club's first 'star player', who missed the train to Tilburg and opted to stay in Amsterdam instead - earning him a fine of 10 cents. Tilburg ( is a Municipality and a City in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. In the following season he earned a six month ban, but Ajax did well in his absence: not only did they retain the championship title, their 1919 campaign was also an unbeaten run for them - an accomplishment that was only repeated 76 years later by Ajax themselves.
Now a regular contender for the Western Regional championship in the Netherlands, Ajax marched through the twenties with regional titles in 1921, 1927 and 1928, next to a few minor cups. The 1930s would prove to be more successful however; with household names as Wim Anderiesen Sr., Dolf van Kol, Piet Strijbosch, Wim Volkers, Jan van Diepenbeek, Bob ten Have, Erwin van Wijngaarden and prolific striker Piet van Reenen, Ajax' period from the late twenties until World War II was so successful that many people dubbed it 'the golden century' (a reference to the 17th century, the heyday of the Dutch Republic). Willem Gerardus "Wim" Anderiesen ( 17 November 1903 &ndash 18 July 1944) was a Dutch footballer. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar "United Netherlands" redirects here For the "Kingdom of the United Netherlands" see United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
With six regional titles (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939) and 5 national championships (1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1939) Ajax was the most successful team of that era. The thirties were also notable for the final culmination of the rivalry with Feyenoord, another squad that earned many awards in that time, as well as the creation of the stadium 'het Ajax-Stadion' dubbed 'De Meer' (named after the borough of its residence). Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. De Meer is the name of the former Stadium of AFC Ajax. It was opened in 1934 as a result of the club's former stadium being too small Until the emergence of the Amsterdam ArenA in 1996, this was Ajax' home ground alongside the Olympic Stadium. Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was
As of the 1940s, perhaps in line with Jack Reynolds' retirement (he had stayed - save for a few spells of absence - on for the entire time as Ajax' manager since his entry in 1915), Ajax went through a period of rebuilding. Gerrit Fischer and Erwin van Wijngaarden were retained, with Joop Stoffelen, Guus Dräger, Gé van Dijk, Jan Potharst and later Rinus Michels and Cor van der Hart brought in. Gérard ("Gé" van Dijk (August 15 1923 in Amsterdam – May 29 2005 was a Football (soccer player and coach Marinus (" Rinus " Jacobus Hendricus Michels ( 9 February 1928 &ndash 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Cor van der Hart ( 25 January 1928 - 12 December 2006) was a Dutch footballer After a Cup Final victory in 1943, Ajax went on to finish second in the championship league in 1946 (behind HFC Haarlem) followed by a league championship win in 1947. HFC Haarlem is a Dutch football club The club was founded on October 1, 1889.
They became regional champions in 1950 again, though they never came near winning the championship. The season was notable for a match against Heerenveen, with Heerenveen coming back from 5-1 down to win 6-5. sc Heerenveen ( Frisian: sc It Hearrenfean) is a Dutch football club currently playing in the Eredivisie, the Dutch Premier Division In 1941 Ajax performed the opposite: after being 6-0 behind to VUC in The Hague they managed to pull out a draw in the end (6-6).
Until 1954, the year that professional football was introduced in the Netherlands, Ajax had some minor successes, with the regional title in 1952 and a second place in the regional championship in 1954 (equal in points with fellow Amsterdam club DWS). AFC Door Wilskracht Sterk ('Strong Through Willpower' is a Dutch football club from Amsterdam
Professional football and the road to the top
From 1955 professional football was finally permitted in the Netherlands, Ajax was still far from the international top, as was demonstrated in the European Cup match against Vasas SC, where they were beaten by the Hungarians 4-0 in the Népstadion). See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Vasas SC (pronounced vaashash) is one of Hungary's major sports clubs Stadium Puskás Ferenc ( Hungarian: Puskás Ferenc Stadion) is a multi-use Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. Similar European failures followed in 1960, being knocked out by the Norwegian amateurs of Fredrikstad FK and in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1961 by Újpesti Dózsa of Ferenc Bene. Fredrikstad Fotballklubb (also known as Fredrikstad or FFK) is a Norwegian football club from the town of Fredrikstad. Újpest Football Club (usually known simply as Újpest), earlier known as Újpesti TE (UTE and Újpesti Dózsa, is a Hungarian Ferenc Bene ( Balatonújlak, December 17, 1944 – Budapest, February 27, 2006) was a Hungarian Football
Ajax achieved some success on the domestic level, earning the first Eredivisie-championship in 1957 and again in 1960 - the 1960 title decided by a playoff after equalling in points with arch-rivals Feyenoord with Ajax cruising to a 5-1 victory with a hattrick by striker Wim Bleijenberg. The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands.
Bleijenberg was not top scorer however. Henk Groot - younger brother of Cees Groot who scored a 100 goals for Ajax in his 5 year stay - arrived in 1959 from Stormvogels and scored 38 goals in 1959/60 and 41 goals in 1960/61. He was a vital part of the Ajax in the early sixties, replacing star striker Piet van der Kuil who left to PSV in 1960. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Alongside the man who would later become Mister Ajax, Sjaak Swart, Co Prins, Ton Pronk, Bennie Muller and a young Piet Keizer Ajax added the National Cup in 1961 and the Intertoto Cup 1962 to their trophy cabinet. Jesaia (Sjaak Swart (born July 3 1938 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch footballer who played for Peter ("Piet" Johannes Keizer (born June 14 1943 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch professional football player
After missing out on the championship after a 5-2 defeat against PSV in 1963, Ajax entered a period of decline in the league. Henk Groot left to Feyenoord that summer, and in 1964/65 they were near relegation. Things improved after former player Rinus Michels replaced Vic Buckingham as the head manager. Marinus (" Rinus " Jacobus Hendricus Michels ( 9 February 1928 &ndash 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Victor Frederick Buckingham ( 23 October 1915 &ndash 26 January 1995) was an English footballer whose approach as a manager Ajax managed to secure a midtable spot under Michels; however Buckingham's second tenure saw the introduction of Johan Cruijff during a 3-1 loss at GVAV.
Michels started a revolution in Amsterdam, beginning with the return of Henk Groot and Co Prins, as well as the signing of goalkeeper Gert Bals. Michels built a side around the vision of Total Football, sacrificing players who he considered not to be good enough or fit the style of play. "Total Football" is the label for an influential theory of tactical Association football in which any player can take over the role of any other player in the Most notable example of this was defender Frits Soetekouw - replaced by Ajax' new captain Velibor Vasović - whose own goal aided to the victory of Dukla Prague in the quarter-final of the European Cup in 1966/67, after Ajax had knocked out Beşiktaş and defeated Liverpool 5-1. Velibor Vasović (born October 3, 1939 in Požarevac, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia &mdash died March 4, An own goal occurs in Association football and other goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team Dukla Prague (AC Dukla Praha is a football team from Prague in the Czech Republic. Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü (commonly Beşiktaş, bɛʃɪktɑːʃ ( English: Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club) is a professional Sports club Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England.
Ajax sealed their second consecutive championship in 1967. Not as dominant as the previous year, but with a seemingly unstoppable attack they scored no less than 122 goals (still a national record), of which 33 were from Johan Cruijff, at 20 years old already the star player. It was also the season for another important milestone: for the first time in history, Ajax won the double (after defeating NAC in the cup final). NAC Breda is a Dutch Football club from Breda. NAC (NOAD ADVENDO Combinatie was founded on September 19, 1912 when the two
It earned them European Cup qualification, being knocked out by Real Madrid in the subsequent season, with Ignacio Zoco scoring the winner for Los Merengues in extra time after two 1-1 draws, results that which greatly enhanced the reputation of the club. Ignacio Zoco Esparza (born 31 July 1939) is a former Spanish footballer who played for Real Madrid and was part of their European
Ajax won the Dutch title of 1968 overhauling Feyenoord, the league leaders for much of the season, and reached the European Cup final of 1969 in Madrid against AC Milan. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy In qualifying for the European Cup final Ajax defeated FC Nuremberg in the first round, and were almost knocked out by Benfica in the second, losing 3-1 to them in Amsterdam but winning the second leg through goals by Inge Danielsson and Johan Cruijff in a 3-0 win. Sport Lisboa e Benfica (spɔɾ liʒˈboɐ i bɐ̃ĩˈfikɐ commonly referred to as simply Benfica, S They repeated this score at home against the next opponent, Spartak Trnava in the next round, but struggled in the second leg qualifying narrowly on aggregate. FC Spartak Trnava is a Slovak football club playing in the town of Trnava. In the final, Milan - lauded for their excellent defense and counter-attacks - easily won 4-1 with Pierino Prati opening the scoring after seven minutes and going on to score a hattrick, while Velibor Vasović was the only Ajax player on the scoresheet with a penalty. Pierino Prati (born 13 December 1946) is a former Italian footballer who played for AC Milan and was part of their European Cup Velibor Vasović (born October 3, 1939 in Požarevac, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia &mdash died March 4, Milan's win was capped by a goal by Angelo Sormani. Ángelo Benedicto Miguel Sormani (born July 3 1939 at Jaú, Brazil) is a former Italian footballer of Brazilian origin
Gloria Ajax - European Dominance and The Treble
Following the European Cup final loss, Ajax' entered another period of rebuilding. The Treble is a term in Association football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the Among the new additions were national top scorer Dick van Dijk and midfielders Gerrie Mühren and Nico Rijnders, while second team player Ruud Krol was promoted to the first eleven. Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi" Jozef Krol (born March 24, 1949 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch footballer who They replaced Klaas Nuninga, Inge Danielsson, Theo van Duijvenbode (all sold to other clubs) and Henk Groot who retired from football after an injury while playing against Poland, while Ton Pronk and Bennie Muller were no longer as frequently in the first eleven after many years of service. The Poland national football team (Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej is the national football team of Poland, under the auspices of the Polish
in 1969-70 Ajax won the Dutch league championship, winning 27 out of 34 games and scoring 100 goals. Feyenoord remained in contention throughout the season, but they had to settle for a second place. Both clubs won a trophy however, with Ajax winning the Eredivisie title while Feyenoord capturing the European Cup. Ajax reached the semi-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 (being knocked out by Arsenal after defeating Hannover 96, Napoli, Ruch Chorzów and Carl Zeiss Jena)
1971 became the long awaited year of glory, with Ajax winning trophies at both domestic and European level. History Spanish era The first competition was to be held over two seasons to avoid clashes with national leagues fixtures Hannover 96 is a German football club in Hanover, Lower Saxony. Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as simply Napoli or the abbreviation SSC Napoli, is an Italian professional football club based Ruch Chorzów ( pron ˈrux ˈxɔʐuf is a Polish football club based in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. FC Carl Zeiss Jena is a German football club based in Jena, Thuringia. For a substantial part of the season Ajax seemed to be on their way to the treble (a feat only previously performed by Celtic in 1967). The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the east end of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Domestically, Ajax came runners up to Feyenoord in the league, winning the KNVB Cup after a replayed final against Sparta. In Europe, Ajax defeated 17 Nëntori, FC Basel, Celtic and Atlético Madrid en route to the 1971 European Cup final played at Wembley on June 2. Footballclub Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the east end of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Club Atlético de Madrid is a Spanish football club based in Madrid who play in the Primera División of La Liga. original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the There, 83,000 spectators witnessed a 2-0 victory over Panathinaikos, with goals from Dick van Dijk and a deflected Arie Haan's shot by defender Kapsis. Panathinaikos Panathinaikos FC (ΠΑΕ Παναθηναϊκός also known as P Captain Vasović could finally lift the European Cup, having lost two previous finals in 1966 with FK Partizan and again in 1969. Fudbalski klub Partizan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Партизан English: Football Club Partizan) is a professional football
In the following years Ajax established itself as the foremost club in European football. Stefan Kovacs replaced coach Michels in 1971 and Rijnders and Vasović' departed in the same year, Van Dijk's departed in 1972. Such changes in the side and management did not disrupt the success of the club, with Ajax completing The Treble of European Cup, Dutch National Championship and the KNVB Cup in 1972 to which was added the Intercontinental Cup and UEFA Super Cup. The Treble is a term in Association football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by The European Super Cup ( UEFA Super Cup) is at stake in an annual football game between the reigning champions of the UEFA Cup and the Champions In 1973 a third consecutive European Cup was won and another Dutch championship secured; however, failure in the KNVB Cup meant Ajax missed out on a second consecutive Treble.
The departure of Johan Cruijff for Barcelona in 1973 signaled the end of the period of success, effectively ending the reign of the so called 'Twelve Apostles' (The usual line-up Heinz Stuy, Wim Suurbier, Barry Hulshoff, Horst Blankenburg, Ruud Krol, Arie Haan, Johan Neeskens, Gerrie Mühren, Sjaak Swart, Johan Cruijff, Piet Keizer plus the usual twelfth man which was Ruud Suurendonk until 1972 and then Johnny Rep). Heinz Stuy (born 6 February 1945, Wanne-Eickel) is a former Dutch Football (soccer Goalkeeper who played for Ajax Wilhelmus ("Wim" Lourens Johannes Suurbier (born 16 January 1945 in Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant) is a former Dutch Bernardus ("Barry" Adriaan Hulshoff (born 30 September 1946 in Deventer, Overijssel) is a former Dutch footballer Horst Blankenburg (born July 10, 1947) is a former German Football (soccer player who played as a sweeper. Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi" Jozef Krol (born March 24, 1949 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch footballer who Adrianus ("Arend" or "Arie" Haan (born November 16, 1948 in Finsterwolde) is a Dutch football manager Johannes ("Johan" Jacobus Neeskens (born September 15, 1951) is a Dutch football manager and former Midfielder Gerardus ("Gerrie" Demonicus Hyacinthus Maria Mühren (born 2 February 1946 in Volendam, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch Football player Jesaia (Sjaak Swart (born July 3 1938 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch footballer who played for Peter ("Piet" Johannes Keizer (born June 14 1943 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch professional football player John Nicholaas "Johnny" Rep (born November 25, 1951 in Zaandam, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch football striker. Wereas clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Internazionale, Arsenal, Juventus and Independiente were beaten between 1971 and 1973, failure in the European Cup at the hands of CSKA Sofia in late 1973 signaled the decline of Ajax in European football. PFC CSKA Sofia (ПФК ЦСКА София is a Bulgarian football club from Sofia.
Nevertheless, the Total Football that they had propagated became a lasting memory for many football fans, contributing to Dutch national team reaching the final of the 1974 FIFA World Cup using similar tactics. "Total Football" is the label for an influential theory of tactical Association football in which any player can take over the role of any other player in the The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup was held in West Germany from June 13 to July 7. The decline of Ajax and the loss to the Germans in the World Cup final saw the end of the Total Football era; later Ajax manager Tomislav Ivić would later dub the era 'Gloria Ajax', illustrating the impact of their years at the top. Tomislav Ivić (born June 30, 1933, in Split, Yugoslavia) is a former Croatian football manager.
The 1st Renaissance and 1980s
After a period of decline, in 1977 Ivic coached Ajax to their first domestic championship since 1973. Ajax returned to domestic success winning 5 league championships after '77 as well as 4 cups, though impressive European performances were sparse. Ajax were knocked out by Juventus in the quarter finals of the European Cup in 1978 and reached a European Cup semi final in 1980, losing to eventual winners, the Brian Clough-managed Nottingham Forest. Brian Howard Clough, OBE ( 21 March, 1935 – 20 September, 2004) was a successful footballer and subsequently football Disappointing European form between 1980 and 1986 saw the club not getting past the second round for six years in a row. Johan Cruijff returned to the club in 1981, with the club producing some talented youngsters in the mid-1980s such as Wim Kieft, John van 't Schip, Marco van Basten, Gerald Vanenburg, Jesper Olsen and Frank Rijkaard. Willem ("Wim" Cornelis Nicolaas Kieft (born 12 November 1962 in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a retired Dutch footballer Johannes Nicolaas ("John" van 't Schip (born December 30, 1963 in Fort St Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently Gerald Mervin Vanenburg (born March 5, 1964 in Utrecht, Utrecht) is a former football right winger from The Netherlands See also Jesper Olsen (runner Jesper Olsen (born 20 March 1961 in Fakse) is a Danish former professional football Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (born September 30 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player
After leaving the club in '83 after a conflict with president Harmsen, Cruijff returned once again in 1985 as the new manager. Cruijff's attacking tactics were immediately illustrated in his first active season, where Ajax ends the season with 120 goals in total, of which 37 were from Ajax's new star player Marco van Basten. Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently Despite this, Ajax finished as runners up in the league to PSV Eindhoven twice in a row in '85 and '86. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Despite the lack of domestic league success, Cruijff's Ajax won the '87 Cup Winners Cup, beating Lokomotive Leipzig and reached the final again the following season, losing out to KV Mechelen. 1 FC Lokomotive Leipzig is a German football club based in the city of Leipzig, Saxony and may be more familiar to many of the country's YR KV Mechelen is a Belgian Football club from Mechelen in Antwerp province
Cruijff departed prior to the second Cup Winners Cup final, as a result of the declining results in the national league. With most of the 80's stars such as van Basten also leaving, Ajax once again declined but continued to compete for the title with PSV in subsequent years, who became the dominant club in European and Dutch football, matching Ajax's 1972 achievement of The Treble in 1988. The Treble is a term in Association football that refers to a club winning their country's top tier league primary domestic cup and continental level cup competition in the Negative aspects of the period 1988-1991 were the fraud-case in 1989 and a year long ban from European competition in 1990-91 following an incident whereby a fan threw an iron bar at the Austria Vienna goalkeeper during a UEFA Cup tie in the 1989-1990 season. FK Austria Wien is an Austrian football club which plays in the capital Vienna. Under manager Leo Beenhakker, Ajax went on to win the championship race with PSV for in 1990, and came close to beating PSV to the league in 1991. Leo Beenhakker (born August 2, 1942 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland) is an international Dutch football coach currently
van Gaal, European Success and Decline
On departure to Real Madrid in 1991, Beenhakker was replaced by Louis van Gaal, the former assistant-coach. Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (born August 8, 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager currently in charge Like Cruijff, Van Gaal rapidly made his mark by altering Ajax' tactics. Also like Cruijff his efforts were rewarded in his first season at the helm, by winning the 1992 UEFA Cup after a thrilling final against AC Torino. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Torino Football Club 1906, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont Although he did not play the final, the tournament saw the arrival of Dennis Bergkamp who contributed six goals on the road to the final. Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (born May 10, 1969 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch Professional footballer At club level Despite Bergkamp being the top goalscorer in Dutch football in 1991, 1992, Ajax once again finished as runners up to PSV in the league. In 1992/93 Ajax even had to settle for a third spot, for first time since 1984, but won the KNVB Cup.
In 1993, Bergkamp and Wim Jonk left to Internazionale, allowing Finn Jari Litmanen to establish himself as the new number 10 of Ajax. Wilhelmus ("Wim" Maria Jonk (born 12 October 1966 in Volendam) is a retired Dutch football player Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club Jari Olavi Litmanen ( (born February 20 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer, widely considered the country's greatest ever Aside from Litmanen, Ajax attracted Finidi George and the returned Frank Rijkaard, providing the base for van Gaal to build on. Finidi George (born April 15, 1971 in Port Harcourt) is a Nigerian former footballer. Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (born September 30 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player
1994-1995 saw the return of European success after two decades, with Ajax winning the UEFA Champions League 1994-95 and the league title. The season saw an unbeaten run in the national league and the final season for Frank Rijkaard, while striker Patrick Kluivert had an excellent start to his, with the then 18-year-old coming off the bench to score a late winner to beat AC Milan in the final of the Champions League. Patrick Stephan Kluivert ( (born July 1, 1976) is a Dutch professional footballer. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy Ajax went on to beat Brazilian side Grêmio on penalties to win the Intercontinental Cup. Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, commonly referred to as Grêmio, is a Brazilian football team from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, founded The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by The following season, Ajax continued to succeed on the European front, succumbing only to Juventus on penalties in the European Cup final.
However, the subsequent period saw the departure of manager van Gaal along with an exodus of many key players, several on free transfers following the Bosman ruling. The Bosman ruling (Union Royal Belges des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL & others v Clarence Seedorf departed in 1995, Edgar Davids, Michael Reiziger, Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu in 1996, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Winston Bogarde in 1997 Ronald de Boer and Frank de Boer in 1998 and Edwin van der Sar and Jari Litmanen in 1999, together with the retirement of Frank Rijkaard in 1995 and Danny Blind in 1999. Clarence Seedorf (born April 1, 1976 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch - Surinamese football Midfielder Edgar Steven Davids (born March 13, 1973 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch professional football player Michael John Reiziger (born May 3, 1973 in Amstelveen, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch footballer, who played as a right Finidi George (born April 15, 1971 in Port Harcourt) is a Nigerian former footballer. Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) usually known simply as Kanu and nicknamed Papilo, is a professional Patrick Stephan Kluivert ( (born July 1, 1976) is a Dutch professional footballer. Marc Overmars (born March 29, 1973 in Emst) is a Dutch football player Winston Bogarde (born 22 October 1970 in Rotterdam) is a former Dutch professional footballer. Ronald de Boer (born May 15, 1970 in Hoorn, Netherlands) is a former Dutch football Midfielder who has played Frank de Boer (born May 15, 1970 in Hoorn) is a former Dutch professional footballer. Edwin van der Sar (born 29 October 1970 in Voorhout) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper Jari Olavi Litmanen ( (born February 20 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer, widely considered the country's greatest ever Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (born September 30 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born August 1, 1961 in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands) is a football coach and van Gaal's replacement, Morten Olsen attracted Danish national team captain Michael Laudrup to the club, and won the Double of league championship and the Dutch cup but could not replace the key players who had departed or maintain the success under van Gaal - in his second year at the club, tension arose between Olsen and the Dutch players Ronald de Boer and Frank de Boer, and Olsen was sacked in 1998. Morten Per Olsen (born August 14 1949) is a Danish former Football (soccer player and current football manager Michael Laudrup (born 15 June 1964) is a Danish former professional football player
Recent events
Since the 1995 Champions League win, Ajax have struggled to return to European success. In the 2002/03 season, led by captain Cristian Chivu, Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Mido and the return of a legend in Jari Litmanen, manager Ronald Koeman guided a new crop of talent to the Champions League quarter finals against AC Milan, losing only to a last minute winner in the second-leg encounter at the San Siro. Cristian Eugen Chivu (krisˈtjan ˈkivu (born 26 October 1980 in Reşiţa, Romania) is a Romanian footballer. Rafael van der Vaart (born February 11 1983 in Heemskerk) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga side Zlatan Ibrahimović (born October 3, 1981 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Swedish football Striker of Bosnian Ahmed Hossam Hussein Abdelhamid ( Arabic: احمد حسام حسين عبد الحميد, also known as Mido (born February 23 1983 in Cairo, Egypt Jari Olavi Litmanen ( (born February 20 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer, widely considered the country's greatest ever Ronald Koeman (born 21 March 1963 in Zaandam) is a former Dutch football defender and current manager For the town in the Province of Como, see San Siro (Como. For the saint after which these places are named see Syrus of Pavia or Syrus of
Koeman's early success was short-lived. Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was In 2005, he resigned after Ajax' defeat to Auxerre in the UEFA Cup tournament. Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, or AJ Auxerre, is a French football team founded in 1905 playing in the town of Auxerre in The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. This resignation was also the aftermath of Koeman's long-standing spat with then football director Louis van Gaal who had questioned Koeman's managerial abilities after Ajax' dry spell in the domestic league — which saw them languishing in fifth position at the beginning of 2005. Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (born August 8, 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager currently in charge Former Ajax-player Danny Blind, who, aside from working as Koeman's technical coach and advisor, had virtually no top-level manager experience, was unveiled as their new coach. Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born August 1, 1961 in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands) is a football coach and Blind instantly caused consternation by announcing that the club was to play using a 4-4-2, abandoning the Total Football-oriented 4-3-3 that has become Ajax' trademark. "Total Football" is the label for an influential theory of tactical Association football in which any player can take over the role of any other player in the This season also saw the departure of key players Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong to HSV, while six others (Hatem Trabelsi, Tomáš Galásek, Hans Vonk, Nourdin Boukhari, Steven Pienaar and Maxwell) revealed they would leave the club at the end of the 2005-2006 season. Rafael van der Vaart (born February 11 1983 in Heemskerk) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga side Nigel de Jong (born November 30, 1984 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football player currently playing for Hamburger SV is a German multi Sport club ("Traditionsverein" based in Hamburg, its largest branch is the football department. Hatem Trabelsi ( حاتم الطرابلسي,) (born January 25, 1977 in Ariana, Tunisia) is a Tunisian footballer Tomáš Galásek (born January 15, 1973 in Frýdek-Místek) is a Czech football player Hans Vonk (born January 30, 1970 in Alberton) is a South African professional football Goalkeeper of Dutch Nourdin Boukhari (نورالدين بخاري (born 30 June 1980 in Kralingen Rotterdam) is a Dutch - Moroccan footballer Steven Jerome Pienaar (born 17 March, 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a South African football Midfielder Maxwell Scherrer Cabelino Andrade, or simply Maxwell, (born August 27, 1981, in Vila Velha, Brazil) is a Brazilian Blind was sacked on May 10, 2006 after 422 days in charge. Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. New coach Henk ten Cate, who won the Champions League and La Liga in 2006 as the assistant of Frank Rijkaard with FC Barcelona gave youngsters a shot to enter the selection of the first team. Henk ten Cate (born December 9, 1954 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football manager of Surinamese The Primera División of the es Liga de Fútbol Profesional ( Professional Football League) commonly known as La Liga or Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (born September 30 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan Ten Cate said youngsters Jan Vertonghen, Rydell Poepon and Robbert Schilder would be included in the selection, whereas Greek forward Angelos Charisteas was sold to Feyenoord. Jan Vertonghen (born April 24 1987) is a Belgian footballer who plays as a defender or Midfielder for Ajax Rydell Poepon (born August 28 1987 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a Striker for Sparta Rotterdam Robbert Schilder (born April 18 1986 in Amstelveen) is a Dutch footballer who currently plays for AFC Ajax. Angelos Charisteas (Άγγελος Χαριστέας ˈaɲɟeˌlos xariˈsteˌas (born February 9, 1980 in Strymoniko, Serres) is a Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Ten Cate announced that he wished to return to form and win the Eredivisie in 2007.
Ajax missed out on a Champions League place in 2006/2007 after their defeat against FC Copenhagen (3-2 on aggregate). See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club FC Copenhagen ( Danish: FC København, or FCK in short is a Danish football team located in Copenhagen. As a result, Ajax played against IK Start from Norway in the first round of the UEFA Cup September 14 and 28, and won the match 9-2 on aggregate (2-5 away and 4-0 home). IK Start is a Norwegian football club from the town of Kristiansand. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Having then gotten through the Group Stage, they drew German club Werder Bremen in the Round of 32. Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the In the first leg in Germany, Ajax lost 3-0. On the return leg in Amsterdam, they rallied for two second half goals to win 3-1, but lost 4-3 in aggregate.
In the 2006-07 season Ajax also achieved some successes with Henk ten Cate in charge. The 2006/2007 season of the Eredivisie began on August 18, 2006. They won the Johan Cruijff Shield after a 3-1 win over rivals PSV and they also beat AZ 8-9 on penalties in the Dutch Cup final after a 1-1 draw after extra time. AZ, an initialism for Alkmaar Zaanstreek, is a football club from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The KNVB Cup 2006-07 started on August 26, 2006. The final was held on May 6, 2007 at the Feyenoord Stadion in Rotterdam Ajax was very close to clinch the Eredivisie title after deducting a 10 point deficit from PSV, but lost it on goal difference on the last matchday to PSV (PSV: 75-25, Ajax 84-35).
In the following 2007-08 season Ajax sold two of the biggest talents, Ryan Babel for 17 million Euros to Liverpool and Wesley Sneijder for 27 million Euros to Real Madrid. Liverpool Football Club are an English professional Association football club based in Liverpool England. Luis Suárez came from FC Groningen to replace Ryan Babel. Luis Alberto Suárez Diaz (born January 24 1987 in Salto) is a Uruguayan footballer who currently plays for Ajax and FC Groningen is a football Club from Groningen in the Netherlands. Ajax decided not to buy a replacement for Wesley Sneijder because of the difficulty in finding a similar-position type of player to replace him and also because the deal was finished close to the transfer deadline and Ajax would not rush though any signings. In Association football, the transfer window is the period during the year in which a Football team can transfer players either in or out of their playing
These events together with Edgar Davids breaking a leg disrupted the preparation for the qualification games for a Champions League place. Edgar Steven Davids (born March 13, 1973 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch professional football player See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club Opponent Slavia Prague won both matches; with a 2-1 scoreline in Prague and 0-1 victory in Amsterdam. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The failure to clinch a position in the Champions League group stage led to great critism from both the supporters and the media, mainly directed at Henk ten Cate and the board of directors. Henk ten Cate (born December 9, 1954 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football manager of Surinamese A 1-0 victory over PSV for the Johan Cruiff Shield could not make up for the loss of a Champions League spot. Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Despite quite a good start in the competition with a lot of goals from both Luis Suárez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ajax lost ground again in Europe after not making it to the group phase of the UEFA Cup; managing a 0-1 win away against Dinamo Zagreb but lost the tie in Amsterdam after extra time with the score 2-3 to Dinamo. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (born August 12 1983 is a Dutch footballer who plays as a Striker for AFC Ajax and the Netherlands. The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. Dinamo Zagreb is one of the most famous and successful Croatian football clubs With these string of European failures, coach Ten Cate has already failed to lead the team to the Champions League group stage for two seasons in a row and no European football at the ArenA for the remainder of the 2007/2008 season. With this result, Ten Cate lost the confidence of the supporters who demanded that the board sack him. A more viable solution came when Chelsea (in the same week) offered Ten Cate the job of assistant manager with a 3-year deal. On Tuesday 9 October Ten Cate left Ajax. Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Adrie Koster was selected to helm the squad. Adrie Koster (born November 18, 1954 in Zierikzee, Zeeland) is a former football winger from the Netherlands On 29 October 2007, captain Jaap Stam announced his immediate retirement from professional football, because of a lack of motivation to continue.
Youth program
The club is also particularly famous for its renowned youth program that has introduced many footballers - Cruijff being the best example. Ajax has also expanded its talent searching program to South Africa with Ajax Cape Town. Ajax Cape Town is a South African Football (soccer team based in Parow, Cape Town that participates in the Premier Soccer League. Ajax also had a satellite club in the United States under the name Ajax America, this club filled for bankruptcy. Ajax Orlando Prospects were an American Soccer team founded in 2002. There are some youth players from Ajax Cape Town that have been drafted into the Eredivisie squad, such as Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. Steven Jerome Pienaar (born 17 March, 1982 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a South African football Midfielder Aaron Mokoena (born November 25, 1980 in Johannesburg, Gauteng) is a South African footballer who currently plays for In 1995, the year that they won the Champions League, the Dutch national team was almost entirely composed of Ajax players, with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, players such as Michael Reiziger, Frank de Boer and Danny Blind in defense, Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf in midfield, and Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars in attack. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association In many team Sports a goalkeeper (termed goaltender netminder, goalie, or keeper in some sports Edwin van der Sar (born 29 October 1970 in Voorhout) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper Michael John Reiziger (born May 3, 1973 in Amstelveen, Noord-Holland) is a former Dutch footballer, who played as a right Frank de Boer (born May 15, 1970 in Hoorn) is a former Dutch professional footballer. Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born August 1, 1961 in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands) is a football coach and Ronald de Boer (born May 15, 1970 in Hoorn, Netherlands) is a former Dutch football Midfielder who has played Edgar Steven Davids (born March 13, 1973 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch professional football player Clarence Seedorf (born April 1, 1976 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch - Surinamese football Midfielder Patrick Stephan Kluivert ( (born July 1, 1976) is a Dutch professional footballer. Marc Overmars (born March 29, 1973 in Emst) is a Dutch football player The team was coached by Louis van Gaal, and also featured foreign stars such as Jari Litmanen, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George. Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (born August 8, 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager currently in charge Jari Olavi Litmanen ( (born February 20 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer, widely considered the country's greatest ever Nwankwo Kanu (born 1 August 1976 in Owerri, Nigeria) usually known simply as Kanu and nicknamed Papilo, is a professional Finidi George (born April 15, 1971 in Port Harcourt) is a Nigerian former footballer. Its current successes are mostly domestic, notwithstanding some minor successes in the 2002-03 Champions League.
Rivalry
Although Ajax have been vying for the championship with PSV in recent years, its main traditional rivalry is with Feyenoord from Rotterdam, culminating every year in the "Klassieker". Philips Sport Vereniging ( English: Philips Sports Union) widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Sports club from Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of De Klassieker ( English: "The Classic" is considered as the national football derby of the Netherlands It is a match between the two largest cities of the Netherlands, which are both quite distinct from each other. Amsterdam is a historic, touristic as well as a business city (the 4th most important in Europe) and it is the (financial) capital of the country. Furthermore the city identifies itself with artists, creativity and sophistication, whilst Rotterdam hosts the biggest port of Europe and thus identifies itself with hard, no-nonsense, industrial labour. There have been many violent clashes between the supporters of both clubs, of which the Beverwijk fight in 1997 was the most infamous, resulting in the murder of Ajax supporter Carlo Picornie. Beverwijk ( is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Ajax is historically both the most successful and the most popular club in The Netherlands. At the same time Ajax is also the most hated club by supporters of other clubs. Its historic success and with that its attitude, which is often seen as arrogant, contribute to that negative stance towards Ajax. Not only Feyenoord from Rotterdam but also fans of FC Utrecht and ADO Den Haag regard Ajax as their main rival. FC Utrecht is a Dutch football club founded on July 1, 1970. It was a merger of three clubs from the city of Utrecht: DOS Elinkwijk ADO Den Haag (ADO stands for Alles Door Oefening, Everything Through Practice) is the main football club in the city of The Hague.
Satellite clubs
The following clubs are affiliated with AFC Ajax:
Logo
In 1900, when the club was founded, the emblem of Ajax was just a picture of an Ajax player. Beijing Guoan Football Club ( Simplified Chinese: 北京国安 is a Chinese Super League team and is part of CITIC Group (China International Trust Ajax Cape Town is a South African Football (soccer team based in Parow, Cape Town that participates in the Premier Soccer League. HFC Haarlem is a Dutch football club The club was founded on October 1, 1889. FC Volendam is a Dutch football club FC Volendam was founded as Victoria on June 1, 1920 by local fishermen FC Omniworld is a Dutch football club The club was founded in the 1990s and is an expression of the ambitions of the city council of Almere to play In 1928, the club logo was introduced with the head of the Greek hero Ajax. "Aias" redirects here For other uses of this name see AIAS and Ajax. The logo was once again changed in 1990, making the old one more abstract. It should also be noted that the portrait of Ajax on the logo is drawn with eleven lines, symbolising the eleven players of a football team. [7]
Colours
Ajax originally played in an all black uniform with a red sash tied around the players' waists, but that uniform was soon replaced by a red/white striped shirt and black shorts. Red, black and white are the three colors of the flag of Amsterdam. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west However, when, under manager Jack Kirwan, the club got promoted to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in 1911 (then the Eerste Klasse or 'First Class', later named the Eredivisie), Ajax were forced to change their colors because Sparta Rotterdam already had the exact same outfit. John Henry Kirwan (born February 9 1878, County Wicklow, Ireland; died January 9 1959, London, England The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands, established on April 1, 1888. Special kits for away fixtures did not exist at the time and according to football association regulations the newcomers had to change their colors if two teams in the same league had identical uniforms. Ajax opted for white shorts and white shirt with a broad, vertical red stripe over chest and back, which still is Ajax's outfit. Ajax's shirts have been sponsored by ABN AMRO since 1991, the current sponsorship contract is going to run through the end of the 2007-08 season. ABN AMRO is a Dutch bank currently owned by RFS Holdings BV, a consortium of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Fortis Bank Nederland, and Banco Santander Next season AEGON will replace ABN AMRO as the new head sponsor and is going to take the prominent place on the official match kits of all Ajax teams. AEGON NV () is one of the world’s largest life Insurance and pension groups and a strong provider of investment products This sponsorship deal between Ajax and AEGON has been laid down for a period of seven years. [8] The shirts have been manufactured by Adidas since 2000 (until at least 2009); before that Umbro (1989-2000) was manufacturing clothing for the team. WikipediaManual of Style (trademarks, which says "Lowercased trademarks with no internal Umbro ( is a British sportswear and equipment supplier based in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, England. [9] On the April 1 2007, Ajax wore a different sponsor for the match against Heracles Almelo: Florius. Heracles Almelo is a football club from Almelo, Netherlands. Heracles Almelo were founded on May 3, 1903 as Heracles Florius is a banking program just launched by ABN AMRO who wanted it to be the shirt sponsor for one match. ABN AMRO is a Dutch bank currently owned by RFS Holdings BV, a consortium of Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Fortis Bank Nederland, and Banco Santander
Stadium
Ajax' first stadium was built in 1911 out of wood and was simply called The Stadium. Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was Ajax later played in the stadium that was built for the 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam. The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 This stadium, designed by Jan Wils, is known as the Olympic Stadium. Jan Wils ( February 22, 1891 &ndash February 11 1972) was a Dutch architect. In 1934, Ajax moved to De Meer Stadion in east Amsterdam, where they would play until 1996. De Meer is the name of the former Stadium of AFC Ajax. It was opened in 1934 as a result of the club's former stadium being too small During big European and national fixtures the club would often play at the Olympic Stadium, where the capacity was about twice as high.
In 1996, Ajax moved to a new home ground in the southeast of the city known as the Amsterdam ArenA that was built at the cost of $134 million. Amsterdam ArenA is a Stadium in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The stadium was built from 1993 to 1996 at a cost of € 140 million and was The stadium is capable of holding approximately 52,000 people. The average attendance in 2006/07 was 48,610 people. The Arena has a retractable roof and was the example for other modern stadiums built in Europe in the following years. In the Netherlands, the Arena had earned a reputation for having a terrible grass pitch caused by the removable roof that, even when open, takes away too much sunlight and ventilation from the ground, and by the NFL Europa's Amsterdam Admirals who played their home games on it. NFL Europa was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team in NFL Europa based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The much-loved De Meer stadium was torn down and the land was sold to the city council.
Supporters
References to Judaism
The Ajax fans have developed the tradition of using Jewish and Israeli symbols to express their allegiance, despite being almost entirely non-Jewish in their composition. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Regularly, the supporters wave large Star of David flags and scream Joden! Joden! ("Jews! Jews!") to fire up their team. The Star of David or Shield of David ( Magen David in Hebrew with nikkud or מגן דוד without academically transcribed Māḡēn Dāwīḏ by Die-hard Ajax supporters call themselves "F-Siders" or "Joden" — Dutch for "Jews" — a nickname that reflects both the team's and the city's Jewish heritage. This nickname for Ajax fans dates back to before World War II, when Amsterdam was home to most of the Netherlands' 140,000 Jews and the Ajax stadium itself was located near a Jewish neighborhood. Most Dutch Jews were murdered by the Nazis during the occupation, and today very little remains of Amsterdam's old Jewish quarter. But the tradition at Ajax survived. Ajax currently has no Jewish players, the last player with any Jewish roots being Daniël de Ridder. Daniël de Ridder born March 6, 1984) is a Dutch footballer, who currently plays for Wigan Athletic in the Premier League
More recently, the issue has become a significant social problem in that in an increasingly bizarre and racist way, opposing supporters specifically use antisemitism to express their antipathy towards Ajax. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility This is expressed in chants such as Hamas, Hamas, Jews into the gas (Hamas, hamas, joden aan het gas) or producing hissing sounds that imitate the flow of gas. Ḥamas (ar حركة حماس acronym ar حركة المقاومة A gas chamber is an apparatus for killing consisting of a sealed chamber into which a Poisonous or Asphyxiant gas is introduced This in turn does not withhold the 'Jewish' Ajax supporters from celebrating the Bombing of Rotterdam by Nazi Germany when facing Feyenoord with songs like When spring comes we will throw bombs on Rotterdam! (Als de lente komt dan gooien wij bommen op Rotterdam). The Rotterdam Blitz refers to the aerial bombardment of Rotterdam by the German Airforce on 14 May 1940, during the German invasion Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Songs like this (using the melody of ´Tulips from Amsterdam´) were sung from the stage, i. e. organised, at the celebration of the winning of the Dutch Cup in 2006.
However, hardcore Ajax fans, although almost entirely gentiles, are proud of their 'outsider' image as "Jews" and feel encouraged to display more Jewish / Israeli symbols at matches, using them as a "badge of battle".
Those Ajax fans who are actually Jewish are split on the morality of this matter; some feel it is flattering but many others feel it is disrespectful and racist for non-Jews to act in such a way that encourages antisemitic abuse. Dutch authorities have tried to tone down the Jewish symbols of support for Ajax, hoping to lead to a decrease of antisemitic counter-incidents. However, the head of the European Board of Jewish Deputies has signalled his support for the F-siders, stating that antisemitism in Europe would be generally lessened if more non-Jews so readily identified with Jewish culture. The mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, is also Jewish himself and has not condemned the Ajax fans. Marius Job Cohen (born 18 October 1947) is the current Mayor of Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands.
However club chairman John Jaakke has asked the club to distance its self from the 'supposed' Jewish identity:
"Ajax is being presented as a 'Jewish club' and some of our supporters have taken to calling themselves 'Jews' as an honorary nickname. I want to state for the record that Ajax wants to shed this image and will do what is necessary to achieve this," [1]
Related Trivia
A similar situation exists at English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, which also has a reputation for having a large Jewish following, where supporters proudly call themselves Yids to diffuse its use as antisemitic provocation by opposition fans. The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League.
In the Australian south eastern state of Victoria, there exists the Ajax Amateur Football Club, which is a Jewish Australian rules football club, in that the vast majority of administrators and players are Jewish, and the club has a Magen David (Star of David) on its uniform. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Their playing colours are also the same as AFC Ajax.
Another team with a Jewish connection is Poland's Cracovia Kraków. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Cracovia Kraków ( pron kraˈkɔvʲa ˈkrakuf is a professional football club based in Kraków, Poland. Fans of the team were even active in protecting Polish Jews during the Nazi occupation of the country. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German
Players and managers
Current squad
As of January 28th, 2008. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
|
|
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small}
Transfers 2008/09
In:
Out:
Youth squad
Notable Ajax playersNotable professional Ajax players (1954-present)
Notable non-professional Ajax players (1900-1954)
List of Ajax managers
Number 14As of the 2007-08 season, no player will wear the number 14 shirt at Ajax, since the club decided to retire the shirt out of respect for legend Johan Cruijff. Jan van Diepenbeek ( 5 August 1903 &ndash 8 August, 1981) was a Dutch footballer who played for Ajax, Jan ("Joop" Leendert van Dort (born May 25, 1889 in Heemstede &ndash died April 1, 1967 in Leiden) was Cor van der Hart ( 25 January 1928 - 12 December 2006) was a Dutch footballer Gerard Pieter (Gerrit Keizer ( August 8, 1910 – December 5, 1980) also known as Gerard Keyser, was a Dutch football Johannes ("Jan" Daniel de Natris (born November 13, 1895 in Amsterdam &ndash died September 16, 1972 in Amsterdam Eddy Hamel ( 21 October 1902 - 30 April 1943) was a Jewish football player for Dutch club AFC Ajax. Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently Adrie Koster (born November 18, 1954 in Zierikzee, Zeeland) is a former football winger from the Netherlands Henk ten Cate (born December 9, 1954 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football manager of Surinamese Dirk Franciscus "Danny" Blind (born August 1, 1961 in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands) is a football coach and Rudolf ("Ruud" or "Rudi" Jozef Krol (born March 24, 1949 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch footballer who Ronald Koeman (born 21 March 1963 in Zaandam) is a former Dutch football defender and current manager Jacobson ("Co" Adriaanse (born on July 21, 1947 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) is a Dutch football manager and Hans Westerhof (born 24 November 1948 in Terborg) is a Dutch Soccer coach Jan Wouters (born July 17, 1960 in Utrecht, Netherlands) is a former professional football Midfielder. Morten Per Olsen (born August 14 1949) is a Danish former Football (soccer player and current football manager Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (born August 8, 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager currently in charge Leo Beenhakker (born August 2, 1942 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland) is an international Dutch football coach currently Antoine "Spitz" Kohn (born 1 November 1933) is a retired Luxembourgian football player and Football manager. Kurt Linder (born October 8, 1933) is a former German footballer and coach Aad de Mos (born March 27, 1947 in The Hague) is a Dutch football coach Kurt Linder (born October 8, 1933) is a former German footballer and coach Leo Beenhakker (born August 2, 1942 in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland) is an international Dutch football coach currently Cor Brom was a Dutch football manager who was manager of Ajax from 1978 to 1979 Tomislav Ivić (born June 30, 1933, in Split, Yugoslavia) is a former Croatian football manager. Marinus (" Rinus " Jacobus Hendricus Michels ( 9 February 1928 &ndash 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Hans Kraay (born 14 October, 1936) is a retired Dutch footballer who was active as a defender and then in football management and television George Knobel (born 10 December 1922) is a former Dutch football manager Ştefan Kovács ( Hungarian: Kovács István also known in Romanian as Ştefan Covaci (2 October 1920 in Timişoara, Romania - 12 May 1995 Marinus (" Rinus " Jacobus Hendricus Michels ( 9 February 1928 &ndash 3 March 2005) was a Dutch Victor Frederick Buckingham ( 23 October 1915 &ndash 26 January 1995) was an English footballer whose approach as a manager John Frederick "Jack" Rowley ( 7 October 1920 &ndash 27 June 1998) was an English football Striker Keith Spurgeon was an English football manager who was manager of Ajax from 1961 to 1962 Victor Frederick Buckingham ( 23 October 1915 &ndash 26 January 1995) was an English footballer whose approach as a manager Robert Thomson (born 1890 in Glasgow) was a former Professional footballer, who played for Huddersfield Town. John "Jack" Reynolds ( 23 September, 1881, in Manchester, England - 8 November, 1962) was an Englishman John "Jack" Reynolds ( 23 September, 1881, in Manchester, England - 8 November, 1962) was an Englishman John "Jack" Reynolds ( 23 September, 1881, in Manchester, England - 8 November, 1962) was an Englishman John Henry Kirwan (born February 9 1878, County Wicklow, Ireland; died January 9 1959, London, England The 2007/2008 season of the Eredivisie started in August 2007 and ends on 18 May 2008 with defending champions PSV retaining Cruijff himself said that it would be better if the best player of the team would wear number 14. Spanish midfielder Roger was the last player to wear the number. Roger García Junyent, Roger (born December 15 1976 in Sabadell) is a former Spanish footballer who played as a [10] HonoursOfficial trophies (recognized by UEFA and FIFA)National
Final standings of Ajax 1976-2008
International
Other trophies
See alsoReferences
Bibliography
External links
|
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic