"Everyone is to blame derailed at Ajax revolution '

Football Friends of yesteryear were diametrically opposed to each other, no one who could heal the breach in the technical heart. The reconstruction of a drama king.

They shared soccer success at Ajax, with Orange they traveled across the world, they were united in the courtroom with Johan Cruijff to revolutionize their club. But in the spring of 2014 it goes dead wrong between football friends of yesteryear.

During difficult conversations about additional investment in the youth fly the blame back and forth. Main training Wim Jonk is tired of himself in the technical heart must always justify to football director Marc Overmars and assisi tent trainer Dennis Bergkamp. According Jonk they have little understanding of the true state of affairs in the jeugdtak. Overmars and Bergkamp berate turn how Jonk fill the Plan Cruyff. Mutual reproaches them to act without consulting each other, slowing down decision-making processes and not to honor agreements. The approach in training is a recurring topic of discussion. Bergkamp and Overmars think Jonk and Jongkind have been beaten in the exercise of share performance coaches.

The trainers counter that specialist physical training is just under the Plan Cruyff.In addition, they argue that by increasing the number of training hours more time is left for technical / tactical training than before. And often the haggling goes on staffing within the program.

Jongkind gets to steer the blame too much physical trainers from within its own network. If the mutual discussions by the end of the 2013/14 season resurgence, something breaks, on both sides. This happens when the trust terminates Bergkamp in the people working Jonk. The already chilled relations within the technical heart drop to freezing.Especially when in the same period Overmars and CEO Michael Kinsbergen 600 thousand euro cut from the requested budget for additional investment.

In the following months is becoming clearer where the shoe pinches most severe. Upon the formation of the technical center, a focal point in the Plan Cruyff, there is too easily assumed that members would be mutually same direction. The contracts of Bergkamp, ​​Jonk, Frank de Boer and Overmars is a maze of unclear roles and responsibilities, which are also frequently overlap each other. Indeed clear is who takes the final decisions at Ajax: the management. For thus says the club bylaws. There have initially embraced plans a leading technical center and a facilitating management not changed. Jonk is not a director and fight with many of his reform plans so a losing battle. On paper, the Volendam has no leg to stand on.

The contract Overmars says he is leading the Future: the youth, scouting, medical staff and football related organizational management. Bergkamp's contract states that he participates in decisions on the flow and the contracts of young players. Against this reality Jonk runs more often in his work on training. The idea was to take joint decisions on all facets that touch football. In practice, are increasingly being voted within the technical heart. Jonk which usually travels to his growing frustration against Bergkamp and Overmars.

Hence CEO Michael Kinsbergen early 2015 makes a proposal. In such a relationship must voice marketing director Edwin van der Sar will offer relief in the role of Judge propelled as Kinsbergen calls it. To delve into the process at the training Van der Sar asks all pieces with the Plan have Cruijff. Because the mare to the technical plan would no longer than a few A4 pages is wrong. This is a report about the vision and philosophy of the technical platform in 2011, drafted presentations on individual training and medical counseling, a report on youth scouting 2.0, work plans for the 2014/15 season, a strategic youth plan for the period 2014-17 and a report on youth football 2.0.

Meanwhile, supervisory board chairman Hans Wijers runs along one day in the future to see the process in training nearby. Ajax has since the year 2011 budget gradually increased from seven to eleven million, Wijers wonders how it goes. But the core problem remains.Jonk does not agree with the role of Judge propelled by Van der Sar. In conversations and e-mails via the main program continues to insist on a clearer division of powers. So that everyone is responsible for his own work. Until that happens, everyone will continue to find themselves in each other's way, is his firm conviction.

n an attempt to break the stalemate are the protagonists Thursday, March 5th meeting in Amsterdam. During that discussion, including Kinsbergen present, Johan Cruyff urges on Overmars, Jonk, Bergkamp, ​​Van der Sar and Frank de Boer. He sees the quintet as the conscience of the football club. "You have to do it," Cruyff holds the former players. From day one, the club icon indicated by the revolution to pave the way for a new generation. He would be available for advice and backing. Cruyff and also Kinsbergen still hope that the former laws of the dressing room will also apply in the boardroom. So that they can resolve their dispute themselves. It seems a utopia. Three weeks later decide Jonk no longer have to queue up at the weekly meetings of the technical heart. That he further isolates himself within the club of Ajax.

The common thread through all internal abuses is the lack of communication and lack of management. There is also the involvement of consulting firm Boston Consulting Group not changed during six meetings with the management and the technical heart. Neither the commissioners succeeded - heavyweights from politics and business - managed to break the deadlock. Even though they had at an earlier stage the number of meetings with the board boosted from four to ten times a year. And even if they are as supervisors especially Kinsbergen and Overmars in daily operations close to their skin.

The ultimate attempt at peacemaking comes early September, when the division of labor is adjusted within the organization. Van der Sar is chairman of the technical heart, head coach Frank de Boer will return to that body, the function of director Overmars is restricted to players policies, Commissioner Dolf Collee follows temporarily left on Kinsbergen. A few months earlier Tschen La Ling is at the request of the Supervisory Board started an investigation into the problems in the technical heart. During that investigation shows Jonk and his right Ruben Jongkind the past period all the events, conversations and email exchanges have carefully documented. This contrasts with the people with whom they are in the clinch.

The conversations Ling during his research carries with the other former players are short: he talks with Overmars three minutes, with 25 minutes Bergkamp, ​​with Van der Sar no time.After a workout shoot Ling coach Frank de Boer on the question whether part of the technical heart. After the negative response - the new structure has not yet been introduced - they talk a few minutes and that's it. In mid-June Ling provides the first part of his report in early September comes the sequel. The epistle remains initially in possession of Hans Wijers and co, but after internal pressure of Cruyff is sent later to the board. The report contains damning conclusions and numerous recommendations, which the club is doing little or nothing. Partly because the supervisory board says Ling just to have advice on the technical heart asked, not recommendations. Moreover, Ling in his organization recommended schedule both Overmars (professional football) as Jonk (training) allocated a Director's post, with above them Collee as general manager.

In mid-September there seems to be still closer. On the initiative of Van der Sar plays the technical center, including Jonk on the Future a game of football against a group of youth coaches. The medicine ball. Six days later, the first meeting in the new and complete assembly place. But soon, the old problems again surfaced. There will be a draft plan of management on the table with the new method and objectives of the technical heart. It shows that for Jonk in late responsibilities has changed little. A few points under its own jurisdiction, such as the movements of junior players under the age of sixteen years and the collaboration with the youth academies of amateur clubs. About important issues such as the functioning of youth coaches and performance coaches, players mutations in the superstructure (A-juniors and B1) and scouting is the main training is still only a say. It is also proposed a different method of voting. Van der Sar has no voting rights in the technical heart, making a 2-2 vote among the possibilities. In those cases decided by the four-member board, which Van der Sar and Overmars are two members of the technical heart. In addition, the standard of player development with the first team determined by which policy is made ​​for technical training. Thus, the roles are reversed.

It is for Wim Jonk unacceptable conditions. He does not want to end up back in a situation where workers in the course of which he is satisfied is told by the management hold. As has happened with performance manager Rick Menick in summer. Jonk sees no perspective in the new structure and decision after his return to the conference table to again avoid the weekly meetings. That the conflict is approaching the boiling point. Commissioner Leo van Wijk still does some glue attempts. On behalf of the board conduct Hennie Henrichs and Maarten Oldenhof interviews with stakeholders, with the duo taketh not look at the cards.They do it only at the shareholders' meeting last Friday, where the board supports the supervisory board and the management. Four days earlier, the bomb had cracked and Jonk told that he must leave because of "an irreconcilable disagreement about the interpretation and operation of the technical heart.

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