On paper he has a key position: Louis van Gaal is technical advisor to the supervisory board of Ajax. However, Van Gaal has no official responsibility, Supervisory Board member Leo van Wijk said at the November shareholders’ meeting. The supervisory board is responsible, but ‘Louis’ does contribute ideas about the technical policy. This is how football director Marijn Beuker comes out. Van Gaal also stuck his neck out for Kroes; he tried to get AZ to drop the non-competition clause so that Kroes could start at Ajax earlier. In vain.
Since taking office in October, Van Gaal has never spoken publicly about Ajax. ‘An advisor operates in silence’ is his motto, even in the current stalemate between the board and Van Gaal’s ‘own’ supervisory board.
Personal friend
The board has taken a stand and wants Kroes to be retained at the club despite his alleged insider trading. Kroes could, for example, exchange his position of statutory director for that of titular director. Kroes may remain director in name, but he lacks signing authority. A position that Sven Mislintat also held in the short time that he was technical director. The supervisory board, on the other hand, maintains (for the time being) the position that Kroes’ share transaction shortly before his appointment should lead to immediate dismissal.
What would Van Gaal think of the supervisory board decision?
Van Gaal is not a legal scholar, so weighing the legal arguments for and against Kroes’ dismissal is not his expertise. As a former coach, he knows better than anyone that a lack of knowledge of the football and transfer market can be disastrous for performance on the field, as was evident at Manchester United. It is precisely that side of football that is Kroes’ knowledge domain.
Danny Blind, Van Gaal’s confidante in the supervisory board, also realizes that Kroes’ dismissal is delaying Ajax’s sporting reconstruction. Kroes’ departure also increases the pressure on the existing management, especially on Beuker. Just like the board of directors, the management is not known by the supervisory board at the time of Kroes’ intended dismissal, while Beuker must partly take over Kroes’ portfolio.
Although the board of directors and Kroes are pushing for a joint meeting with the supervisory board, the supervisory board has so far refrained from doing so. Van Gaal has a good profile to bring the parties to the table. He is a personal friend of Van Praag, and Van Gaal lives in Portugal a few kilometers from Supervisory Board member Van Wijk. He also worked ‘silently’ with Kroes.
Not a member of Ajax
Van Gaal rarely visits Ajax, but two weeks ago he was spotted at De Toekomst, where members of the board of directors were also seen. However, a meeting between Kroes, the management council and the supervisory board did not take place in the run-up to Thursday’s meeting, but that may still happen. In principle, Van Gaal will not be present at the members’ meeting on Thursday evening; he is not a member of Ajax.
The fanatical supporters are also pushing for a conversation between the board of directors, Kroes and the supervisory board, with or without Van Gaal present. On its own website, the AFCA Supporters Club expresses the hope that ‘reason will prevail and everyone can put aside their pride and ego’. There is a need for rest and sporting improvement, according to the hard core. Skybox holders also wrote to the supervisory board in a letter that they want Kroes to be retained for Ajax.
At the members’ meeting that will be held on Thursday evening at 8 p.m. on De Toekomst, Van Praag will explain his decision on Kroes’ dismissal. The brief presentation of the KPMG investigation into the course of events in the poor last transfer summer will also be discussed. The fact that gross negligence was written down in a concealed way caused bad blood among many Ajax members and the board of directors, which was also denied access. Supervisory board member Van Wijk is the file owner of the KPMG report. Van Wijk is also expected to be at the meeting.
Avoid head-on collision
The longer the standoff lasts, the more the situation becomes like a train wreck in slow motion. After all, the board of directors is a major shareholder in the professional branch that the supervisory board supervises. In this way, the board of directors can send the entire supervisory board home. The result will be that the Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal will appoint commissioners, which means that the board of directors will also lose control and the chance of Kroes’ return seems small. Moreover, it would be very painful if the association were to lose confidence in honorary chairman Van Praag and honorary member Van Wijk.
If the upcoming members’ meeting does not provide a solution, the next stop towards the train disaster is the shareholders’ meeting of May 21. The supervisory board then plans to effect Kroes’ dismissal, while the board of directors can take the lead in blowing up the supervisory board. Until then, however, in a political club like Ajax, numerous paths are taken to prevent the head-on collision – ranging from diplomatic to confrontational.
In the meantime, Ajax is only losing time on the necessary renovation of the selection.
