News Links: 2002-2003 Season
Now Ajax take shine to Earnie
28 June: Dutch giants Ajax and Spanish club Seville
have joined the race for Cardiff City goal machine Robert
Earnshaw, The Western Mail can reveal. ic Wales
Roma's Mido bid rebuffed
26 June: Mido's desire to move to Roma could be
dashed unless the Serie A giants can come up with a suitable
package to appease Ajax. Planet Football
Rijkaard is Barca boss as Antic exits
23 June: Former Holland coach Frank Rijkaard has
replaced Radomir Antic as coach of Barcelona.
SoccerNet
Chivu facing difficult choice
23 June: Cristian Chivu must decide between Barcelona
and Internazionale, with the player's agent confirming to
planetfootball that a deal could be wrapped up quickly. Planet Football
Ajax and Feyenoord under investigation
11 June: According to a TV program of the Dutch
channel TV2, the labour inspection of that country will start
an investigation on players who would be working illegally for
both Ajax Amsterdam and Feyenoord Rotterdam. SoccerWay
UEFA's artificial turf project progresses
17 June: UEFA is pressing on with its ambitious
artificial turf project - and there are increasingly positive
reactions from players and coaches about the 'pilot' pitches at
three European venues where domestic championship matches are
already being played as part of the project. UEFA.com
It's apropos - Aron Winter exits playing
07 June: Sometimes even at the top business end of
international sport the superstars like to step outside their
world into something completely different. International Herald Tribune
Chivu blasts 'cheap' Barca talk
16 June: Cristian Chivu has insisted that he has not
agreed to join Barcelona, but the Ajax man will sit down to
consider his future in the coming week. Planet Football
Bright tomorrow for Pienaar
13 June: If AFC Ajax were the great overachievers of
this season's UEFA Champions League, then their 21-year-old
midfield player Steven Pienaar was the surprise package. UEFA.com
Beenhakker gets rapturous reception at America
13 June: Dutchman Leo Beenhakker was given a
rapturous reception by supporters of Mexico's America as he
arrived to start his second stint as coach on Friday. Yahoo Sports
Roma Trabelsi bid rejected by Ajax
11 June: Reports from the Netherlands are indicating
Ajax refused a 4.5 million Euro bid for Trabelsi made by Serie
A giants AS Roma. Soccer Age
Ajax set Mido fee
10 June: Ajax have slapped a 15 million euro
price-tag on Egyptian striker Mido amid interest in the starlet
from a host of European clubs. Planet Football
Barcelona candidate agrees deal with Ajax captain
Chivu
06 June: Barcelona presidential candidate Jaume
Llaurado announced on Friday that Ajax defender Cristian Chivu
had signed a deal that will bring the player to the Catalan
club if he wins next week's elections. Yahoo Sports
Inter Milan in advanced Ajax talks over Van der
Meyde
06 June: Inter Milan and Ajax are in advanced talks
over Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde. Tribal Football
John O'Brien linked to Barcelona
30 May: Press reports out of Spain indicate that American John
O'Brien is among the players being pursued by Spanish giant
Barcelona. SoccerAmerica
Milan, Spurs watch as Lyon move for Ajax fullback
Trabelsi
30 May: Lyon have joined the race for Ajax fullback Hatem
Trabelsi.
The French champions are willing to offer £3 million for
the defender, who has been tracked by AC Milan this season.
Tribal
Football
Mido comments on Roma's offer
30 May: Egyptian star striker Mido made an interview with the
Spanish media in which he commented about the latest offer from
Roma. His agent also confirmed to Beenhakker that the player
doesn't want to come back under Ronald Koeman's reign.
EgyptianPlayers.com
Dutch smoking law seen as 'pot' shot
29 May: The latest news from the mecca of marijuana
users is a real mindblower. Under a new ban on smoking in
public places, Dutch coffee shops would be allowed to continue
selling joints, but customers would have to go outside to smoke
them. MSNBC
Witschge set for shock run-out
28 May: Compassion has no place in teams chasing
silverware, so Ajax's staggering decision to give Richard
Witschge a run-out in their final game of the season confirms
they have given up all hope of overtaking leaders PSV
Eindhoven.
Sporting Life
Koeman loyal to Ajax despite Barca interest
19 May: Ajax coach Ronald Koeman has admitted that he
has been approached by a number of Barcelona presidential
candidates to take charge at the Catalan club, but says he will
remain with the Dutch side until 2004.
Sports Illustrated
Didulica plays down heroic Valencia
display
05 May: When people look back at this season's Champions
League, the performance of Aussie Joe Didulica in Valencia will
live long in memory. Tribal
Football
Sensi confirms Zlatan bid
04 May: Roma president Franco Sensi has confirmed an
offer has been tabled for Ajax star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Planet Football
Striker dismisses Ajax rumours
21 April: Marcus Allback scotches rumours over a move to Dutch
giants Ajax and reaffirms his commitment to Villa. Fans
FC
Opposites attract at San Siro
22 April: Although AC Milan and AFC Ajax have always been
associated with excellence in Europe, there has been a
remarkable contrast between the clubs whenever they have
met.
UEFA.com
AC Milan vs. Ajax Amsterdam Preview
22 April: Its Serie A titles hopes in tatters and
without almost its entire first-choice midfield, AC Milan's
season now hangs in the balance ahead of Wednesday's Champions
quarterfinal, second-leg with Ajax Amsterdam.
Sports Illustrated
Inzaghi 'furious' heading into Ajax
match
22 April: AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi does not appear to
be a player in need of extra motivation. Fox
Sports
U.S. star John O'Brien finds success in Holland
18 April: John O'Brien moved from California to
Europe to devote his life to soccer when he was only
16. Fox
Sports
Ajax hope Zlatan will wreak havoc
18 April: Zlatan Ibrahimovic appears to have a talent for
making a nuisance of himself, but his Ajax team-mates will be
hoping he can focus his antagonism on the opposition as they
gear up for the final stages of the Champions League.
Sporting Life
Ajax take the Champions League by
stealth
12 April: At half-time during the first leg of Ajax's
Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan on Tuesday
night, a song was played over the PA that was as bold in its
vision of the future as it was in its absence of rhymes. "Que
sera sera," it went. "We're coming from Amsterdam. We're going
to win the cup. Que sera sera."
Telegraph
Galásek leads Ajax resistance
11 April: At 30 years of age, Czech international midfield
player Tomáš Galásek may feel a little out
of place among the young starlets of Ronald Koeman's AFC
Ajax. UEFA.com
The Rise and Fall and Rise of Ajax
Amsterdam
10 April: This year, the last eight of the Champion's League
contains much animosity between the protagonists: Barcelona and
Real Madrid are the two most polarised clubs in the world. The
two Milanese outfits are naturally rivals, neither has much
love for Juventus, and everyone enjoys beating Manchester
United. But seven of the clubs share at least one thing in
common: if they themselves do not lift the trophy, they would
all like to see Ajax do it.
Daily Soccer
Twente in tax mire
09 April: Eredivisie side FC Twente face an uncertain
future after the club's founding company was declared bankrupt
by a Dutch court.
UEFA.com
Season over for Milan midfielder Seedorf
09 April: AC Milan confirmed Wednesday that Holland
international Clarence Seedorf will miss the remainder of the
season after sustaining a knee injury. Hindustan
Times
Koeman sets sights on Milan upset
08 April: Ajax coach Ronald Koeman admitted that AC Milan are
now favourites to reach the Champions League semi-finals after
the first-leg clash between the two sides ended goalless in
Amsterdam. Ananova
Ajax's academic success story!
08 April: When it comes to developing their own players, few
teams can compete with Ajax Amsterdam.
BBC
Pienaar meets past master
08 April: AFC Ajax's superb UEFA Champions League run this
season has evoked memories of their last triumph in 1995, not
least when the quarter-final draw paired them with the team
they beat in that final, AC Milan.
UEFA.com
Ajax reap rewards
02 April: AFC Ajax's investment in their youth system
has been key to this season's European success.
UEFA.com
Diouf wins African player of the year award (Mido,
Pienaar)
01 April: Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf was named
African Footballer of the Year on Tuesday by the African
Football Congress.
Yahoo
Schillachi plans to chill in The
Netherlands
29 March: Bafana and Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Steven
"Schillachi" Pienaar is planning to settle permanently in The
Netherlands where he has made a name for himself.
City Press (SA)
ESPN Chat-Wrap: John O'Brien
28 March: John O'Brien answered fan questions in a live
moderated chat on ESPN.com today. O'Brien is currently
stateside for Saturday's USMNT friendly vs Venezuela in
Seattle. ESPN.com
Ajax star Pienaar ready to dazzle Madagascar
25 March: Ajax Amsterdam star Steven Pienaar may, at
just 21 years of age, have just played a major role in helping
his club reach the quarterfinals of the Uefa Champions League,
but he's not about to forget his Johannesburg roots.
IOL
Dutch teenager returns to Canada and its under-17
soccer team
25 March: Playing soccer for Canada is new for Marcel de Jong.
And so is Canada. The 16-year-old midfielder was born in
Newmarket, Ontario, to Dutch parents, but the family moved back
to the Netherlands when he was a small child.
Yahoo
BOOK REVIEW - Ajax, the Dutch, the War.
24 March: One of the themes we have featured in FF over the
years has been the exploration of the interaction between
sport, culture, religion and politics around the world.
FollowFollow.com
Stealing the spotlight
22 March: Don't you hate it when you invite some lower-class
slob to your fancy-dress cocktail party and he actually shows
up? Ajax Amsterdam isn't exactly peasant material -- it's one
of the most storied clubs in soccer history -- but it's a poor
cousin to super-rich clubs such as Roma and Arsenal. Toronto
Sun
D-Day for Ajax title bid
22 March: Ronald Koeman is ready to hand the title
over to PSV Eindhoven if Ajax lose at the Philips Stadion, but
on the eve of the biggest fixture in Holland this season he has
reminded his players of the rewards which come with winning the
Dutch championship.
Sporting Life
Real Sociedad line-up Ajax's Mido as Nihat closer to
Man Utd
22 March: Real Sociedad are interested in Ajax attacker Mido.
Currently on-loan at Celta Vigo, the Egyptian striker is
expected to leave Ajax at the end of the season. Tribal
Football
Final memories raise the stakes
21 March: AFC Ajax and AC Milan's UEFA Champions
League quarter-final meeting will see the sides facing each
other for the first time in competitive action since the 1995
final.
UEFA.com
Advantage Ajax and Arsenal
19 March: Hot on the heels of last night's UEFA
Champions League action comes the completion of Matchday 12
tonight, games that will have profound ramifications as
progress to the quarter-finals hangs in the balance for six of
the eight teams.
UEFA.com
Didulica quits Ajax to chase long-term goals
18 March: Joey Didulica has dropped out of the
reckoning for Socceroos selection after declaring he will leave
Ajax Amsterdam at the end of the season.
Herald Sun
New birth for synthetic turf
18 March: Go to any top training ground and you can
bet your last euro that whole squads of players will be put
through their paces on the latest generation of synthetic
pitches. Yet when it comes to playing competitive matches there
is still resistance to artificial surfaces. UEFA.com
Capello picks his priorities
16 March: Fabio Capello confirms the results of this
week's games with Perugia and Ajax will decide a large chunk of
Roma's future. Football
Italia
Crunch week in the Champions League as quarterfinal
field set
16 March: This is crunch week in the Champions League. Three
quarterfinalists have been determined - AC Milan, Manchester
United and Barcelona - and the five remaining spots will be
filled out by Wednesday.
Yahoo
Chivu shows no fear
14 March: Captain of a successful UEFA Champions
League side at the age of 22, AFC Ajax's Romanian defender
Cristian Chivu is thriving under pressure. UEFA.com
Ajax's banished striker Mido loaned to Celta de
Vigo
15 March: Ajax has reportedly loaned Egyptian striker
Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam to Celta de Vigo of Spain for the rest of
the season.
Yahoo News
Arsenal Linked With Chivu
13 March: Arsenal are reportedly showing an interest
in Cristian Chivu, the classy Romanian centre-back who
impressed for Ajax against the Gunners in two recent Champions
League games. Soccer Age
Roma expected to complain to UEFA over Totti red
card
12 March: Arsenal defender Martin Keown has been
accused of play-acting to get Roma striker Franscesco Totti
sent off in Tuesday night's Champions League game at
Highbury.
Yahoo
O'Brien Finally Returns to Ajax Lineup
03 March: Five months trying to keep himself busy off the
field has been more than enough for John O'Brien.
New York Times
Arsene accuses Ajax of being boring
27 February: Frustrated Arsene Wenger accused Ajax of
boring his side into submission as the Gunners' stuttering
Champions League campaign continued in Amsterdam last
night.
Mirror
Arsenal comforted by group therapy after Ajax
stalemate
27 February: Arsenal's hopes of lifting the European Cup
improved last night, even if it was not evident from a subdued
performance. Times
Online
Too much, too young as Ajax examine the
figures
23 February: Gabriele Marcotti says there's much to admire in
the Dutch club's youth policy but those looking to adopt it may
be making a big mistake. Sunday Herald
Lazio to move for Ajax starlet Mido
23 February: Lazio trainer Roberto Mancini is chasing Ajax
attacker Mido. Corriere dello Sport says the Egyptian
international is rated highly by Mancini, who is keen to sign
him at the end of this season. Tribal
Football
Ajax v Arsenal: pre-game links
Ajax unmatched: Dutch club is Europe's top talent
assembly-line
20 February: This is a column I've been wanting to
write for some time, but it's been pretty darn difficult
because every few weeks the subjects change.
Sports Illustrated
Koeman rebrands Ajax
18 February: After languishing in the doldrums in the
late 1990s and early 2000s, Ajax are threatening to recapture
the glory of past European-Cup winning sides. BBC
Vieira scare as Gunners gear up for Ajax
17 February: Patrick Vieira today gave Arsenal a
scare ahead of their Champions League clash with Ajax at
Highbury tomorrow. Evening
Standard
Ajax face test of maturity
17 February: Ronald Koeman is the youngest coach left
in the UEFA Champions League, and AFC Ajax are the youngest
team. The club have always been about giving youth its chance,
but on Tuesday they face perhaps their toughest task yet when
they take on English double-winners Arsenal FC at
Highbury.
UEFA.com
Ajax's young pharaoh
16 February: There's much concern these days in
Washington and Whitehall about what it is they're thinking on
the 'Arab street'. Well, here's one clue for MI6, the CIA and
anybody else who takes an interest in these things. Go to
Amsterdam - in particular to the Amsterdam Arena, where Ajax
play, and there you will find one of the answers. The
Observer
Litmanen is the perfect 10 for Ajax
16 February: Jari Litmanen is a hero in Amsterdam.
Even when he was sitting on benches at Barcelona and Liverpool,
Ajax fans sang his name to the tune of Volare.
The Telegraph
Romanian Petre's loan move to Ajax falls through
28 January: National Bucharest's Romania midfielder
Ovidiu Petre saw his loan move to Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam
fall through on Friday after a misunderstanding between the two
club presidents, the player's agent said.
Reuters
Mido makes his peace
26 January: Mido was upset at being left out of the
side Egypt striker Mido has said that his arguments with Ajax
coach Ronald Koeman are nothing more than "differences of
opinion."
BBC
Ajax, the Dutch, the War by Simon Kuper
25 January: Why is Ajax of Amsterdam seen as a
'Jewish club'? David Goldblatt explores a football myth.
Independent
Captain courageous Chivu can do no wrong
19 January: Ajax captain Cristian Chivu celebrated
winning a Personality of Amsterdam award from local paper Het
Parool in typical style - he went to a nearby school and gave
the children a history lesson. Rolling up a sleeve, he showed a
class his tattoo of the Amsterdam coat of arms, three vertical
Xs, each representing and protecting the city from disasters
that it has endured: floods, the plague, and fire. Scotland
on Sunday
Numan will stay claims Ajax star
Ajax star Rafael van der Vaart has revealed that Gerard
Houllier has been involved in secret talks to try to attract
him to Anfield for next season, but the £10 million-rated
teenager has also had some interesting discussions over the
garden fence. Sunday Herald
Van Der Vaart Slams Ajax
17 January: Ajax superstar Rafael van der Vaart has
slammed the clubs board for making him look like a
money-grabber. Soccer Age
Roma "will buy Ibrahimovic"
11 January: Roma President Franco Sensi has announced
they will sign a defender this month and Ajax star Zlatan
Ibrahimovic in the summer. Channel
14
Supporters interview: Cristian Chivu
10 January: To celebrate the launch of the English web site,
foreign Ajax supporters get a chance to ask a player all kinds
of questions. The first player is Ajax's captain Cristian
Chivu. Foreign Ajax supporters can send in their questions for
Chivu until Sunday evening January 12th.
Ajax.nl
World at Joey's feet
08 January: Joey Didulica has thrown himself between the posts
all the way from North Geelong to Melbourne Knights to Ajax
Amsterdam.
Herald Sun
Wobbling into the New Year
02 January: Louis Van Gaal's reputation... The Dutchman went
from being a visionary tactical genius to an enigmatic
misunderstood grump. (Scroll down and read the bit under
"Sitting Pretty".)
Sports Illustrated
Barcelona must find £13M to trump Real Madrid
for Ajax's Chivu
01 January: If Barcelona want to trump Real Madrid for
Cristian Chivu, they must find £13 million.
Tribal Football
American Exceptionalism as a Matter of Sport
31 December: An estimated half-billion Chinese tuned in to
watch their national squad beat Oman in October to qualify for
its first World Cup ever. New
York Times
Koeman rescues Van Halst from Ajax abyss
28 December: Ajax coach Ronald Koeman has given Jan van Halst
a chance to kick-start his career by recalling the unsettled
midfielder to his first-team squad.
OneFootball
Qatar-Egypt match report
30 December: Calm start from both sides, Egypt started with
4-4-2 formation, First chance in the first 5 min. From a trial
from Ahmed Hasan which went just over the bar. Mido missed his
first chance in the 6th min. After getting the ball on the left
inside the penalty area, Mido rifled it into the corner but it
went inches wide.
EgyptianPlayers.com
Fan abuse may drive Koeman abroad
24 December: Ajax coach Ronald Koeman has revealed that the
behaviour of Dutch football supporters could drive him out of
his homeland, after his side were on the receiving end of abuse
at the hands of Utrecht fans on Sunday.
OneFootball
Juventus: Ajax ace wanted
19 December: Juventus are reportedly keen to sign Ajax full
back Christian Chivu in the summer. FBC
News
AC Milan look at Ajax star Ibrahimovic
17 December: AC Milan could revive their interest in Swedish
striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
World Soccer News
Alex snubs United for Holland
18 December: Alexander Farnerud has rejected the opportunity
to join Manchester United, instead preferring a switch to
Holland.
PlanetFootball
Kluivert and Co. alledgedly involved in Copenhagen strip
scandal
December 13: Dutch football could to be on the verge of
another scandal after the Danish daily newspaper, BT, claimed
that three Dutch international players were involved in
"nightly indulgences" with a number of strippers. DailySoccer
Stewart wins U.S. player of the year
12 December: Veteran U.S. midfielder Earnie Stewart topped a
career-year by winning the 2001 Honda U.S. Player of the Year
award on Wednesday in a poll of American journalists. InternetSoccer
