Not Ajax, but the municipality of Amsterdam has finally decided to cancel the celebration of the Ajax women as national champions. This is evident from an investigation of the NOS, a spokesman for the municipality said. “Ajax did not want to participate in Monday Whit Monday at Leidseplein”, it can be read. “They asked us to cancel that date and location. We were then forced to pull the plug.”
The parole wrote earlier this week that ‘a lack of joyful mood’ around the Amsterdam club, in particular due to the failure of the men’s team, was reason for the management of Ajax not to agree to a tribute for the women. There would be fears of a low turnout and that would then be ‘not good for the image of women’s football’. In addition, the location would be too sensitive, because there has not been a public ceremony on Leidseplein since 2006 due to riots at the time.
The fork now appears to be different in the stem. The NOS inquired at the municipality of Amsterdam and it now appears that the municipality has decided not to allow the ceremony to take place. Ajax reportedly asked for a ceremony after the summer or in 2024 and did not agree with the plan to get the women on stage much earlier. With other conditions, the club would have liked a tribute. “Ajax did not want to cooperate with Whit Monday on Leidseplein,” a spokesman said. “They asked us to cancel that date and location. We were then forced to pull the plug.”
At the beginning of May, the Ajax Women were crowned national champions of the Netherlands with a 1-6 monster victory over PEC Zwolle. As a result, direct pursuer FC Twente could no longer catch up with the leader. The fact that there will be no tribute initially led to criticism of Ajax. For example, Merel van Dongen, who played in Amsterdam in the past, said that ‘with friends like that you don’t need enemies’ and the Amsterdam D66 party, through chairman Ilana Rooderkerk, called Ajax’s action ‘downright sexist’.