Louis van Gaal to return to Ajax

Louis van Gaal is returning to Amsterdam football club Ajax to take over as general manager, the club’s supervisory board decided on Wednesday.


The move is being seen as a slap in the face for Johan Cruijff, the fifth supervisory board member and who was not at the meeting. Van Gaal and Cruijff have been at loggerheads for years.
In a reaction, Cruijff said it was up to Ajax members to decide if Van Gaal is to return. ‘I would also like to know what the trainers think. It is clear a lot of people have been made a fool of [with this decision], me included,’ the former international said.
July
Van Gaal is not expected to take up the position until July 2012 at the latest, Ajax said in a statement. Van Gaal has a long history with Ajax, winning the Champions League in 1995. In 2004, he resigned as technical director following a dispute over policy.
Earlier this month, Van Gaal told football magazine VI that taking the director’s job was out of the question as long as Cruijff had a role at the club.
The supervisory board also appointed Danny Blind as technical director and Martin Sturkenboom as financial director, pending approval by the members’ council.
Former international Cruijff called for a ‘revolution’ at the club to get it back on track late last year.
Further reading
Hostile takeover at Ajax: what the papers say

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