Critique of Ajax’s Football Jargon by Kieft and Van der Gijp

In their podcast, KieftJansenEgmondGijp, René van der Gijp and Wim Kieft express their criticism of the convoluted football terminology frequently employed at Ajax. Kieft, who played a total of 117 matches for the club, shares his frustrations regarding the communication style prevalent within the organization.

“It was always maddening dealing with that talk at Ajax,” Kieft begins, reflecting on his experiences after progressing through the youth academy to the first team. He elaborates on a particular incident: “A right winger would be instructed that he wasn’t positioned properly. But how can I be open when I’m standing on the sideline and the right back is passing to me? It’s simply impossible to be in an open position in that scenario,” he questions, highlighting the impracticality of certain coaching instructions. Kieft’s candid remarks offer insight into the challenges faced by players in navigating jargon-heavy communication.