Valentijn Driessen hits Friday in De Telegraaf hard at the new captains at the Eredivisie CV. After the appointment of Toon Gerbrands, Robert Eenhoorn and Martin van Geel, among others, he calls it ‘a stronghold of white men’.
Last week, supervisory board chairman John Jaakke was dismissed, after which the two other supervisory directors declared their solidarity. The new supervisory board then had to be formed by five club directors. Eredivisie CV director Jan de Jong wanted to renew and ended up with Menno Geelen, commercial director of Ajax. However, that did not happen, according to Driessen.
‘These gentlemen sit at the table because they distrust the other,’ Driessen points in The Telegraph at Gerbrands, Eenhoorn and Van Geel, among others. ‘They want to be at the forefront to keep a finger on the pulse of any developments and to provide guidance. With self-interest first. In the meantime, director Jan de Jong (53) has to develop and implement policy in such a force field. Especially in the commercial field, but this prehistoric supervisory board hardly knows anything about that. ‘
‘Too progressive’
According to Driessen, the idea of De Jong and several clubs to appoint Geelen was considered ‘too progressive’. ‘Too young, too inexperienced and as a commercial man not at their level as general manager. Geelen manages 180 people in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, deals with millions, does business for Ajax abroad and has ideas to market the Eredivisie across the border for a good price. ‘
However, it fell through. Gerbrands was not pushed by such a rookie. Although the PSV director was previously on the supervisory board and resigned because things were being cooked up behind his back, he happily returned as a supervisory director. Certainly also, because his watchdog at the ECV – Fossen – declared his solidarity with the departing Jaakke a week earlier. PSV thus remains close to the fire. ‘
‘The direct consequence is that Ajax and Feyenoord, the two historically largest clubs in the Netherlands, internationally renowned and the dairy cows of the Eredivisie, are left in the dressing room. Two clubs that previously abandoned individual commercial deals in order to provide space for the Eredivisie CV to tie KPN and Holland Casino as partners, ‘Driessen concludes.
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