New York mayor unexpectedly shows Ajax shirt during U20 visit

On a sunny morning in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani poses with a bright red‑white Ajax shirt, while receiving a visit from the Dutch mayor Femke Halsema. The shirt, signed by the players, was handed over last weekend and immediately appeared on social media.

An unexpected sporting encounter

Femke Halsema traveled to the American city for the annual U20‑conference of world cities. During her trip she visited Mamdani and was shown a photo in which he holds the signed Ajax‑shirt.

The mayor of Amsterdam shared the same photo on her Instagram‑account, with Mamdani clearly showing the Ajax‑tenue. The shirt bears the signatures of the current Ajax‑players.

In her caption Halsema wrote that “trading shirts” was not the reason for her visit. She added: “It was not just about trading shirts (which you naturally do with an Ajax‑shirt) with Zohran Mamdani.”

The photo attracted a lot of attention, both in the Netherlands and in the United States, and highlighted the cultural exchange between the two cities. The incident shows how sport and politics sometimes unexpectedly come together, even outside the regular news headlines.