Hans Kraay junior calls Óscar García's Ajax exit surprising

Hans Kraay junior told on Sunday evening that Óscar García’s departure from Ajax was surprising, noting the Spanish coach left the club ‘in good agreement’ after a season in which Ajax won five of ten matches under his leadership and lost two.

Kraay said García had always been very loyal to the club and its supporters. He quoted García: “Hij is altijd zeer loyaal geweest naar de club en de supporters. Ik vind het geweldig om hoofdtrainer te zijn, zei hij altijd”. Kraay warned that Ajax must avoid becoming “the absolute laughingstock” by also failing to qualify for the Conference League.

Presenter Milan van Dongen reacted that the situation was “Dat is dan eigenlijk heel gek, toch?”. He added that the club had also struggled under Fred Grim and John Heitinga, so the recent departure could not be blamed solely on García’s tenure.

Jordi Cruijff appointed García to Jong Ajax in February, replacing Willem Weijs. A month later García moved to the Ajax first team after Fred Grim returned to the youth setup.

Under García’s tenure, Ajax recorded five wins out of ten matches where he was the final decision‑maker. The side suffered two defeats in that span.

Kraay recalled that after an interview with the trainer earlier in the season he met García again. García told him, “Ik heb het hier zo naar m’n zin. Ik blijf het liefst hoofdtrainer bij Ajax 1 volgend seizoen en anders ga ik gewoon weer terug naar Jong Ajax.”

The conversation was broadcast on ’s “WK Praat”. It was later highlighted on Studio Oranje as an example of surprising developments in Dutch football.