Ajax name van Gaal as new General Director

Dutch football giants Ajax Amsterdam have named former coach Louis van Gaal as their new General Director. Van Gaal will take-up his new assignment in July 2012 as a replacement for Rik van der Boog, who had left the job earlier this year.

Van Gaal is a controversial figure and former Ajax star Johan Cruyff has been very critical of the new appointment, which he thinks is a big mistake by the club. Cruyff had been favouring the appointment of former striker Marco van Basten.

The 60 year old Louis van Gaal will work alongside Director of Sports Danny Blind and Commercial Director Martin Sturkenboom, who will be General Director until van Gaal join, as part of a new leadership structure at the home of the four-time European Club champions.

Van Gaal had been Ajax assistant coach from 1988 to 1991 before he became the head coach in 1991. He stayed until 1997 which was a time of success for the Amsterdam club. They won the UEFA Cup (1992) and UEFA Champions (1995) besides local Dutch titles. Van Gaal returned in 2003 for a season as Director of Sports.

Van Gaal had on April 9, 2011 be fired by German giants FC Bayern Munich after a chequered 22 month stay in which he won the German league and cup double besides reaching the 2010 UEFA Champions League final, but in the season thereafter he wasn't able to push the club towards success. Earlier van Gaal had successfully coached Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.