A warm welcome to Oscar Gloukh
Who would have thought that this would happen – I, certainly, had not. At the start of the Dutch Eredivisie’s next season, which is the top tier football league in the Netherlands, one of Israel’s most talented players will grace the pitches in the Low Lands. Oscar Gloukh, 21 years old and considered to have great potential, has signed with one of the Netherlands’ most successful clubs: AFC Ajax Amsterdam.
First off, I am not an Ajax fan. I was as a child, but have been a fan of AZ Alkmaar for the past twenty years. A small provincial club, which considers Ajax to be its biggest rival – they come from the same province. Expectations are lower than for Ajax, Feyenoord or PSV – clubs which are expected to contend for the championship on an annual basis – which allows the team to perform under less pressure. A talented youth department, attractive football, and occasional national and international success are qualities of this modest club. Moreover, for the past years most of its homegrown players have been sold for hefty sums to foreign clubs, which makes the club financially healthy. A long-term strategy that allows it to become a structurally strong team in the league.
Now that I have gotten this shameless promotion of a team I support out of the way, I am very pleased that Gloukh has been signed by Ajax. Despite AZ being its rival, I harbor no antipathy towards the successful club from Amsterdam. Such grand names as Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Rinus Michels, Louis van Gaal, Marco van Basten, Edgard Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Wesley Sneijder, Frenkie de Jong, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have either played for or coached the team – or both. A team that has won several European titles and is the record champion of the Dutch league. A team that is known for its offensive strategy and preference for players with exceptional technical skills. A team that likes to dominate on the field, which is something I can definitely appreciate. Just a few years ago, it reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, only to be ousted by Tottenham Hotspur – I will not lie, that was a disappointment. Domestic rivalries aside, I enjoy watching Israeli and Dutch teams succeed internationally. Back then, one of the best players Ajax had was Hakim Ziyech who these days, sadly, mostly exhibits his hatred of Israel on social media. Pity.
Returning to Gloukh, he is known for his technical skills. A midfielder who can score goals himself, as well as assist his team mates. In his last season for the Austrian powerhouse Red Bull Salzburg he scored 10 goals and gave 5 assists in the domestic league. He was sold to Salzburg a few years ago by Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he was rather successful, too. Considering his profile, his decision to sign with Ajax is not surprising. His father Maxim Gloukh told Israeli media that AS Roma was interested in his son too and offered to pay more than Ajax. However, despite Oscar’s young age, he has a plan and is determined to play in one of the top leagues in Europe within a few years. Such leagues as the English Premier League, German Bundesliga or Spanish Primera Division could be his future, I believe he has the skills to succeed. And playing for Ajax is a logical step to reach that goal.
Gloukh being signed by Ajax is a milestone for Israeli football in general, too. Three decades ago, the gap between Israeli and Dutch players was massive – no team would have thought of scouting in Israel. But in the last few years especially, the quality of Israeli football has improved. For years Israeli players have played for various Dutch teams, with some successful and some not, unfortunately. The last great Israeli star to play in the Netherlands was Eran Zahavi, who played for PSV. While fans and pundits were critical of his skills, I believe that, considering his profile and age, he performed well. My bias as an Israeli aside, he performed best in PSV’s international matches during his two years in the Netherlands.
Simultaneously, several Dutch players have played for Israeli clubs in the last few years. Tyrese Asante currently plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, which had Joris van Overeem – who has an Israeli mother – and Derrick Lucassen on its roster last year; Imran Oulad Omar played for Hapoel Beer Sheva; but the biggest star was Tjaronn Chery, the Dutch-Surinamese player from Enschede who played for Maccabi Haifa and won several championships. An artist on the pitch who made the Green Locomotive’s fans go crazy when he scored in Haifa against Lionel Messi’s PSG, putting the home team ahead of the French giant – even if it was for just a few minutes. Coaches have worked in Israel, too, such as Johan Cruyff’s son Jordi – who was a coach and manager for Maccabi Tel Aviv – Peter Bosz, the current coach of Dutch champions PSV, worked for Maccabi Tel Aviv as well, and Raymond Atteveld coached Maccabi Netanya. It shows that the increasing quality of Israeli football has managed to narrow the gap with the Netherlands, making it an attractive location for some Dutch players, as well as the producer of talent capable of playing in the Netherlands.
When Gloukh comes to the Netherlands, he will not be alone. Just this summer, Stav Lemkin was signed by FC Twente, a team capable of ranking in the top five. And PSV has a talented youth player called Tai Abed, who is on the verge of joining the first team. There is a chance that Gloukh will be the subject of abuse in some stadiums, due to his nationality. Moreover, Ajax is despised by the ultras of several other teams and referred to as the “Jewish team” – for more background on that, you can check this post of mine. It seems that his nationality was an issue for the owners of Italian club Como 1907, which is coached by former Spanish star Cesc Fabregas. While Fabregas was very much interested in him, the Indonesian group that owns it, Djarum Group, rejected him based on his Israeli background. Djarum also rejected Dor Turgeman for this reason, another player Fabregas wanted. While I believe that Ajax is a much better fit for Gloukh, it is disappointing, nonetheless.
Of course, Indonesia is known for its pro-Palestinian stance and since October 7th massive protests have been organized in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. But anti-Israel sentiments were already apparent before that, as the FIFA U20 World Cup was set to be hosted by Indonesia in June 2023. Israel had qualified for that tournament, but Indonesian public and political pressure mounted in the run-up to the event. FIFA showed courage by moving the entire tournament to Argentina at the last minute, making sure that Israel could perform and it succeeded in reaching third place, a magnificent achievement.
Despite its anti-Israel stance, Indonesia has had unofficial ties with Israel for decades. For instance, just this year it emerged that 200 Indonesian students are studying agriculture in Israel, hosted by the Arava International Institute for Agricultural Training (AICAT). That number seems to have doubled, compared to last year. And one of the countries’ largest Muslim organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), saw five of its youth cadres visit Israel last year and had an audience with President Isaac Herzog. It led to massive backlash in Indonesia and some dismissals and resignations within the organization, when a photograph of the cadres with Herzog emerged in Indonesia. As a result, the NU was called “Netanyahu United” by many – honestly, I thought that was clever. But these examples alone show that Indonesian ties with Israel are stronger than they would seem, with Indonesian exports to Israel growing and Israeli exports to Indonesia increasing too, after a dip from 2016, until 2021. No wonder that President Prabowo Subianto seems eager to have official ties with Israel, if the latter would be ready to accept a Palestinian state as its neighbor. Finally, though, if these Indonesian protesters express solidarity with the Palestinians, which is perfectly understandable, I hope they will one day turn their attention to the Republik Maluku Selatan (RMS) and West Papua as well. These are some painful topics within Indonesia’s own borders. Just a friendly suggestion.
Anyway, Djarum’s decision to block players based on their nationality is outrageous. It is similar to Beitar Jerusalem’s continuing stance that they will not sign Arab or Muslim players. A player should be judged on his performance, not his nationality, ethnicity or religion. That being said, I would like to wish Gloukh a wonderful time in Amsterdam. I am sure that the Jewish community in that city will support him and that Ajax fans will love him. Expectations are high, so I wish him luck and will be cheering for him – except, of course, when he plays against my team.
