As four European clubs line up to take part in the Amsterdam Tournament from July 24 to 26, you will notice that it has lost the magic it once possessed. Big giants of European football (Manchester United, Arsenal, Internazionale, Liverpool, Porto) dreamt of playing in this prestigious tournament at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands, one of the most celebrated stadiums in the world. They would use this famous tournament to fine tune their teams for the upcoming European and domestic season but not any more, especially if you look at this year’s line-up.
The line-up for the 2009 Amsterdam Tournament is Ajax Amsterdam, Atletico Madrid, Sunderland FC (Yep! That very same Sunderland that was fighting to stay in the Premier League last season) and Benfica. If you look at this line-up you will see that it’s lost its previous pulling power and really starting to fade as a prestigious tournament. The four teams contesting don’t have the attractiveness that has always boosted Amsterdam’s tourism business in July and August when the tournament is played. Sunderland finished 16th in the Premier League last season, just a mere two points above the relegation zone. Atletico Madrid finished fourth in the Spanish La Liga, Benfica finished 3rd in the Portuguese Liga and Ajax a very disappointing 3rd in the Dutch league.
The are a myriad of reasons but I will mention just a few. Ajax Amsterdam are no longer the force they used to be in the 90s and at the beginning of the century. Back then the famed Ajax Youth Academy churned out quality players at a high rate and teams would use it as a way to test their teams against one of the best, youthful teams in the world and perhaps also scout for players to recruit. Since Steven Pienaar, Rafael van der Vaart, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a host of other quality players left for greener pastures, they have never been the same or produced quality players. More controversy followed in August 2006 when Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes were sent off in the game against Porto. They were punished with a three-match ban by the English FA following a report from their Dutch counterparts. Manchester United, Rooney, Scholes and their attorneys wrote letters of protest to the FA, citing the lack of punishment to players sent off in pre-season friendlies. But the FA made the decision stick nonetheless. Sir Alex Ferguson vowed he will never take his troops to the Netherlands again. The tournament never recovered from this and since then hasn’t been the same.
Teams are also getting lucrative offers to play elsewhere. Manchester City are coming to South Africa while Internaziole, Chelsea and other big clubs have big money offers to play their pre-season friendlies in the US. Manchester United are destined for Asia where they have a huge following. A while back it used to be the only pre-season tournament in Europe but now there is the Emirates Cup, Wembley Cup and Russian Railways Cup which have more financial reward than the Amsterdam Tournament. With Ajax having a new coach who will bring in his own players and a different mentality, let’s hope the 2010 Amsterdam Tournament will be more prestigious than ever with the big guns competing once again.
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