Soccer Books: Ajax, the Dutch, the War

Those who know my club affiliation will be thoroughly unsurprised that I have read this book - but don't make the mistake of thinking the glowing endorsement that follows has been colored by the scarf I wear on Sundays.

In a nutshell: one of the absolute premier soccer writers going, Simon Kuper, takes us inside the heart of a strange story. He fits in several very disparate, very gripping tales about the intermingling between soccer and a city, with all winding exposition roads emanating from the centerpiece connector: World War II.

Kuper also manages to make it clear to the PC police that recently ousted chairman John Jaakke's oft-heard claim that Ajax has never had any connection to the local Jewish community is flat wrong - if not downright insulting.

But he shouldn't feel worse than any of the other targets who have popular myths shattered by this book. Among the many touching and well-researched stories, you may learn such things as:

• Though the depth of the Dutch Resistance is often wildly overstated in history books, Ruud Krol's father did hide Jewish families in his home during the War. In fact, several families of Ajax players formed a small protection network.
  

• Johan Cruijff was and is considered "an honorary Jew" in Amsterdam.
  

• John O'Brien was not the first American to play at Ajax. That would be the 'dashing' Eddy Hamel, who died in the Holocaust after starring on the Godenzonen flank during the '20's.
  

• While many Dutch Jews are torn over the supporter-held image of Ajax as a Jewish club, with many even disgusted by it, Israelis absolutely love it. LOVE it.
  

• While Amsterdam is often seen as an absolute haven of tolerance and brotherhood (and the rep is certainly not in place without much good reason), some segregation still does exist on the edge of town where Amsterdam ArenA sits, mostly with recent immigrants from central Africa, Morocco and Turkey.
  

• England kissed a lot of Nazi butt as Hitler amassed power.
  

I don't want to give away too many surprises... just enough to make sure you find your way to this haunting look at the darkest time in the storied history of Mokum (which is the Yiddish nickname for Amsterdam), as well as the feint ring of echo heard through all the years that have followed.

- Greg Seltzer