Jack van Gelder lashes out at Ibrahim Afellay: 'Remarkable'
1 min readIn the Netherlands, there has been particularly critical reaction to the fact that former PSV player Ibrahim Afellay has admitted that he will cheer for Morocco in the match against the Netherlands national team. Despite 53 appearances for Oranje and participation in the European Championship 2008, World Cup 2010 and European Championship 2012, the NOS analyst said on Sunday evening that his preference will lie with the Atlas Lions.
''For this match, my heart lies with Morocco. My roots are in Morocco, my parents are from there and my family lives there. It’s true that I have played international matches for the Netherlands. I was also raised here and I’m grateful for that. But that also has to do with my own performances'', Afellay said Sunday evening on the NOS programme WK Avond.
Even this former NOS commentator Jack van Gelder did not miss. Van Gelder was for many years a familiar voice on the radio during the European Championship and the World Cup football tournaments.
Just think, for example, about the way he gave his commentary during the legendary goal by Dennis Bergkamp against Argentina (2-1) in the quarterfinal of the 1998 World Cup, or the header by Wesley Sneijder against Brazil at the 2010 World Cup. In the morning show of Radio 538, the former commentator gives his opinion about Afellay’s statements.
Van Gelder has mixed feelings about the preference of the former PSV player. ''I found it striking, but also very honest of Afellay. On the one hand that's great... On the other hand I don't understand it, but then again I do,'' says the former commentator in De 538 Ochtendshow.
The journalist also says that he can agree with the explanation by the former Netherlands international that his roots lie in Morocco. ''It’s just very deeply ingrained in those guys. But with 53 caps, I still hoped that he would at least start to doubt a little,'' said Van Gelder.
Comments7
"PSV Inside" noemde de linkerkant als sleutel, en ik snap het wel. Toch vind ik het jammer dat de rechtsback steeds te laat komt, want daardoor wordt de opbouw voorspelbaar.
lol als onze 10 weer te vaak tussen de linies zakt, dan krijgt die voorzet niemand. Geef hem 1 speler om op te kloppen en dan is het vuurwerk.
🔥🔥 "PSV Inside" zegt dat de pressing beter moet, maar tbh de eerste 20 minuten zagen we al meer agressie. Wel vraag ik me af of het elftal dezelfde energie houdt na de goal.
Die wissels straks gaan bepalend zijn. Als hij weer voor controle gaat en niet voor tempo, dan zie ik Utrecht-achtig geduld, en dan win je niet van echt snelle teams.
Ziyech? no thanks, keep it on the left where he can actually impact. If the quote in the article is true about rotation, that feels like a risk with how tight the schedule is.
Als PSV dit zo speelt, dan ligt het aan de balans. Frenkie-like tempo in de opbouw is nice, maar als de buit te hoog staat ben je telkens open op de counter.
If PSV are actually pushing that high line again, i hope it comes with better cover behind the fullbacks. Otherwise itll get ugly fast, especially on the counter.