Huntelaar Reportedly Frustrated by Hamstra During Turbulent Ajax Period
Former Ajax striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was reportedly left deeply frustrated by Gerry Hamstra while the pair worked together at the Amsterdam club, according to Dutch journalist Hugo Borst. The claim surfaced during a discussion on ESPN’s De Eretribune, where the panel was examining Hamstra’s role at PEC Zwolle and the club’s decision to dismiss head coach Henry van der Vegt.
Borst first questioned whether PEC Zwolle had acted too quickly in making a change on the touchline. He then turned the conversation to Hamstra, who previously held a senior technical position at Ajax. “Do you know who was driven absolutely mad by his friend Hamstra at Ajax?” Borst asked the panel. “Huntelaar. A source of mine tells me that.”
The allegation has not been independently confirmed, and it should be understood as Borst’s account of what a source told him. Still, it adds another detail to the story of a difficult period at Ajax, when changes in leadership and heavy demands placed pressure on the club’s football operation.
Huntelaar joined Ajax’s technical department in 2022
Huntelaar returned to Ajax in 2022 after a distinguished playing career, joining the club’s technical department as he began preparing for a future away from the pitch. He had expected to learn the work alongside Hamstra. Speaking recently on Voetbal International’s Pak Schaal Podcast, Huntelaar explained that he had planned to complete an internship with the technical director and gain experience in the role.
That learning opportunity unfolded during a period of considerable upheaval. Several prominent figures departed Ajax, including director of football Marc Overmars and chief executive Edwin van der Sar. Hamstra also eventually left, while the club’s structure and responsibilities changed repeatedly. The constant turnover made it harder to establish a stable working environment or a clear long-term plan.
Huntelaar described the situation as “basically one big chaos.” His comments reflect the broader challenges Ajax faced during a turbulent stretch: leadership changes, uncertainty over decision-making and the demanding task of maintaining high sporting standards. For a club with Ajax’s expectations, instability behind the scenes can affect recruitment, planning and the daily work of the football department as well as results on the field.
Burnout brought Huntelaar’s work to a halt
The pressure also had a personal impact on Huntelaar. He stopped working in October 2023 after experiencing burnout and later faced a lengthy recovery. On the podcast, he said the workload had ultimately become too much. His experience highlights the intense demands that can come with senior roles in professional football, where long hours, constant scrutiny and responsibility for major decisions can accumulate quickly.
Huntelaar’s account offers important context for Borst’s reported claim about the relationship between him and Hamstra. It does not, by itself, establish what caused any tension between the two men. But it does place their working relationship within an organisation undergoing significant change, at a time when Huntelaar was trying to learn a new profession and Ajax was dealing with a succession of departures.
PEC Zwolle’s decision to dismiss Van der Vegt questioned
The discussion on De Eretribune focused primarily on PEC Zwolle, where Hamstra is now the club’s technical director. PEC dismissed Van der Vegt earlier in the week, a decision Borst struggled to understand. He argued that the club could have allowed more time before changing coaches and questioned whether a managerial switch would necessarily improve the team’s prospects.
Borst also pointed to performances in which PEC had played well without receiving the results their football arguably deserved. That distinction matters in a competitive Eredivisie campaign: a team’s position in the table can reflect not only its overall quality but also injuries, narrow defeats and missed chances. A run of poor results may increase pressure on a coach, even when the underlying performances offer reasons for optimism.
Analyst Kees Kwakman likewise questioned the timing of the dismissal. He acknowledged that PEC had endured a difficult start to the season and faced a demanding schedule, but said the fixture list made it important to assess the circumstances around each result. In his view, the club’s performance against Cambuur did not provide a clear reason to make an immediate change.
Kwakman recalled that PEC had played well in that match and could have led 2–0 by half-time. The eventual result, he suggested, was harsh in light of the chances created. His comments underline a familiar debate in football: should clubs prioritise results, or give greater weight to performance trends when judging whether a coach is taking the team in the right direction?
Namli’s absence may have shaped the result
PEC were also without Younes Namli, who had been expected to return against Cambuur before being ruled out again. Kwakman described the absence as significant, identifying Namli as the team’s best player and suggesting that PEC might have won with him available.
That is necessarily a prediction about how the match could have unfolded, rather than a certainty. Still, the loss of an influential player can alter a team’s attacking options, creativity and confidence, especially in a closely contested game. If a side creates opportunities but lacks the player most capable of turning them into goals, the final score may not tell the full story of its performance.
For PEC Zwolle, the challenge now is to respond to the coaching change while maintaining focus during a demanding season. A new appointment can bring fresh energy and different ideas, but it also carries risks: players must adapt, training routines may change and results are not guaranteed to improve immediately. The club’s next decisions will be closely watched, particularly given the scrutiny already surrounding Hamstra’s role.
For Ajax supporters, Borst’s comments add to the discussion of the club’s unsettled recent past, while Huntelaar’s own reflections provide a more direct account of the pressure he experienced. Neither story offers a complete picture on its own. Together, however, they illustrate how instability in football leadership can affect both an organisation’s direction and the people working within it.
