Trabelsi comes in from the cold

By Berend Scholten

Hatem Trabelsi's lengthy dispute with AFC Ajax finally came to an end last Friday when the 26-year-old defender returned to training after nearly seven months out in the cold. The Tunisian international had not played for Ajax since an away match at SC Heerenveen on 25 February, and his career at the club had looked over.

At loggerheads
Trabelsi and the Ajax board were at loggerheads after the club activated a clause in the players' contract which allowed Ajax to keep him until 1 July 2006. The player had expected to be allowed to leave on a free transfer at the end of his three-year contract on 1 July 2004.

KNVB ruling
The Royal Netherlands Football Association was called in to resolve the issue, but the player was less than impressed when they ruled in Ajax's favour. Initially, it appeared that the conflict would end with Trabelsi moving to London to join Arsenal FC, but that transfer was cancelled because he had not played enough international games.

International snag
Non-European Union players must be proven internationals who have played in 75 per cent of their country's most recent matches. Trabelsi fell just short. "Trabelsi only came to 71 per cent of Tunisia's international matches in the past two years," his lawyer Bas Beenen explained.

Bad feeling
With relations between club and player increasingly sour, Trabelsi seemed to abandon hope of a big transfer away from Ajax, who in turn felt the loss of the right-back who had excelled in the Eredivisie and UEFA Champions League for two and a half years.

Private conversation
Then coach Ronald Koeman stepped in to finally break the deadlock by visiting Trabelsi at his home last week. "I had the feeling that Hatem was up for a chat with me," Koeman said. "I went to his house for a straight conversation between player and coach, with no other people around.

'Best interest'
"We talked about the past and the future. I explained that it would be in his best interest to train and play again. What is more fun for a player than to be able to train with your team every day? I said I would forget everything that happened and treat him like anyone else."

Player consensus
Koeman and his players agreed that Trabelsi could make a telling contribution to the side. "Trabelsi has always been an important player for Ajax," Koeman said. "I also discussed it in the group, and the players were happy. They have never had any personal problems with Hatem."

European target
So it was that Trabelsi returned to the club, and was rewarded with a new two-year contract. General manager Arie van Eijden was delighted to have resolved the issue. "This is the end of an annoying period," he said. "Trabelsi wants to play in another country one day, and to reach that goal he will first have to start playing with us again."

Team cameraderie
That simple logic clearly struck a chord with Trabelsi, but more than anything else, he seems to be enjoying the camaraderie of training with his team-mates again. "It was my own decision to return," he said with a smile. "I am glad to be part of the team again."

Champions League prospects
Trabelsi now faces a race to be fully fit for Ajax's Champions League game against FC Bayern München next week, or the home tie against Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC on 19 October. Having last played in the competition on 21 October 2003, Ajax will be hoping that a 12-month break from European action has done the defender good.