Hugo Borst was deeply irritated by Tolu Arokodare before Ajax v PSV. On the VriendenLoterij Eretribune broadcast on ESPN, the Ajax striker was shown praying on the pitch with his eyes closed and his hands out in front of him. "This really drives me mad," said Borst.
As the discussion turns to Ajax and the images of a praying Tolu are shown, Borst says: "Why do I have to watch this, by the way? It irritates me enormously. I once had a conversation with Dennis Bergkamp about faith. And he said that when he scores, he thanks God inwardly. Full stop."
He continues: "And that is where I want to leave it. This really drives me mad. All the religious madness sweeping through the football world. In the old days, you would get woken up early on a Sunday morning and there would be another lunatic at the door trying to sell the gospel."
Borst adds: "This is also a kind of foot in the door. I am a very scientifically minded person, and as long as science has not yet established that God exists, I would like to leave it at that. The boy is of course allowed to do it, but I do think it could be toned down a bit."
Karim El Ahmadi, also in the studio, responds: "Everyone chooses to do it in their own way. And I think he is not harming anyone at all if he wants to do it like this. I really do not think it is a big issue. It is entirely up to him."
That view is not one Borst entirely shares. "You know it is a public space. There are cameras there, it is being filmed. As a non-believer, I can sometimes find it shocking, because it is too much. I have every respect for people who believe. In fact, it even seems very nice to me to be able to lean on something you believe in."
He concludes: "I have absolutely nothing against that. But I do think it is a proverbial foot in the door when you overload the public with it, and when it also becomes theatre, as with Wout Weghorst."