Ajax booked their place in the third qualifying round of the Conference League in convincing fashion on Thursday evening with a 4-1 win over FK Vojvodina, as Oscar Gloukh stole the show with a perfect hat-trick. Afterwards, Míchel's first press conference at the Johan Cruyff ArenA dragged badly, with the interpreter's halting translation particularly noticeable. Viewers then piled on in their complaints about the woman on X.
Míchel opened the press conference in Spanish because he does not yet feel comfortable enough to speak English at length. The interpreter then delivered a particularly laboured translation into Dutch, before the Spaniard eventually chose to answer some of the questions himself in English. That, too, was visibly difficult.
Plenty of reaction followed, especially on social media. On X, many viewers voiced their frustration with the translation, with several users feeling the interpreter had insufficient knowledge of football to properly convey Míchel's explanation.
"They would have been better off using Sam van Royen (presenter at Ziggo Sport, ed.) as the translator. The interpreter is struggling to translate tactical explanations," wrote one supporter. Another viewer was just as critical: "They should leave this interpreter at home next time. She clearly knows nothing about football."
"It would seem quite useful to me if Ajax used an interpreter during a press conference who understands the game. This really is not good enough," read one widely shared reaction. Another supporter wrote: "Toe-curlingly bad interpreter at Ajax. If you're going to translate, make sure you at least know the football terms and positions."
Others saw the funny side. "This press conference is giving me a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach," someone wrote with laughing emojis, while another remarked cynically: "The press conference is going really smoothly." Yet another Ajax fan summed it up briefly: "An interpreter who understands nothing about football... Well done, Ajax."
More criticism followed in quick succession. "What an insanely bad interpreter during Míchel's press conference," wrote one supporter, while another wondered aloud: "Does this interpreter actually speak Spanish at all?" There were also calls for swift action: "I'd replace that interpreter very quickly. She clearly understands little about football and is also genuinely translating badly."