Unfortunately, the team’s big announcement on social media ended in ridicule after a gaffe didn’t see a photo of Stam on the Twitter post, but a photo of Ajax youth coach Tinus van Teunenbroek.
In fairness, the two show a passing resemblance, both are bald and of similar stature, but the embarrassing mistake was quickly spotted by fans before a red-faced Cincinnati media team quickly corrected their mistake.
In a subsequent interview on the club’s website, 47-year-old Stam laughed at the accident and claimed to have several doppelgangers (doubles) in the native Netherlands.
“Many hairless people in Holland sometimes say,” Here is Jaap! “” He said. “It’s a fairly normal thing.”
As for Van Teunenbroek, unexpectedly placed in the spotlight, he told Fox News that the wrong identity was a regular occurrence.
“I was once mistaken for Jaap Stam in Ajax Showtime (an FC Ajax website) by Ajax himself. It happens to me more often, as on vacation, that people shout: ‘Hey, I’m Jaap Stam!’ ‘
But whatever the excuses, the rival MLS teams have not resisted making fun of themselves by making fun of the wrong identity with Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution among the many who join in the fun.
Former Manchester United and Dutch national team star Stam takes over after holding managerial roles in Reading in England and PEC Zwolle and Feyenoord in the Netherlands.
He resigned at Feyenoord last October after a 4-0 defeat against Ajax and takes over from Cincinnati from interim manager Yoann Damet.
With travel restrictions continuing in the coronavirus pandemic, it is unclear when Stam will be able to join his new team.
The MLS was suspended on March 12, but players returned to training at the club facilities on an individual basis for a possible restart of the season at the end of this summer.
Coffee enthusiast. Travel scholar. Infuriatingly humble zombie fanatic. Thinker. Professional twitter evangelist.
