By Ilias Karagiannis
Of flames of war in Israel to be appointed deputy director of the Dutch football club Ajax, the journey of the Greek Australian Michael Valkanis is in fast forward, because he has not had time to digest the significant changes that have occurred in his life.
Having strong ties to Victoria, having previously played for South Melbourne FC and coached at Melbourne City FCValkanis is still today one of the personalities who make the Australian Greek community proud.
On the occasion of his recruitment to Ajax, The Greek Herald contacted Valkanis looking for the threads that still connect him to the community.
Valkanis’ gratitude was evident in every part of his speech as he took The Greek Herald readers on a tour of his recent coaching journey and revealed that his Greek-Australian identity remains a constant source of pride.
You recently joined Ajax after leaving Israel due to the conflict with Hamas. Could you share your journey at Ajax and your first impressions of the club?
I was the head coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, Historically one of the biggest clubs in Israel, the fan base is huge. I love their passion for the club and what it represents. It was a project that I liked. There was a 3 year plan to get the team back to where it once was, competing for the league and playing in the Champions League. Unfortunately, this plan was cut short when Hamas’ acts of terrorism interrupted my stay.
As soon as I arrived in Tel Aviv, I felt everyone’s love and support. We have worked hard to lay the foundations for the future the club envisions. Our last match against our great rival Beitar Jerusalem won 3-0 away in front of 30,000 screaming Beitar fans. It was a taste of the future of what we were building.
When I left Israel on October 7, I intended to return to continue building and working on improving our team. I left all my belongings behind after the club made sure my family and I returned to Greece to stay safe, hoping that we would come back to resume our normal lives and do what we love to do: football.
Upon my return to Greece, I communicated daily with my players and staff, concerned about their safety and well-being. In my short time at the club, I made connections and created relationships that meant a lot. It wasn’t easy every day to watch the news and see what was happening without knowing how everyone was doing. It happened that after three weeks, where things were getting worse and not better, the club and I discussed the future. I still wanted to go back and continue, hoping that the date set for the resumption of the league on November 25 would be brought forward. The situation seemed to deteriorate day by day.
Coincidentally, John van ‘t Schip called me and discussed with him the possibility of going to Ajax. In 3-4 days, things evolved quickly. Sad about how it ended in Israel, but also happy to have this opportunity to coach at one of the biggest and most historic clubs in the world that has also had so much influence around the world whole about how football is played.
In 2010 I had traveled to Holland and visited the club as part of my FFA coaching scholarship. Back then, I never would have thought of doing what I do now. I was fascinated at the time. I was at home as I loved watching football being played. The academy, its first team, the idea of football, a philosophy. And now that I’m here, I think I’m still fascinated. I love it. I love coaching. We have a big challenge ahead of us but that’s what I love about coaching. Better yet, we are at a club where our philosophy and the way we like to see the game is totally aligned with the idea of Ajax.
The outbreak of war in Israel and your subsequent departure from Hapoel Tel Aviv must have been a difficult experience. Could you share your thoughts on the ongoing conflict and its impact on your coaching journey?
I don’t want to get into politics. I am sad that in 2023, wars will become the norm. Russia and Ukraine, now Israel, terrorism, inhumane acts. One thing I felt during this time was all the emotions I felt for people when I was safe at home and my players and team were living a life of uncertainty. Watching the news and seeing how this has gotten worse made me very worried. I thought a lot about my players. All they want to do is play football and do what they love to do. It just goes to show that I no longer enjoyed a project I was anchored to and overnight the sounds of alarms stopped what I was doing. My passion, my love for a project ended with something beyond my control. Don’t take anything for granted, give 100 percent every day, enjoy every moment. Help people realize their dreams.
Bill Papastergiadis, President of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM), has expressed his pride in your new role at Ajax. How important is your connection to the Australian Greek community and what message would you like to send to your supporters?
I am very proud to be a Greek Australian. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to live in Australia, never forgetting our Greek traditions and customs defined by our religion and history. The Greek community in Australia, especially in Melbourne, is very strong and has made Australia their home while also giving back a lot to the country.
My parents were migrants who came to Australia for a better life, for opportunities and they will be forever grateful for the opportunities they had. Thanks to my parents, I learned to work hard and pursue my dreams. Never give up and always dream big. They came with a bag and worked hard to provide for the family and give me and my sister everything we needed. But it just goes to show that all you really need is what’s inside of you to make your dreams come true. Passion for what you do and work hard.
Greeks are strong-minded people who pride themselves on being able to achieve the impossible when working as a team.
As a prominent figure in the Australian Greek community, could you tell us about your background and education in Australia? How has your Greek-Australian heritage influenced your football career and coaching philosophy?
Playing for South Melbourne and representing the large Greek community influenced my football career. It played a huge part in my upbringing as a young Greek player making his way at what was at the time one of the biggest clubs in Australia. For me, South Melbourne Hellas was the Greek community. He represented all Greeks. Playing for the team as a Greek boy meant I had extra responsibility to win.
I remember that in juniors we had to win. We wore Greek ethnosimo on our chest with pride. Winning brought great happiness to many who came to Middle Park to tune in on the weekends and get away from work to enjoy the team they loved and represented. South taught me the importance players and coaches play in the lives of others. We are not only role models, but we are also lucky enough to be able to make people smile. To bring happiness into their world for 90 minutes and hopefully until the next day where they can enjoy the victory, joking with their colleagues who support the opposition.
Football is about entertainment, for me it’s about attacking, it’s about scoring, there is no better feeling than when the ball hits the back of the net and the fans jump to the sky with happiness . That emotion you feel when you win, you can’t buy it in the supermarket. But you can reproduce it again and again with hard work. Sometimes the outcome is out of your control but you start again, never give up and work hard!
You have already collaborated with the Dutchman John van’t Schip in different clubs. How has your coaching partnership evolved over the years and what are the strengths that you both bring to Ajax?
I have worked with Jon since 2016 in Melbourne City. From the beginning, our partnership has grown and evolved from our shared idea of football. We both see football played the same way. Our football philosophy is the glue, but I also think our values have brought us together as people. We are now more than just colleagues but also good friends. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and this allows us to work well in tandem to get the most out of a team. I feel at home. Speaking from a football philosophy perspective.
It is an iconic club with a huge legacy of legendary players and coaches. I love working at De toekomst (training center), you feel the tradition, the past because the walls are decorated with photos from the past. I can’t complain – looking at photos of Johan Cruyff is inspiring. He changed the way people viewed football and influenced many of today’s modern coaches.
Yes, I like being here. We started with a victory against Volendam on Thursday 2-0. We played well. I loved our first half. A real offensive and dominant display. The players needed it. They had lost a lot of confidence with previous performances and results. To change things, we need to bring back the Ajax identity. Play creative, courageous and courageous attacking football. Like we did against Volendam. There is no secret, we have to work hard in training, train the way we want to play. We have quality young players. I am sure we will reverse the trend.
