Ajax prodigy and the United States defender, Sergino Dest has left the Dutch club’s winter training camp in Qatar due to escalated tensions between the United States and Iran recently.
The full-back, born and bought up in the Netherlands, has gone to represent the United States of America at the international level. The player has three national caps to his name. However, the player did not feel it right and comfortable to stay in Qatar due to political tensions and has flown back into Dutch capital, Amsterdam.
The 19-year-old teenager’s decision follows a similar move deployed by the USA national team to cancel a planned training camp in Qatar after Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad last week. The United States national team had planned a training session in Qatar to get used to the Qatari conditions where the 2022 FIFA Football World Cup will be held. Due to the escalated tensions in the Middle East, the US team has postponed its plans.Sergino Dest told the Ajax team management that he is not feeling comfortable in the training camp which is completely agreed and understood by the employer of the player. Though born in Almere, the player has an American father and has chosen the US nationality over the Dutch. The Ajax club statement on their official website read like below;
“Sergino Dest has asked if he could leave Ajax’s training camp in Qatar,”
“He didn’t feel comfortable. Ajax understands his request and has responded to it. The right-back matches Young Ajax in Amsterdam.”
Sergino Dest has flown back to the Holland joining the reserves, where the Erik ten Haag’s defending champions Ajax will resume their Eredivisie campaign against Sparta Rotterdam at Johan Cruyff Arena on January 19 after playing a bunch of friendlies in the Gulf region.
