Former Manchester United player, Jaap Stam, was the subject of a humorous PR blunder by Major League Soccer team FC Cincinnati, which set Twitter alight.
One of the most important parts in announcing your club’s new manager on social media is the photo, it allows the fans to know what the person looks like.
Alongside that you have to make sure you get the photo of the right person.
FC Cincinnati, who announced Jaap Stam as their new manager with a photo of… Well, it was not Jaap Stam.
Instead, the MLS side uploaded a photo of Ajax youth coach, Tinus van Teunenbroek.
It was not the first time the Ajax youth coach has been mistaken for Stam. He told Fox News: “I heard about the incident through a mother of a former pupil of mine. Everyone now asks if I have made a transfer to America.
“I have once been mistaken for Jaap Stam in Ajax Showtime [an Ajax website] by Ajax itself. It happens to me more often, such as on vacation, that people shout: ‘Hey, that’s Jaap Stam!”’
The PR blunder went viral on Twitter, with fellow MLS clubs getting involved by posting photos of other bald celebrities.
It was Bruce Willis for the San Jose Earthquakes. Colombus Crew went with actor Jason Statham and New York Red Bulls chose Mark Strong. These are just a few of many comparisons that were made on Twitter.
FC Cincinnati saw the funny side, when they eventually deleted the original tweet and posted another with a photo of their “actual new head coach”.
The former Manchester United and Netherlands central defender Jaap Stam, 47, has been appointed manager of the club until December 2021, with the option of another year.
Sources: BBC sport and FC Cincinnati Twitter account.
Additional details: Photos were from posts by FC Cincinnati and the front cover image was Photoshoped by me (Naomi Chisuta).
