Background
Following in his father"s footsteps, Michael van Praag was the chairman of the Dutch Association football club AFC Ajax from 1989 until mid-2003. His father, Jaap van Praag, was also chairman of the Amsterdam club from 1964 until 1978.
Following in his father"s footsteps, Michael van Praag was the chairman of the Dutch Association football club AFC Ajax from 1989 until mid-2003. His father, Jaap van Praag, was also chairman of the Amsterdam club from 1964 until 1978.
He is the President of the Royal Dutch Football Association since 27 August 2008 and a Vice President of Union of European Football Associations since 30 June 2015. Van Praag previously served as the Chairman of AFC Ajax from 1989 until 2003. Originally van Praag was a referee in the Amateur football leagues of the Netherlands and he later made his fortune with his franchise electronic stores that were situated in various airports before he became the chairman of the club
The period in which van Praag was chairman of the club was one of the most successful in the club"s history, second only to the tenure served by his father.
On 27 August 2008 he was chosen as the new chairman of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) succeeding the previous chairman Jeu Sprengers who had died in April. His predecessor during his tenure at Ajax was Ton Harmsen and he was succeeded by John Jaakke.
Fédération internationale de football association Presidential Bid
On 26 January 2015, van Praag announced his intention to run against incumbent Sepp Blatter in the 2015 Fédération internationale de football association Presidential Election. van Praag stated, "I"m very worried about the deteriorating situation at Fédération internationale de football association. The public opinion, the trustworthiness, is very bad, and with me a lot of people in the world believe southern"
On 21 May 2015, just a few days before the elections, he announced his withdrawal from Fédération internationale de football association presidential race. Michael van Praag comes from a prominent family in the Netherlands of entertainers and business people.
Unlike his father, he is not officially Jewish since his mother was not.
He has three sisters. Peggy, Pamela and television Host and actress Beryl van Praag.
Van Praag is a member of the Executive Committee of Union of European Football Associations, the chairman of the association"s Club Competitions Committee and is a deputy chairman of the HatTrick Committee.