Michael van Praag (born 28 September 1947) is a Dutch
football administrator and former
referee. He was the
President of the Royal Dutch Football Association since 27 August 2008 to December 2019 and a
Vice President of the UEFA since 30 June 2015. Van Praag previously served as
Chairman of AFC Ajax from 1989 until 2003.
Career
Van Praag was born in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. He was Chairman of
AFC Ajax
Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...
from 1989 until mid-2003. His father,
Jaap van Praag, was also Chairman of the Amsterdam club from 1964 until 1978. 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. Ajax won the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
in 1992, and the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...
and the
Intercontinental Cup titles in 1995 under Van Praag's administration. On 27 August 2008 he was chosen as the new chairman of the Royal Dutch Football Association (
KNVB
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch men's and wome ...
) succeeding the previous chairman
Jeu Sprengers who had died in April. His predecessor during his tenure at AFC Ajax was Ton Harmsen and he was succeeded by John Jaakke.
Van Praag is a member of the
Executive Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
, the Chairman of the association's Club Competitions Committee and is a Deputy Chairman of the HatTrick Committee. He and his father are the only father and son chairmen combination to have both led their club to continental success with Ajax winning a combined four European championships under their guidance.
FIFA and UEFA presidential bids
On 26 January 2015, Van Praag announced his intention to run against incumbent
Sepp Blatter in the 2015
FIFA presidential election. Van Praag stated, "I am very worried about the deteriorating situation at FIFA. The public opinion, the trustworthiness, is very bad, and with me a lot of people in the world believe so." He was seen as a consensus and reliable candidate, supporting a limitation of the powers attributed to the FIFA President. He campaigned on the publication of the
Garcia Report
The Garcia Report was an investigation produced by Michael J. Garcia into allegations of corruption in world football. Garcia was appointed in July 2012 to investigate ethical breaches at the FIFA, football's world governing body. A month late ...
and a new Executive Committee vote if the 2022 World Cup attribution corruption allegations were to be proved. He also advocated for less bureaucracy in Zurich and a regulation of workers' conditions in football stadiums. He stated he would not seek reelection if elected.
On 21 May 2015, just a few days before the elections, he announced his withdrawal from
FIFA presidential race to support
Ali bin Hussein, stating he believed he had the best shot at the presidency. Candidate
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (; born 4 November 1972) is a Portuguese former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Winger (association football), winger for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Barcelona, Real Madrid CF, Real ...
did the same. Blatter was however reelected, although he had to resign four days after the election because of corruption allegations.
Later that year, he became Vice President of the UEFA, named by President
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, a ...
. On 14 September 2016, Van Praag received 13 votes in the election of the vacant office of UEFA President, losing to
Aleksander Čeferin
Aleksander Čeferin (, born 13 October 1967) is a Slovenian lawyer and football administrator. Between 2011 and 2016, he was president of the Football Association of Slovenia. Since September 2016, he has been the president of UEFA.
Career
After ...
who got 42 votes.
Family
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 TV Host and Actor . The famous singer is his uncle whose children, former
newsreader Marga van Praag
Marga van Praag (born 14 September 1946) is a Dutch journalist and television presenter.
Van Praag attended the academy of dramatic art in Amsterdam, and worked for VARA television from 1968 onwards. She was the host of the television programs ...
and her brother are his cousins.
See also
*
List of Jews in sports (non-players)
The topic of Jewish participation in sports is discussed extensively in academic and popular literature. Scholars believe that sports have been a historical avenue for Jewish people to overcome obstacles toward their participation in secular soci ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Praag, Michael van
1947 births
Living people
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians
Presidents of the Royal Dutch Football Association
Members of the UEFA Executive Committee
AFC Ajax chairmen and investors
Dutch football referees
Dutch corporate directors
Dutch people of Jewish descent
Businesspeople from Amsterdam
Sportspeople from Amsterdam
20th-century Dutch people
Dutch sports executives and administrators