Jaap van Praag (football administrator)

[1] Jaap van Praag began his professional career working in the musical business of his father in Amsterdam, where he was born.

Unlike his father, he saw great potential in the gramophone record and started his own business on the Spui downtown, called His Master's Voice.

He was forced into hiding due to the persecution of Jews during World War II where he first found refuge staying with the uncle of former Ajax player Wim Schoevaart.

[4] The club had just narrowly escaped relegation the previous season, so van Praag decided to hire former Ajax attacker Rinus Michels as the new head coach.

[6] The Van der Meijden brothers were known to have collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, and are widely known as the bunkerbouwers (bunker builders).

His son Michael van Praag would later follow in his fathers footsteps and was also chairman of Ajax during another very successful period at the club.