Jaakke voted in at Ajax

July start
Jaakke, a 47-year-old lawyer, will officially succeed Michael van Praag - the new chairman of Eredivisie NV (ENV), the body that manages the Dutch top flight - on 1 July. The new Ajax chief is head of the Trenité Van Doorne lawyers' association, and also has jobs in banking and television.

Devoted to Ajax
Speaking after his election, Jaakke told shareholders: "To make the time available to lead a club like Ajax I will have to cut down on my other work and I have had good discussions with people from my office, so I will be getting enough time to lead this club. When you enjoy doing the thing you do, then it is not so difficult to make time available."

Supporters' discussion
He also revealed that he had already accompanied Van Praag to several meetings with supporters. "When I have contact with the fans, honest and clear, then I do not see any problems," Jaakke added.

Champions League triumph
Van Praag has been in charge of Ajax for 14 years, just like his father Jaap, who chaired the club from 1964 until 1978. Ajax were stricken with financial problems when Van Praag took over but he steered them towards stability, overseeing the 1994/95 UEFA Champions League win as well as the move to their new Amsterdam ArenA stadium.

'You cannot please everyone'
"The most beautiful part of the presidency is to meet people," said Van Praag. "But at the same time you have got to realise you cannot please everyone." Last season, Ajax reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League but were pipped to the Dutch title by PSV Eindhoven.