Stanley Rous

Sir Stanley Rous (1966)

Sir Stanley Rous Ford , CBE (* 25. April 1895 in Watford , † 18th July 1986 in London ) was an English official , referee , and from 1961 to 1974, the sixth president of the International Football Federation FIFA .

Life

Before his career as a football official, Stanley Rous was a referee. He whistled u. a. the international matches between Switzerland and Germany on April 15, 1928 in Bern (2: 3) and on May 4, 1930 in Zurich (0: 5).

Rous was secretary of the English football association FA from 1934 to 1962 . After FIFA President Arthur Drewry , also an Englishman, passed away in 1961 , Rous was elected FIFA President with an election result of 51 to 14 votes. In 1949 he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor .

At the 1970 FIFA Congress in Mexico City, the Europeans lost their majority in the important committees for the World Cup and the Olympic tournament in FIFA for the first time. An anti-European sentiment spread. However, Stanley Rous, the most important position in world football, was still occupied by a European. However, this period of European supremacy was also ended at the 1974 FIFA Congress in Frankfurt am Main when the Brazilian João Havelange took over the office. On June 11, 1974, Rous was named Honorary FIFA President.

In the UK, a short-lived cup competition was named after him: the Rous Cup .

literature

• Stanley Rous: Football worlds. A lifetime in sport . Faber & Faber, London et al. 1978, ISBN 0-571-11194-7 (English).