Arthur Witty

Arthur Witty, 1903

Arthur Witty Cotton ( b. 1878 in Barcelona, † November 7, 1969 ) was a Spanish- English footballer, functionary and businessman.

Career

Youth

Arthur Witty was the son of the British entrepreneur Frederick Witty, who had opened a shipping company in Barcelona in 1873. After Arthur and his brother Ernest had gone to the Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby to school, she returned to Barcelona to go into the business of her father. Arthur had acted at school as a striker in the rugby team; because he found no rugby places on his return to Barcelona, ​​he organized together with his brother football games for corporate teams. His brother Ernest, who was an outstanding tennis player and founded in 1899 one of the first tennis club in Barcelona, learned on the tennis court the Swiss and later founder of FC Barcelona, ​​Hans Gamper, know.

Player

As Gamper on November 29 In 1899, the Football Club Barcelona, ​​it was not long until the Witty brothers joined the club. In the first match of FC Barcelona Arthur looked even with the opposing team, consisting of local British stock, and also scored the goal for a 1-0 final score. In the second game on Christmas Eve 1899 Witty was already playing on the part of the FC Barcelona against SC Català and contributed to the 3-1 win his side a goal in. From 1900 there were enough clubs in Catalonia in order to call an official competition, the Copa Macaya, into life. In the second edition of the tournament in 1902, the FC Barcelona won its first title there. In that year the FC Barcelona also received an invitation to the first national Spanish Cup, Copa de la Coronación to. There Barça reached the final after the semi-final tonight's Real Madrid 3-1 was defeated. In the final, Witty was a member of the starting lineup, his team defeated the Basques of Vizcaya Club 1-2. Overall Witty denied until 1905 74 games for FC Barcelona, winning each one Copa Macaya, the Copa Barcelona and the Campionat de Catalunya.

President

Even as a player belonged Witty under the presidency of Bartomeu Terradas the club committee on. On September 17, 1903 Witty took over the presidency of FC Barcelona and made there his business contacts advantage to import balls, goal nets and referee whistles for the club. During this time, Witty led some young talent to the team, including Carles Comamala, José Quirante and Romà Forns. In the Catalan city rivals RCD Español championship dominated the action, so that under Witty as president only a Catalan Championship could be won. Under Witty Barcelona played its first international match against Stade Olympique of Toulouse and performed at the meeting on May 1, 1904 for the first time to an away game outside Spain to. 1905 looked Witty forced the club a new home stadium to give as office buildings should be built on the Camp de la Carretera d' Horta. His new venue, the club took on the Camp del Carrer Muntaner. Nearly eight months later, on October 6, 1905, Witty resigned as president.

Businessman

In 1924, the Witty brothers were involved in a scandal in 1924 occurred in Camp de Les Corts. The two brothers had a chapel of the British Royal Marines hired to play the Spanish national anthem before the home game of FC Barcelona. The Barça fans responded with whistles; consequently had the Chapel of the English national anthem ring out and received applause from the audience. The fascist dictator Primo de Rivera left the stadium then close for several months. The Witty brothers go because of this politicization increasingly distanced itself from the FC Barcelona. Together with his son Frederick, he devoted himself then again its still existing company, the Witty SA, and placed in the 1930s, brands such as Cadbury, Johnnie Walker and Unilever for the first time in the Spanish market.

Achievements

Player

• Copa Macaya / Copa Barcelona / Campionat de Catalunya (3): 1902, 1903, 1905

President

• Campionat de Catalunya ( 1): 1905