Eric Persson
Eric " Hövdingen " Persson ( born April 19, 1898 in Malmö, † June 9, 1984 ) was a Swedish sports official. Between 1937 and 1975 he amtiererte as president of Malmö FF and was also partly involved in the work of the Svenska Fotbollförbundet. He looked considerably with the development of the Association and of Swedish football. As a member of the selection committee of the Swedish national team ( Uttagningskommitté ) he was particularly responsible for the team's squad for the World Cup 1958, as the country celebrated its selection greatest success to date and Vice World Champion. In 2004, he was welcomed into the SFS Hall Of Fame.
Career
Persson grew up as the son of a painter in the working-class district in Malmö Torpgatan. Initially he played in the operation of the local football team chocolate factory, he was a member of the 1927 Malmö FF. Since he was he distinguished himself as a talent for organization already chosen two years later to the Board of the Association, the Chairman Fritz Landgren. While the upper class associated local rival IFK Malmö already played a long time in the Allsvenskan, Malmö FF in 1931 rose up in the top flight and established itself after the descent of the competitors there as number one in the city. In the course of the season 1933/34, the Swedish Association revealed when Malmö FF on payments to players, and thus a violation of the amateur principle. Rumor has it this was done on the instructions of local rivals, so that Persson expressed his life negatively about the IFK Malmö. As punishment, the club was forcibly transferred to the second class and deposed Landgren as president. Under President CE Eriksson the club in 1936 returned to the Allsvenskan.
1937 inherited Persson Eriksson as President of Malmö FF and undertook Harry Lundahl as their new coach. Under his leadership, the team placed firmly in the premier league and brought in 1938 with players like Sture Mårtensson, Helge Bengtsson and Ove Karlsson the district championship of Skåne. 1942 Persson, Chairman of the Föreningen Svenska series and a year later a board member of the Swedish association. He was the most important stakeholders in the Allsvenskan during dressing.
In subsequent seasons, the association developed under the direction of Persson, who acted parallel to its Board activities as team boss, one of the leading clubs in Sweden. Under the leadership of former player Sven Nilsson as coach the team to Börje Tapper, Sture Mårtensson, Egon Jönsson, Helge Bengtsson and Kjell Rosén five points clear at the placed behind IF Elfsborg and AIK won at the end of the season 1943/44, the first league title the club's history. By winning the national cup against IFK Norrköping in the same year, the club also took the second Double in the Swedish football after Helsingborgs IF three years earlier. During the IFK Norrköping dominated the championship until the end of the decade, won the cup competition Malmö FF 1946 and 1947 two more times. Thus he became the record cup winners, the title conserved the club then (as of the end of season 2010).
Poster of the third championship of the club in 1950 Link to image ( Please note copyrights )
1947 undertook Persson Hungarian coach Kálmán Konrád, who modernized the play. After four league titles Malmö FF broke through at the end of the season 1948/49, the dominance of the IFK Norrkoping, which recorded as a result of the Olympic victory in football in 1948, some players disposals in southern European professional leagues. In the two subsequent seasons, the club won the championship again in each case and put it on several records. In the season 1949/50, the club won 20 of his 22 games and remained undefeated, so that the team played out 15 points ahead of the runner- Jönköping Södra IF. Until the final day of the following season she was a total of 49 matches in a row over three seasons without defeat before just relegated AIK finished the series.
Between 1949 and 1954 Persson was the first time to the selection committee of the Swedish national team. Consequently, it was only logical given the success of the guided him club team that at the World Cup 1950, nine of the 22 players came from the squad of clubs from Skåne. Since the national team and two years in football competition of the 1952 Olympic Games as each party has successfully here too later, was also found at the Malmö club an exodus of individual players to southern Europe. Had in 1956 he resigned his position at Föreningen Svenska Series, he was one from the next year in advance of the 1958 World Cup back to the selection committee for the national team, which he was chairman from then on. Even at club level he was involved prior to the tournament and drove forward with the construction of the Malmo Stadium, which was home to the new clubs following the tournament. Together with Carl- Elis Halldén from IFK Norrkoping, Einar Jonasson IF Elfsborg and AIK from Acke Bergqvist he was ultimately responsible for the compilation of the squad for the World Cup finals. After diplomatic decisions, two players from Malmö FF found in the squad after the Swedish Sports Federation had loosened the Rules of Amateur Status and players were allowed to be nominated from southern European leagues for the national team for the first time. The coached by Englishman George Raynor in the tournament team to foreign professionals Kurt Hamrin, Nils Liedholm, Arne Selmosson, Lennart Skoglund and Bengt Gustavsson reached the final, which was lost against Brazil.
Until the missed participation in the World Cup 1962, he headed the selection committee then undertook the association with Lennart Nyman first time a main responsible coach. Even at club level, he joined shorter in 1962 and handed the office of team bosses at the former player Helge Bengtsson. 1964 undertook the club with the Spaniard Antonio Durán a new coach who cared with the establishment of the 4-2- 4 system for a wave of innovation in Swedish football. The team Malmö FF was over slipped at the end of the season in 1964 due to a less scoring gate opposite the same number of points in the championship competitors Djurgårdens IF scarce, they brought in the following season the sixth league title in club history. With the team around players like Prawitz Öberg, Bo Larsson, Roland Andersson, Ingvar Svahn, Staffan Tapper and Krister Kristensson the club took until 1971 three more times the von Rosen's Cup for the Swedish national championship and in 1967 the resumption of the national cup this competition.
As of 1965, Persson was also active internationally and took over the management of the Intertoto Cup, which he held until 1974. In the same year he won with the Englishman Bob Houghton again a trainer personality into Sweden, in advancing the local football. Under his leadership brought the club in 1974 and 1975 more titles. 1975 Persson resigned his Präsidentanamt and handed over the official business at Malmö FF to Hans Cavalli - Björkman. Under his leadership, the club eleven league titles and nine cup wins had won. In Houghton, the club reached the final of the later European Cup of champions 1978/79 - the first Swedish team in a European final - and went to the World Cup.