František Fadrhonc

František Fadrhonc

Fadrhonc pictured in 1974
Personal information
Date of birth	(1914-12-18)18 December 1914
Place of birth	Nymburk, Austria-Hungary
Date of death	9 October 1981(1981-10-09) (aged 66)
Place of death	Nicosia, Cyprus
Managerial career
Years	Team
1949–1956	Willem II
1956–1962	SC Enschede
1962–1970	Go Ahead Eagles
1970–1974	Netherlands
1974–1977	AEK Athens
1978–1979	Panachaiki
1980–1981	Keravnos

František Fadrhonc (18 December 1914 – 9 October 1981) was a Czech football manager, who was born in Nymburk, Austria-Hungary, present day Czech Republic. He coached many teams in Europe, mostly in the Netherlands. After winning the Dutch championship with Willem II Tilburg in 1952 and 1955, he coached SC Enschede and Go Ahead Eagles.

In 1970, he took over the Netherlands national team and was their coach as they qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, besting, among others, their rivals Belgium. However, it was Rinus Michels who took over in 1974 and who led them in the finals of that tournament.

Fadrhonc left the Netherlands for Greece to coach AEK Athens in the 1975–76 football season. He stayed until 1977. During that period, he led AEK to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 1977.

In the UEFA Cup campaign of the 1976–77 season, he is credited with the substitution of regular goalkeeper Lakis Stergioudas with veteran Nikos Christidis in extra-time of the second leg of the encounter against QPR. His move was justified when Christidis stopped two penalties and AEK went through to the semi finals. He died aged 66 in Nicosia, Cyprus.