Ivan Eklind
Ivan Henning Hjalmar Eklind (October 15, 1905 - July 23, 1981) was a football referee from Sweden famous for refereeing the controversial[citation needed] 1934 FIFA World Cup Final between Italy and Czechoslovakia in Rome.
Rene Mercet
Regarding the 1934 tournament Jean Langenus, the famous Belgian referee recorded his concerns regarding the way the tournament was organised and run; a Swiss referee Rene Mercet (who was appointed to officiate at the opening game) was suspended later by the Swiss Football Association for his performance in the replayed quarter-final match involving Italy and Spain.
The Final
In the final, Eklind penalised a two-footed lunge by Luis Monti on František Svoboda with the award of simply a free-kick. Eraldo Monzeglio fouled Antonin Puc inside the Italian penalty area,[citation needed] no penalty was awarded. Giuseppe Meazza punched Rudolf Krcil in the back.[citation needed] However, in both matches that Eklind officiated in, Italy won beating Austria 1-0, and Czechoslovakia (after extra time in the final) 2-1.[1]
Later career
Eklind officiated in 6 World Cup finals matches over a 16 year period (1934–1950) (one as Assistant Referee to Baert in June 1938, ironically, for the game in which Italy donned their fascist all-black strip when playing France), including the Brazil triumph against Poland in Strasbourg in which 11 goals were scored and a Group A match at the 1950 World Cup. Baert was also to go on to enjoy an incredibly lengthy international career.
