Ivan Eklind
Ivan Henning Hjalmar Eklind (October 15, 1905 – July 23, 1981) was a football referee from Sweden known for refereeing the 1934 FIFA World Cup Final between Italy and Czechoslovakia in Rome. He is the youngest referee, to this day, to officiate a FIFA World Cup final at the age of 29.
Career
Eklind officiated the 1934 FIFA World Cup semi-final Italy–Austria (1–0), as well as the final which Italy won 2–1 over Czechoslovakia.[1] Afterwards he was heavily criticised for having favoured the Italian team with his decisions.[2] According to John Molinaro, Referee Ivan Eklind was said to have met with the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini prior to officiating Italy's semifinal and final games.[3]
Eklind officiated in 6 World Cup finals matches over 3 tournaments (1934–1950) (one as Assistant Referee to Baert in June 1938), including Brazil's triumph against Poland in Strasbourg in which 11 goals were scored, and a Group A match at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Baert also went to enjoy an incredibly lengthy international career.
References
- ^ "Yahoo". FIFA.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Jack Dennison (20 January 2013). "Football and Fascism: The 1934 World Cup". goldengenerations.wordpress.com.
- ^ Molinaro, John F. (24 November 2009). "1934 World Cup: Italy wins for Il Duce". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
External links
- Ivan Eklind at WorldFootball.net
- WorldCupGoal at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-03-11)
