Ottorino Barassi (5 October 1898 – 24 November 1971
[FIFA EXECUTIVE MEMBERS 1904 - 2006](_blank)
- fifa.com) was an Italian sports official.
The first action of his career was to help organise the
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.
The 1934 World Cup was the first in w ...
, which was played in his native Italy.
His notability in World Cup history continued, as Italy won the
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4 June until 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beat ...
in France. Because the World Cup did not take place for another 12 years (due to World War II), he famously had possession of the
Jules Rimet
Jules Rimet (; 14 October 1873 – 16 October 1956) was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He is FIFA's longest-serving president, in office for 33 years. He also served as the presid ...
trophy until the
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...
. He secretly took the trophy home from a bank in Rome, and kept it under his bed in a shoebox so that the Nazi troops in Italy would not find it.
[1950 FIFA World Cup](_blank)
- soccermuseum.org
During the war, he was made commissioner of the
Italian Football Federation
The Italian Football Federation ( it, Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio; FIGC), known colloquially as ''Federcalcio'', is the governing body of football in Italy. It is based in Rome and the technical department is in Coverciano, Florence.
It ...
from 1944 to 1946, and in 1946 he was promoted to president of the federation; a position which he would hold until 1958.
Following his good work in the 1934 World Cup, he was also asked by FIFA to help Brazilian officials organise the
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...
.
This was a task which he completed successfully; he ensured that the
Estádio do Maracanã was ready in time for the tournament, and that the event ran smoothly.
He was appointed as a member of FIFA's executive committee from 1952 until his death in 1971.
As a member of the executive committee, he helped found
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
in the early 1950s. The
Coppa Ottorino Barassi The Coppa Ottorino Barassi (also called Italian-English Amateur League Cup) is a defunct amateur association football competition named after Ottorino Barassi that was contested from 1968 until 1976. The competition was contested by the English FA ...
, a match held from 1968–1976 between the
FA Amateur Cup and
Coppa Italia Dilettanti
The Coppa Italia Dilettanti ( Italian for: Italian Amateurs Cup) is an annual knock-out competition for teams from the fifth and sixth levels of Italian football: the Eccellenza and the Promozione. All ties except for the final, which is held at t ...
champions, was named after him. In 2011, he was posthumously inducted into the
Italian Football Hall of Fame
The Italian Football Hall of Fame ( it, Hall of Fame del calcio italiano) is the hall of fame for association football players that have had a significant impact on Italian football.
It is housed at the '' Museo del Calcio'' in Coverciano, Ital ...
.
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ww.otorrinobrasiliadf.bsb.br
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barassi, Ottorino
Founders of association football institutions
Italian football chairmen and investors
1898 births
1971 deaths