František Fadrhonc (18 December 1914 – 9 October 1981) was a Czech football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

, who was born in

Nymburk Nymburk (; german: Nimburg, Neuenburg an der Elbe) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the Elbe River. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, present day Czech Republic. He coached many teams in Europe, mostly in the Netherlands. After winning the Dutch championship with

Willem II Tilburg Willem II (), also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a Dutch football club based in Tilburg, Netherlands. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie in the 2021–22 season. The club ...

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 Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. However, it was

Rinus Michels Marinus Jacobus Hendricus Michels (; 9 February 1928 – 3 March 2005) was a Dutch football player and coach. He played his entire career for AFC Ajax, which he later managed, and played for and later managed the Netherlands national team ...

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 A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

in the 1975–76 football season. He stayed until 1977. During that period, he led AEK to the semi-finals of the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...

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 Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...

. His move was justified when Christidis stopped two penalties and AEK went through to the semi finals. He died aged 66 in Nicosia, Cyprus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fadrhonc, Frantisek 1914 births 1981 deaths People from Nymburk Sportspeople from the Central Bohemian Region Czech football managers Willem II (football club) managers Go Ahead Eagles managers Netherlands national football team managers AEK Athens F.C. managers Czechoslovak football managers Panachaiki F.C. managers Keravnos Strovolou FC managers Czech expatriate football managers Czech expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Expatriate football managers in the Netherlands Czech expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate football managers in Greece Czech expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Expatriate football managers in Cyprus