Dr Karol Galba (2 February 1921 – 15 November 2009) was football official, probably best known for being a linesman during the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

Background

Galba, a Slovak, was an experienced referee who had officiated at the

1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place be ...

and was, in charge of the

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...

vs Real Madrid tie on 8 September 1965 in which he brought an end to the match early in order to avoid a mass melee after the Spanish player Miera fouled

Coen Moulijn Coenraadt "Coen" Moulijn (15 February 1937 – 4 January 2011) was a Dutch footballer who played for Feyenoord from 1955 to 1972 and was part of their European Cup victory in 1970. Club career Compared to Stanley Matthews and Garrincha, Moulijn ...

. Galba became President of the UEFA Referees' Committee when it was first instituted in 1968. He later worked as a match observer for UEFA. He received the

UEFA Order of Merit in Ruby 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 fo ...

References

Karol Galba's obituary
1921 births 2009 deaths FIFA World Cup referees Slovak football referees FIFA World Cup Final match officials 1966 FIFA World Cup referees 1962 FIFA World Cup referees Czechoslovak football referees Olympic football referees {{Slovakia-footy-bio-stub