Football: People

This page is about football managers, administrators, etc. For players, see Footballers.

The only England manager with a 100% record		Sam Allardyce
Began his career in football management at Kettering Town in 1971 and ended it with four months in charge at Nottingham Forest in 1999; in between he managed seven other clubs, including Atlético Madrid 1988–9; his teams won two FA Cups and two League Cups		Ron Atkinson
Manager of Manchester United, immediately before Alex Ferguson; later became a media pundit, but was forced to resign in 2004 after a controversial aside about Chelsea's Marcel Desailly
President of Real Madrid CF, from 1943 until his death in 1978: a former player (1911–20 and 1921–26 – total 51 League appearances, 47 goals); credited with turning the club into "a dominant team both on national and international level, with its influence stretching beyond the football pitch" (Wikipedia); its stadium (completed in 1947) was named in his honour in 1955		Santiago Bernabéu
Assistant Manager of Aston Villa under Ron Saunders, 1982; appointed as manager in February 1982, after Saunders resigned; guided Villa to victory in the Quarter–Finals, Semi–Final and Final of the European Cup; sacked in 1984 after two disappointing League seasons; died in 1993 aged 56		Tony Barton
Controversial Swiss President of FIFA, 1998–2015: banned from all football–related activities for 8 years, in December 2015 (along with Michel Platini) over a $2 million payment made to Platini by FIFA in 2011		Sepp Blatter
MD of Birmingham City, 1993–2009 – appointed at age 23, and the first woman to hold such a post; vice–chairman of West Ham, 2010–		Karren Brady
Managed Huddersfield Town to one FA Cup win (1922) and three consecutive League championships (1924–6), before moving on to Arsenal		Herbert Chapman
Scored 251 goals in 274 games for Middlesbrough and Sunderland, 1955–62; played 2 games for England in 1959, but failed to score; sustained a cruciate ligament injury on Boxing Day 1962, which ended his career (aged 29); managed Derby County 1967–73, Nottingham Forest 1975–93; won the League title with both; also won two European Cups and four League Cups with Forest (but never won the FA Cup); underwent a liver transplant in 2003, but died in 2004 of stomach cancer (aged 69); the A52 road from Derby to Nottingham was named in his honour in 2005		Brian Clough
Born in 1960 in Bologna, Italy: named FIFA's "Best Referee of the Year" six consecutive times; widely considered to be the greatest football referee of all time; refereed the 2002 World Cup Final (Brazil v. Germany, in Seoul) and England's 5–1 victory over Germany in September 2001		Pierluigi Collina
Secretary of the FA, 1973–89; replaced by Graham Kelly as Chief Executive		Ted Croker
Manchester United manager when they were relegated in 1974		Tommy Docherty
'Psychological coach' used by Glenn Hoddle during the 1998 World Cup		Eileen Drewery
The only manager to win league and cup doubles in three different countries		Sven–Göran Eriksson
Former player (227 League games, 1966–72) who managed Arsenal from 1986 to 1995 – towards the end of which time "One–nil to the Arsenal" became a thing		George Graham
First overseas manager (i.e. not born in the British Isles) to win the FA Cup (1997)		Ruud Gullit
Secretary of the Football League, 1957–79, and Director General from 1979 until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1980; the Man of the Match award in the League Cup Final (first presented in 1990) is named in his honour		Alan Hardaker
Brazilian President of FIFA, 1974–88 (succeeded Sir Stanley Rous, preceded Sepp Blatter). Also a member of the IOC		Joao Havelange
Dual Italian–Swiss national, elected in February 2016 to succeed Sepp Blatter as President of FIFA		Gianni Infantino
Secretary of the Football League, 1978–89; Chief Executive of the FA, 1989–1998 – resigned over a loan scandal (later cleared)		Graham Kelly
England physio, sent home from the 2014 World Cup after dislocating his ankle while celebrating Daniel Sturridge's equaliser against Italy		Gary Lewin
Arsenal manager 1966–76, including the 'double' season of 1970–1		Bertie Mee
Chairman of the FA, 1981–96 (died in 2002)		Sir Bert Millichip
Tottenham manager 1958–74 – including the 'double' season of 1960–1, and 1962–3 when they became the first British club to win a major European trophy (Cup–Winners' Cup)		Bill Nicholson
President of UEFA, 2007–2015: banned from all football–related activities for 8 years (later reduced to 4 years), in December 2015 (along with Sepp Blatter) over a $2 million payment made to him by FIFA in 2011		Michel Platini
Coach of the England women's football team, 1998–2013, and the Great Britain & Northern Ireland women's Olympic team (2012)		Hope Powell
English manager of Sweden's national team, 1946–54 and 1956–8; took them to the World Cup final in 1958 (when they were the host nation; they lost the final 5–2 to Brazil); also led them to Olympic gold in 1948		George Raynor
The only Englishman (up to and including 2020) to manage an FA Cup winning team, since Ruud Gullitt became the first overseas manager to do so in 1997		Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth, 2008)
Manager of Arsenal, immediately before Arsene Wenger		Bruce Rioch
English President of FIFA, 1961–74: died in 1986, aged 91		Sir Stanley Rous
The last Englishman to manage an FA Cup winning team, before Ruud Gullitt became the first overseas manager to do so in 1997 – and as of 2021, still the last but one		Joe Royle (Everton, 1995)
Manager of the England women's team, 2013–17: sacked following evidence of "inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour towards female players in 2014, when he was manager at Bristol Academy		Mark Sampson
Only person to have managed Aston Villa (1974–82), Birmingham City (1982–6) and West Bromwich Albion (1986–7)		Ron Saunders
England trainer 1957–74, died 1995		Harold Shepherdson
Manager who lead Celtic to victory in the European Cup (1967); appointed Scotland manager in 1978, he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1985, aged 62, at the end of a match against Wales in which Scotland secured a place in the World Cup play–offs thanks to an 81st–minute penalty		Jock Stein
Manager of Sunderland when they won the FA Cup in 1973: fondly remembered for his jubilant run across the pitch at the end of the game, in mackintosh and trilby hat; now commemorated by a statue outside the Stadium of Light (also won a Cup winner's medal with Newcastle in 1955)		Bob Stokoe
Controversial chairman (and majority shareholder) of Tottenham Hotspur FC, 1991–2001		Alan Sugar
First woman to officiate in a Premiership game, 1997 (as referee's assistant)		Wendy Toms
Resigned as Welsh team manager after less than 50 days, 1994		John Toshack
Aston Villa manager, 1990–1: the first overseas manager (i.e. not born in the British Isles) of an English top–flight team – he is from Slovakia, and holds a doctorate in Physical Education		Dr. Josef Vengloš
First overseas–born manager to win English football's League and Cup double		Arsene Wenger
First female referee in a men's Premier League game (Fulham vs. Burnley, December 2023)		Rebecca Welch
Manager who led England to victory in UEFA Women's Euro 2022		Sarina Wiegman
The last English manager to win England's top division		Howard Wilkinson

© Haydn Thompson 2017–25