Hugo Meisl

Hugo Meisl (16 November 1881 – 17 February 1937), brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian 'Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee.

Background

Meisl was born to a Jewish family in Bohemia, starting out as a bank clerk after moving to Vienna in 1893 but soon developed an interest in football, playing as a winger for the Vienna Cricket and Football-Club. In his early 30s, following a short playing career, he found employment as an administrator with the Austrian Football Association, rising to the position of General Secretary. In the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Meisl appeared as a match referee. He had previously refereed the first international match between Hungary and England on 10 June 1908.

Interest in football

Meisl's enthusiasm for the game resulted in the development of a Central European club tournament: the Mitropa Cup, the development of the Central European International Cup and the development of professional League football in Austria in 1924. His interest in football led him to develop friendships throughout Europe most notably with Vittorio Pozzo in Italy and Herbert Chapman in England. Another English coach, Jimmy Hogan, who worked in Vienna, helped Meisl develop a technique for dispensing with aerial passing and placing emphasis on groundwork.