Ernst Thommen

Ernst Thommen was president of the Swiss Football Association from 1947 to 1954 and served FIFA in different functions. He was Chairman of the Organizing Committee at three World Cups (Switzerland 1954, Sweden 1958, Chile 1962). Thommen was elected Vice-President of FIFA and a member of the Emergency Committee in 1954.

After the death of FIFA President Arthur Drewry, Thommen headed the International Football Federation in the interim until the Extraordinary Congress in London in September 1961. He became an honorary member of FIFA on 26 May 1962.

In April 1955 Thommen, Stanley Rous, secretary of the British Football Association, and Ottorino Barassi, president of the Italian Football Federation, established the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The aim of the competition was to provide the host cities of trade fairs with income useful for their economic recovery in the difficulties caused by World War II. Thommen participated along with the Austrian Karl Rappan, progenitor of the Intertoto Cup, in the creation of the Karl Rappan Cup in 1961.