Hugo Meisl

Hugo Meisl came from a Jewish Bohemian family and moved to Wien (Vienna) in 1893. There, he attended a business school but soon got interested in football and joined the Vienna Cricket and Football Club in 1895. He completed his professional training in Trieste and Paris, which prevented him from playing football regularly.

When Meisl got a permanent post as a bank clerk in 1905, he took up refereeing and soon became one of the most prominent Austrian referees. Since 1908, he officiated 16 matches of national teams including one match at the 1912 Olympic Games. In 1912 he also started his coaching career with the Wiener Amateur-SV and soon became team manager of the national team. At the 1912, he was yet supported by the English coach Jimmy Hogan. Meisl held this position until his death in 1937 only interrupted by World War I, when he served at the Italian Isonzo front. During his tenure Austria became the first continental European country with a professional league in 1924. The Austrian national team had his most successful period in its history and was called the “Wunderteam” (wonder team). After a 14-match unbeaten run from April 1931 until December 1932, the fourth place at the 1934 FIFA World Cup was a disappointment.

In addition to his banking career he always also worked as a sports journalist and founded the Neue Wiener Sportzeitung in 1919. From 1907 Meisl represented the Austrian federation (ÖFV, later ÖFB) at FIFA using his multilingualism. He spoke German, Czech, Italian, French, and English fluently. On European level, he helped to implement the Mitropa Cup, forerunner of the European cup competitions for clubs, and the Central European International Cup, forerunner of the European Championship. Since 1926 he also held the position of General Secretary of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB). He died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the age of 55.

For his achievements, Hugo Meisl was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Austrian Order of Merit and the Silver Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria and was appointed Knight of the Crown of Italy. His younger brother was sports journalist and competitor in the art competitions, Willy Meisl.