Sándor Puhl

Sándor Puhl
Born (1955-07-14)14 July 1955
Miskolc, Hungary[1]
Died 20 May 2021(2021-05-20) (aged 65)[2]
Budapest, Hungary
Other occupation Director
Domestic
Years League Role
1984–2000 NB I Referee
International
Years League Role
1988–2000 FIFA–listed Referee

Sándor Puhl (14 July 1955 – 20 May 2021) was a Hungarian football referee, best known for officiating four matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, including the final.

Career

At international level, Puhl officiated the 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup between Argentina and Denmark, at the Estadio José María Minella; following a 1–1 draw, Argentina won the match 5–4 on penalties.[3] The following year, he officiated four matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, including the final. between Brazil and Italy at the Rose Bowl; Brazil won the match 3–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.[4][5] In the quarter-final match between Italy and Spain, he failed to send off Italy's Mauro Tassotti for elbowing Spanish player Luis Enrique in the final minutes of the match, as he did not see the incident; Italy won 2–1.[6]

At club level, he also refereed UEFA Champions League matches, including the 1997 UEFA Champions League Final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus at the Olympiastadion in Munich; Dortmund won the match 3–1. During the match, Puhl disallowed a goal by Christian Vieri in the first half for an alleged handball, and was criticised in the Italian media for not awarding two penalties to Juventus.[7][8][9]

Sándor Puhl is also well-known for refereeing the second leg of the last World Cup play-off qualifier for the 1998 World Cup in France between Iran and Australia in 1997, where Iran came from 2–0 down to tie the game 2–2 and qualify for the World Cup due to the away goal rule.[10]

He was elected as IFFHS' World's Best Referee of the Year four consecutive times, from 1994 to 1997.[11]

After retirment

After retiring as a referee in 2000, he was deputy chairman of the Hungarian Football Association (2000–2006). He also worked as a co-commentator for a Hungarian sports TV channel.[12]

Personal Life

Puhl spoke Hungarian, German, Italian, and English.[13]

Puhl died on 20 May 2021, at the age of 65 from post-COVID-19 complications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hungary.[14][15]

Honours

Major matches refereed

Date Match Tournament Ref
24 February 1993 Argentina vs Denmark (1–1; 5–4 on penalties) 1993 Artemio Franchi Cup [3]
17 July 1994 Brazil vs Italy (0–0; 3–2 on penalties) 1994 FIFA World Cup final [4][5]
28 May 1997 Borussia Dortmund vs Juventus (3–1) 1997 UEFA Champions League final [7][8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "Puhl Sándor 50 éves". Ma.hu (in Hungarian). 17 July 2005. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "MLSZ Szövetség - Elhunyt Puhl Sándor".
  3. 1 2 "Artemio Franchi Trophy 1993". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "International football referee Sándor Puhl".
  5. 1 2 "Brazil 0–0 Italy (July 17, 1994)". www.espn.com. 17 July 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Lowe, Sid (26 June 2016). "Italy v Spain: a blood-stained rivalry that may be about to spill over again". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Klopp, del '97 la Juve ricorda quei tre errori dell'arbitro". www.tuttosport.com (in Italian). 24 February 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 Rzouki, Mina (23 February 2015). "Echoes of the 1997 Champions League final as Juve prepare for Dortmund". www.espn.com. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 "La GAZZETTA dello SPORT - Champions League". www.gazzetta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  10. ↑ Parkin, Richard (24 April 2020). "Australia v Iran: World Cup qualifying playoff, second leg, 1997 – as it happened". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 "IFFHS' World's Best Referee of the Year". RSSSF.
  12. ↑ "The official website for European football". UEFA.com. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "WORLD CUP USA '94 / QUARTERFINALS : What Did He Say? : They May Not Speak Same Language, but Referees Can Still Pick Up on Players' Intent". Los Angeles Times. 8 July 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2026.
  14. ↑ Умер венгерский футбольный арбитр Шандор Пуль, судивший финал ЧМ-1994 Archived 20 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  15. ↑ "Puhl Sándor betegsége már hetek óta tartott: kiderült, mi okozta a legendás játékvezető halálát" (in Hungarian). Blikk. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
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