Association football and politics
The following article lists people notable for their involvement in association football and politics. Two former footballers have led their countries; Ahmed Ben Bella and Kaj Leo Johannesen. Ben Bella played briefly for Marseille during the mid-1940s before leading Algeria in the aftermath of the Algerian War, first as Prime Minister then as President. Johannesen was a goalkeeper, playing four times as a goalkeeper for the Faroe Islands national football team during the 1990s before becoming Prime Minister in 2008. Other footballers to have sought high office include George Weah, who in 2005 was an unsuccessful candidate for the Liberian presidency, and Albert Guðmundsson, who finished third in the 1980 Icelandic presidential election.
List of footballer-politicians
Criteria
The following are people who have played professional and/or international football and have held political office.
Name | Country | Football | Politics | Comments | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dimmer, CamilleCamille Dimmer | Luxembourg | Luxembourg (1957 – 1964) | Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg (1989 – 1994) General Secretary of the Christian Social People's Party (1990 – 1995) |
[1][2] | |
, PeléPelé | Brazil | Santos (1956 – 1974) New York Cosmos (1975 – 1977) Brazil (1957 – 1971) |
Extraordinary Minister of Sport (1995 – 1998) | [3] | |
Mansour, MustafaMustafa Mansour | Egypt | Egypt Al-Ahly Referee General Secretary of CAF (1958 – 1961) |
Government minister | [4][5][6][7] | |
Ben Bella, AhmedAhmed Ben Bella | Algeria | Olympique Marseille (1939 – 1940) | Prime Minister of Algeria (1962 – 1963) President of Algeria (1963 – 1965) |
[8] | |
Weah, GeorgeGeorge Weah | Liberia | Liberia | Presidential candidate in the 2005 Liberian general election | [9] | |
Rossiter, DonDon Rossiter | England | Leyton Orient | Mayor of Rochester, Kent | ||
Kouyate, Garan FabouGaran Fabou Kouyate | Mali | ||||
Guðmundsson, AlbertAlbert Guðmundsson | Iceland | Arsenal Racing Club AC Milan |
Presidential candidate in the 1980 Icelandic presidential election Member of the Althing Minister of Finance Minister of Industry Icelandic Ambassador to France |
Father of Ingi Björn Albertsson | [10] |
Albertsson, Ingi BjörnIngi Björn Albertsson | Iceland | Iceland | Member of the Althing (1987 – 1995) | Son of Albert Guðmundsson | [11] |
Blokhin, OlegOleg Blokhin | Soviet Union, Ukraine | Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv |
Member of the Parliament of Ukraine | [12] | |
Bilardo, CarlosCarlos Bilardo | Argentina | San Lorenzo de Almagro Deportivo Español Estudiantes |
Buenos Aires Province Secretary of Sports | [13] | |
Bozsik, JózsefJózsef Bozsik | Hungary | Hungary Budapest Honvéd FC |
Member of the National Assembly of Hungary (1953 – 1957) | [14][15] | |
Tomochika, ToshiroToshiro Tomochika | Japan | Ehime FC | Diet of Japan (2007 – present) | ||
Jordaan, DannyDanny Jordaan | South Africa | Member of the Parliament of South Africa (1994 – 1997) | |||
Horton, RandyRandy Horton | Bermuda | Bermuda New York Cosmos |
Member of the Parliament of Bermuda (1998 – present) | ||
Di Meco, ÉricÉric Di Meco | France | France Marseille |
|||
Clegg, WilliamWilliam Clegg | England | England Sheffield Wednesday |
Lord Mayor of Sheffield (1898) | [16] | |
Dinamite, RobertoRoberto Dinamite | Brazil | Brazil Vasco da Gama |
State Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (1994 – present) | ||
, RomarioRomario | Brazil | Brazil | Senate of Brazil (2010 – present) | [17] | |
, BebetoBebeto | Brazil | Brazil Deportivo La Coruña |
[17] | ||
Rivera, GianniGianni Rivera | Italy | Italy A.C. Milan |
Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy (1994 – 2001) Undersecretary for Defense (2000 – 2001) Member of the European Parliament (2005 – 2009) |
, , | |
Kaladze, KakhaKakha Kaladze | Georgia | Georgia Dinamo Tbilisi Dynamo Kyiv A.C. Milan Genoa C.F.C. |
Minister of Energy (2012 – present) | ||
Cevallos, José FranciscoJosé Francisco Cevallos | Ecuador | Ecuador Barcelona SC Once Caldas Deportivo Azogues LDU Quito |
Ecuadorian Minister of Sports (2011 – present) | [18] | |
Kosecki, RomanRoman Kosecki | Poland | Poland (1998 – 1995) | Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (2007 – ?) | [19] | |
Pavlyuchenko, RomanRoman Pavlyuchenko | Russia | Russia Tottenham Hotspur |
Member of Stavropol regional council | [20] | |
Johannesen, Kaj LeoKaj Leo Johannesen | Faroe Islands | Faroe Islands | Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands | [21] | |
Camara, TitiTiti Camara | Guinea | Guinea Saint-Étienne Lens Marseille Liverpool West Ham United Al-Ittihad Al-Siliya Amiens |
Minister of Sport | [22] | |
Irrgang, DetlefDetlef Irrgang | Germany | Energie Cottbus | Councillor in Cottbus for the CDU | ||
, ZicoZico | Brazil | Brazil | Minister of Sport (1990) | [23] | |
McKinna, LawrieLawrie McKinna | Scotland, Australia | Kilmarnock | Mayor of the City of Gosford (2012 – present) | [24] | |
Edwards, AlistairAlistair Edwards | Australia | Australia (1991 – 1997) | Councillor of City of Cockburn (2000 – 2005) | ||
Şükür, HakanHakan Şükür | Turkey | Turkey Sakaryaspor Bursaspor Galatasaray Torino Inter Parma Blackburn Rovers |
Member of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (2011-) | [25] | |
Wilmots, MarcMarc Wilmots | Belgium | Belgium (1990 – 2002) Belgium manager (2012 – present) Sint-Truiden Mechelen Standard Liège Schalke 04 Bordeaux |
Member of Belgian Senate (2003 – 2005) | [26] |
See also
References
- ↑ "DIMMER Camille". European Association of former Parlementarians. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ "EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY". Maltasport.com. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ Bellos, Alex (25 November 2001). "Pele slips from Brazil pedestal". The Observer. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ Shaheen, Amr (3 May 2002). "1934: The flying Egyptian". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ Shaheen, Amr (24 July 2002). "Trailblazing keeper Mansour dies". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ "General Assemblies and history". Cafonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ "MEMORIES: Keeper Mustafa great pair of hands". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. 3 September 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "Fiche de Ahmed Ben Bella". OM-Passion.com (in French). Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ Soares, Claire (27 November 2005). "10 Questions for Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf". Time. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ↑ "Albert Guðmundsson (Albert Sigurður)" (in Icelandic). Alþingi. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "Ingi Björn Albertsson" (in Icelandic). Alþingi. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Hughes, Rob (16 October 2009). "UEFA's Platini Displays Some Deft Moves". New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Ley, John (18 November 2008). "Argentina '86: Where are they now?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Glanville, Brian (19 November 2006). "Peerless Puskas". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "József Bozsik". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Vincent, John (23 May 2011). "Match knights". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- 1 2 Chandler, Helen (30 November 2010). "Brazil's World Cup heroes swap football for politics". CNN. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "Señor ministro – José Francisco Cevallos asumió el Ministerio del Deporte oficialmente". futbolecuador.com (in Spanish). Quito, Ecuador. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "Posłowie VI kadencji" (in Polish). Sejm of the Republic of Poland. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Gripper, Anne (14 October 2008). "Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wins seat in Russian council election". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Corless, Damian (11 April 2009). "Now he's away with the Faroes". Irish Independent. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "Former Liverpool and West Ham striker Titi Camara named sports minister for Guinea". Daily Mail. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ "The Perils of Pelé". New York Times. 29 December 1994. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
- ↑ Collins, Terry (25 September 2012). "First time councillor Lawrie McKinna elected mayor of Gosford Council". Express Advocate. News Community Media. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
- ↑ "Hakan Şükür urged to quit Parliament, not only ruling AKP Movesurl=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hakan-sukur-urged-to-quit-parliament-not-only-ruling-akp.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59753&NewsCatID=338". Hurriyet. 17 December 2013.
- ↑ Marc Wilmots - MR, retrieved 4 June 2014