Ede Herczog

Refereeing career

During his youth, Herczog excelled in athletics, winning numerous first and second prizes in sprinting competitions in Budapest and Vienna; and also football, joining the ranks of Magyar Úszó Egylet (MÚE), one of the first football clubs opened in Hungary, and which debuted in the 1901 season of the Hungarian League, finished second. In addition to playing for MÚE, he was also a team referee for the training and friendly matches, and if he did not play for his own team, he accepted the invitation to referee other teams. At the time, it was not mandatory to take the refereeing exam to become one, but in 1901, the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) stipulated that match referees must take an exam on the rules of the game, which he successfully passed. He went on to referee a total of 55 Nemzeti Bajnokság I matches between 1901 and 1919. In 1905, the MLSZ nominated him as an international football referee, but since Hungary could not yet officially have a qualified international referee, his FIFA membership was only accepted two years later, in 1907. Herczog made his international debut on 9 April 1905, in a friendly match between Hungary and Austria, which ended in a goalless draw. He had to wait three years for his next international match, another friendly, this time between Austria and England, which was followed by another four-year hiatus, returning to the international stage to officiate one match at the football tournament of the 1908 Olympic…