Károly Palotai facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Károly Palotai

Palotai in 1975
Personal information
Date of birth	(1935-09-11)11 September 1935
Place of birth	Békéscsaba, Hungary
Date of death	3 February 2018(2018-02-03) (aged 82)
Place of death	Győr, Hungary
Height	1.75 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1953–1955	Békéscsaba Előre
1955–1956	Győri Vasas ETO
1956–1958	Freiburger FC
1959–1967	Győri Vasas ETO	171	(45)
National team
1963–1964	Hungary Olympic	15	(2)
Honours Men's football Representing  Hungary Olympic Games Gold 1964 Tokyo Team competition
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Károly Palotai (born September 11, 1935 – died February 3, 2018) was a famous Hungarian football player and later a referee. He won an Olympic gold medal as a player. After his playing career, he became a referee and worked at three World Cup tournaments and two big European club finals.

Playing Football

Károly Palotai was a very good football player. He played for a team called Győri ETO FC. His biggest achievement as a player was winning a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Olympic Gold Medal

At the 1964 Olympic Games, Károly Palotai was part of the Hungarian national football team. They played really well and made it to the final match. In the final, Hungary played against Czechoslovakia. Hungary won the game 2–1, earning Károly Palotai and his teammates a gold medal.

Becoming a Referee

After his successful playing career, Károly Palotai decided to become a football referee. This meant he would make sure players followed the rules during games. He became one of the most respected referees in the world.

Refereeing Major Tournaments

Károly Palotai was chosen to be a referee at several very important football events:

• He officiated at three different FIFA World Cup tournaments:
  • The 1974 FIFA World Cup
  • The 1978 FIFA World Cup
  • The 1982 FIFA World Cup
• He also refereed matches at the European Championship in 1980.
• He was a referee at two different Olympic Games:
  • The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich
  • The 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal

Refereeing Big Finals

Károly Palotai was trusted to referee some of the biggest club football matches in Europe:

• He was the referee for the European Cup final in 1976. This match was between Bayern Munich and AS Saint-Étienne.
• He also refereed the European Cup final in 1981. This game was played by Real Madrid and Liverpool FC.
• He officiated the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in 1979. This match featured FC Barcelona against Fortuna Düsseldorf.
• He was also the referee for the first leg of the UEFA Cup final in 1974–75. This game was between Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Twente.

Károly Palotai's career as both a player and a referee showed his deep love and understanding of football. He is remembered as a true legend in the sport.