Károly Palotai (11 September 1935 – 3 February 2018) was a Hungarian association football player and referee. He was an Olympic Gold winner as a player before turning to refereeing. He was a referee at three World Cup tournaments and officiated in two European Cup finals.[1][2]

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 (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) 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)
International career
1963–1964 Hungary Olympic 15 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Hungary
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1964 Tokyo Team competition

Refereeing career
Domestic
Years League Role
1969–1983 Nemzeti Bajnokság I Referee
International
Years League Role
1970–1984 FIFA listed Referee
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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He was a successful player with Győri ETO FC and also won a gold medal at the football tournament of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, when Hungary defeated Czechoslovakia in the final with 2–1.

Refereeing career

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Károly Palotai was a referee in the FIFA World Cups 1974, 1978 and 1982, as well as in the European Championship 1980 and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich and the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. In addition, he officiated the finals of the European Champions' Cup 1976 between Bayern Munich and AS Saint-Etienne and 1981 between Real Madrid and Liverpool FC, the European Cup Winners' Cup final of 1979 between FC Barcelona and Fortuna Düsseldorf and the first leg of the finals of the UEFA Cup 1974–75 between Borussia Mönchengladbach and FC Twente Enschede.

Personal life

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He is the father of Budapest DJ and co-founder of the radio station Tilos Radio, Zsolt Palotai.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Károly Palotai". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  2. ^ Gyász: 82 éves korában elhunyt Palotai Károly (in Hungarian)
  3. ^ Alvarez, Péter (22 November 2023). "Kiderült, mi okozta DJ Palotai halálát". index.hu (in Hungarian).
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