Leo Goldstein

Leo Goldstein was an American-Israeli association football referee who survived the Holocaust thanks to his expertise in the rules of soccer.[1]

Biography

Leo Goldstein was a Polish-born Jew. He was deported to Auschwitz and was condemned to the gas chambers but was suddenly pulled aside by an SS guard who claimed to be a German international soccer player. He was ordered to return to the barracks and serve as a referee in soccer games between soldiers and guards at Auschwitz and nearby camps.[2]

After the war he immigrated to Israel, but eventually settled in New York, where he worked as a taxi driver and a referee of soccer games in the Bowery.[3]

Sports career

Goldstein refereed for the American Soccer League in the 1950s and 1960s,[4] before becoming a FIFA international referee between 1959 and 1967.[4] Goldstein was active as an assistant referee at FIFA World Cups,[1] officiating the Hungary-England[5] and Chile-Italy[6] matches in the group stages in 1962. He also officiated in the 1959 Pan American Games[7] and 1962 World Cup qualifiers.[8]

Goldstein is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum.[4]

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References
  1. "Profile". Jews In Sports. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  2. Soccer under the Swastika, Kevin E. Simpson
  3. Soccer Stories: Anecdotes, Oddities, Lore, and Amazing Feats, Donn Risolo
  4. "Builder Eligibility Biographies". National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  5. FIFA. "Match Report - Hungary - England 2:1 (1:0)" Archived 2012-08-27 at the Wayback Machine. 31 May 1962. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.
  6. FIFA. "Match Report - Chile - Italy 2:0 (0:0)". 2 June 1962. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.
  7. Mora Rivera, José de Jesus; Litterer, Dave; Morrison, Neil; Jönsson, Mikael. "Panamerican Games 1959". RSSSF, 4 January 2013. Retrieved on 28 April 2013.
  8. RSSSF. "World Cup 1962 qualifications". Retrieved on 28 April 2013.
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