George Easthama member of the English team that won the 1966 World Cup, has died aged 88, his former club, the Stoke City. The son of England international George Senior, midfielder and inside forward Eastham played for Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke City in the English top flight in a professional career that spanned two decades and earned 19 international appearances.
Known for his lethal left foot and creativity, Eastham was a legend at Stoke, and scored the winning goal in the 1972 League Cup final, helping the club to their first major trophy in a 2-0 victory over Chelsea . Eastham made 194 league appearances for Stoke over eight seasons and went on to manage the club between 1977 and 1978.
Born in Blackpool, he is also remembered for his crusade against the old “retain and transfer” system which allowed a club to keep a player’s registration as a way of forcing him to stay. When Eastham’s contract at Newcastle expired in 1959, he went on strike for eight months to force the club to let him leave for Arsenal.
Eastham also brought High Court action against the “hold and transfer” system, where a judge found it unjustified, leading to major reforms in the British transfer market and the establishment of a tribunal to resolve the misunderstandings. He was awarded the ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in 1973 for his services to football.
Stoke players will wear black sashes as a mark of respect for Eastham when they visit Sheffield Wednesday for a Championship match on Saturday, the club said in a statement.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
