František Fadrhonc

František Fadrhonc (18 December 1914 – 9 October 1981) was a Czech football manager, who was born in Nymburk, Austria-Hungary, present day Czech Republic. He coached many teams in Europe, mostly in the Netherlands. After winning the Dutch championship with Willem II Tilburg in 1952 and 1955,^[1] he coached SC Enschede and Go Ahead Eagles.

František Fadrhonc

Fadrhonc pictured in 1974
Personal information
Date of birth	(1914-12-18)18 December 1914
Place of birth	Nymburk, Austria-Hungary
Date of death	9 October 1981(1981-10-09) (aged 66)
Place of death	Nicosia, Cyprus
Managerial career
Years	Team
1949–1956	Willem II
1956–1962	SC Enschede
1962–1970	Go Ahead Eagles
1970–1974	Netherlands
1974–1977	AEK Athens
1977–1978	AEK Athens Academy
1978–1979	Panachaiki
1980–1981	AEK Athens (assistant)
1981	Keravnos

In 1970, he took over the Netherlands national team and was their coach as they qualified for the 1974 FIFA World Cup, besting, among others, their rivals Belgium. However, it was Rinus Michels who took over in 1974 and who led them in the finals of that tournament.

On 2 August 1974 Fadrhonc left the Netherlands and moved to Greece to coach AEK Athens.^[2] With the support of the club's owner, Loukas Barlos he built a team that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in the 1977. In fact in the second leg of the quarter-finals against QPR, while the match was leading to a penalty shoutout, Fadrhonc used his substitution to replace regular goalkeeper, Lakis Stergioudas with the veteran Nikos Christidis. His move was justified since Christidis saved two penalties and AEK went through to the semi-finals.^[3] Fadrhonc left AEK on 23 September 1977, due to the differences he had with Barlos.^[4]

On 26 June 1978, he became the manager of Panachaiki,^[5] until 19 March 1979, when he was fired.^[6] On 21 March 1979 he returned to AEK and took change of the club's academies.^[7] On 26 March 1980, when the rookie Miltos Papapostolou took charge of the bench of AEK, he became his assistant and he also assumed the position of the fitness coach.^[8] With the removal of Papapostolou in the summer of 1981, he was removed as well.^[9]

On 13 August 1981, with the help of an official of AEK, Vasos Chatziioanou, he was hired as the head coach of Keravnos in Cyprus.^[10] He died on 9 October at age of 66, shortly after his debut at the club.^[11]

Honours

Willem II^[12]

• Netherlands Football League Championship: 1951–52, 1954–55