December 23 – Former England midfielder George Eastham, a member of the country’s 1966 World Cup winning team who became equally known for blazing a trail for freedom of movement for players, has died aged 88.
Stoke City announced Eastham’s death late on Friday, saying it was “deeply saddened” to lose a “club legend”. It did not mention the cause of death.
Eastham played for Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke in the English top-flight league during a professional career spanning two decades and earned 19 international caps.
Known for his lethal left foot and creativity, Eastham was a legend at Stoke, famously scoring the winner in the 1972 League Cup Final, their first major trophy in a 2–1 win over Chelsea. He made 194 league appearances for Stoke over eight seasons and managed the club from 1977–78.
He will also be remembered for his crusade against the old ‘retain and transfer’ system where clubs could refuse to allow players to transfer even if their contract expired as a way of forcing them to stay.
When Eastham’s contract with Newcastle expired in 1959, he went on strike for eight months to force the club to join Arsenal.
Eastham took his case against the arrangement to the High Court, which led to major reforms in the British transfer market and the establishment of a tribunal to deal with disputes.
He was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1973 for his services to football.
Eastham did not take the field himself at the 1966 World Cup and the winner’s medal had to wait until 2007 when FIFA should have awarded medals retrospectively to non-playing squad members from previous finals.
Eastman finished his playing career in South Africa, where he also coached. He became a vocal critic of apartheid, the apartheid system of segregation in the country at the time.
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