Arthur George


Sir Arthur Thomas George AO, born Athanasios Theodore Tzortzatos, was an Australian lawyer and association football administrator.

Early life

George was born in Sydney, Australia to parents of Greek ancestry and was schooled at Kensington Public School. He later attended Sydney Boys High School from 1928 to 1937 before taking the Solicitors Admission Board test and being admitted as a solicitor in 1938.

Soccer

George was President of the Australian Soccer Federation between 1969 and 1988. From 1978–1982 he was president of the Oceania Football Confederation.
He was appointed to the FIFA Executive Committee in 1980.

Honours

George was knighted in 1972 in recognition of service to the Australian/Greek community. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1987 in recognition of service to the community and to education. In 1994, FIFA awarded him the gold Order of Merit—the organisation's highest honour. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian society through law, education and sport.