Player led the fight against so-called ‘slavery contracts’He scored Stoke’s winner in 1972 League Cup final win
George Eastham, a member of England’s World Cup-winning squad, has died at the age of 88. Eastham did not play in England’s 1966 success on home soil, but the winger was part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s squad that lifted the trophy for the only time in the nation’s history.
Blackpool-born Eastham spent most of his career at Newcastle, Arsenal and Stoke; he also left a far-reaching legacy as the man who battled against so-called “slavery contracts”. Eastham’s involvement in a 1963 court case that improved players’ freedom to move between clubs ended up reforming the British transfer market.
About Author
More Stories
Generation TikTok: how sportswomen set the bar higher than the men
Ivan Juric sets sights on ‘death metal football’ at struggling Southampton
Claressa Shields: ‘I’m not here for people to cry and feel sorry for me’