Les Murray | |
|---|---|
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| Born | László Ürge (1945-11-05)5 November 1945 |
| Died | 31 July 2017(2017-07-31) (aged 71) |
| Occupation(s) | Broadcaster, sports journalist, analyst |
| Years active | 1971–2014 |
| Children | 2 |
Les James MurrayAM (bornLászló Ürge[ˈyrɡæˈlaːsloː]; 5 November 1945[1] – 31 July 2017) was a Hungarian-born Australian sports journalist,association football (soccer) broadcaster andanalyst. He was the host ofThe World Game onSBS television, retiring in July 2014,[2] and has been inducted into theFFA'sFootball Hall of Fame.
As the country's most prominent TV presenter of football, Murray played a major role in the sport's growing popularity inAustralia beginning in the 1980s.[3][4] Murray coined the phrase "the world game", which later became the title of SBS's football programme.[citation needed]
Murray was born as László Ürge inPápa, Hungary, the second of three sons of József and Erzsébet Ürgenée Ihrig. The family immigrated to Australia in 1957 under the Hungarian Refugee Assisted Scheme.[1] They resided atWollongong,New South Wales after some time atBonegilla Migrant Camp nearWodonga.[3]
He was educated atBerkeley High School.[5]
He decided to anglicise his name because Ürge was difficult for non-Hungarians to pronounce and made him prone to taunts.[6]: 133 The surname Murray was suggested by his father, as "Muray" is also Hungarian for "of theMura River".[6]: 134
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Murray's passion for football, in which he had been interested from an early age, was sparked after watching a replay of the1960 European Cup Final. He began work as a journalist in 1971. In between, he found time to perform in a small rock music group, 'The Rubber Band', where he was lead singer. He moved toNetwork Ten as a commentator in 1977, changing his name from László Ürge to Les Murray at that time.[7]
Murray moved to SBS in 1980 as aHungarian languagesubtitler but soon turned to covering football. He was the host for SBS coverage of Football including theWorld Cups from 1986 to 2014, as well as Australia's World Cup Qualifiers, most memorably in 1997, 2001 and 2005. He also anchored the SBS team at friendlies and international tournaments in which junior and women's national teams are competing.
SBS sports programs hosted by Murray have includedOn the Ball (1984–2000),Toyota World Sports (c. 1990 – 2006) andThe World Game (2001-his death).On the Ball was co-hosted by formerSocceroo,Johnny Warren, who followed Murray toThe World Game as chief analyst. Besides those programmes the pair had commentated on football matches for decades.[8]
Murray was made aMember of the Order of Australia for services to Football on 12 June 2006 as part of theQueen's Birthday honours list.[9]
In 2006, Murray stepped down from his position as SBS's Sports Director to become an editorial supervisor for SBS, while his on-air role remained the same. His main motive for this decision was to concentrate on his range of presentation duties as the 'face' ofSBS Sport.[10]
On 23 January 2008 Murray was featured inFood Safari episode Hungarian, where he showed Maeve O'Meara how to makerakott krumpli.
He was a member of theFIFA Ethics Committee.[11]
In 2009, he was awardedAustralian Sports Commission Media Award Lifetime Achievement Award.
In August 2011, Murray won the inaugural 'Blogger of the Year' award at the FFDU Australian Football Media awards,[12] ultimately defeating fellow finalists Matthew Collard and Christian Layland.[13]
In June 2014, he announced his retirement as chief football commentator on SBS, to begin after the FIFA World Cup, although he continued to appear in guest spots on SBS.[2]
On 12 December 2021, Les was posthumously inducted to theSydney Cricket Ground Media Hall of Honour, alongside 11 others added to the inaugural 15 media personalities who were first celebrated in 2014.[14]
In 2011, Murray published a book titledThe World Game: The Story of How Football Went Global, in which Murray cited an undisclosed source in alleging thatLucas Neill, the captain of theSocceroos, had instigated a mutiny just before the Germany v Australia game at the2010 FIFA World Cup. Murray alleged that Neill had asked his coach,Pim Verbeek, to leave the room, before describing Verbeek's game-plan as "bullshit" and erasing what the Dutchman had written on a whiteboard, telling the team to play like they normally do. The publication of this story was followed by responses from team members who had been eyewitnesses of the actual events, includingCraig Moore,Eugene Galeković, andMile Jedinak, stating that the event portrayed in Murray's book never occurred. Neill protested that before the Germany game it wasMark Schwarzer, and not Neill himself, who had given the team pep talk. A few days after the allegations hit the news, Murray retracted his allegations with a full apology, with an undertaking that future editions of his book would have the relevant portion deleted.[citation needed]
The same year then-SBS journalistJesse Fink accused Murray of conflict of interest at SBS over his Ethics Committee role at FIFA.[15] In 2020, Fink wrote a piece on his website explaining the chronology of his dispute with Murray.[16]
Murray was married to Eva Katina, and they had two daughters, Natalie and Tania, before divorcing. He then had a long-term relationship with partner Maria.[17]
On 31 July 2017, Murray died of a cancer-related illness inSydney, aged 71.[17] He was given astate funeral atSt Mary's Cathedral in Sydney.[18]
SBS awards the Les Murray Award for Refugee Recognition, to recognise "an outstanding former refugee raising awareness of the plight of forcibly displaced people".[19]
Craig Foster delivered a eulogy for Murray at his state funeral, remarking on the need for Australia "to become a football nation, and to win the ultimate prize - theFIFA World Cup. Les believed it was possible [...] and it can be done".[20]
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