Gabriel Hanot (6 November 1889 – 10 August 1968) was a French footballer and journalist (the editor of L'equipe. The European Cup – which became the UEFA Champions League – was the brainchild of Hanot.

The France national team which lined up against Spain at the Stade de Colombes on 19 June 1949 had very little to show for its season to that point. A weakened Switzerland had been beaten 4-2 a fortnight earlier, but the four previous games had brought three defeats and a draw, while Yugoslavia lay in wait for a double-header that would send its winner to the 1950 World Cup. The last opportunity to build some momentum before then was given by the visit of Spain, who offered a much sterner test than the Swiss. That chance was blown, emphatically so. The French capitulated 5-1 in front of their public, giving the sports daily L’Équipe every reason to publish one of the most violent editorials in its history two days later. The headline summed up the belligerent mood of its anonymous author.
“An Upheaval is France’s Only Chance of Salvation!”
What followed was a two-page reform plan which addressed every single symptom of the disease at the heart of French football, from overpaid professionals (“120,000 francs and more per month”, almost 10 times the minimum wage which would be introduced in France soon afterwards) to the reduction of the League calendar (“a maximum of 14 or 16 teams in the top division”, no games to be played less than three days apart), the prohibition of friendlies in the close season and the free access of children to stadiums (“under the constant supervision of a coach, even if there are cases of truancy” – no half-measures, then).

This man came with idea of a UEFA competition which will unify Europe and this has led to a popular and formidable competition now called UEFA champions league and the Europa league
http://www.maliq247.com.ng/2019/12/gabriel-habit-brain-behind-uefa.html?m=1

Wow....good to know...

Why no mention of the friendly between Wolverhampton and honved which gave birth to the competition
Also for all the english noise the top competitions were creatd by the french and irish