Emil Poklitar

Emil Poklitar was born on 14 June 1939 in Tatanir in the Dobruja region of Romania. During the Second World War his family moved to Görlitz in 1941, then in 1947 to Žatec in Czechoslovakia, and later settled in Falkensee near Berlin. He played his early football for SG Finkenkrug until July 1958.

Poklitar joined BSG Rotation Babelsberg in the DDR-Oberliga in August 1958, scoring two goals in seven top flight games before the club was relegated, and four more in 22 games in the second tier in 1959. In 1960 he moved to SC Dynamo Berlin, where he scored 14 goals in 19 games as Dynamo finished runner up in the East German championship. He scored nine goals in 13 games the following season.

On 13 August 1961 he and teammate Rolf Starost defected to the West after a Dynamo friendly against Boldklubben 93 at Idrætsparken in Copenhagen. He registered with Tennis Borussia Berlin but, after a compulsory twelve month ban, joined Freiburger FC, scoring 15 goals in 33 games in the 2. Liga Süd in 1962/63 and 15 in 34 games in the Regionalliga Süd in 1963/64.

In 1964 he joined 1. FC Saarbrücken. The club won the Regionalliga Südwest in 1964/65, with Poklitar top scorer on 27 goals, and on 5 June 1965 his goal in the 43rd minute inflicted the only defeat suffered by FC Bayern Munich in that promotion round. He was top scorer again in 1965/66 with 30 goals, seven of them in an 11-0 win over BSC Oppau, and scored 19 in 1966/67. Saarbrücken reached three straight Bundesliga promotion rounds without going up. In total he scored 99 goals in 126 Regionalliga games for the club, and 112 goals in 144 matches in all, third on its all time list.

He later coached, including at AS Sarreguemines in France and with youth teams at SV Auersmacher, where his grandson played alongside future Germany international Jonas Hector. He also worked as a sports teacher at the Gymnasium am Schloss in Saarbrücken.

Poklitar made his home in the Saarland after joining 1. FC Saarbrücken and remained part of local football life for decades, coaching young players and teaching sport at a Saarbrücken grammar school. He had at least one grandson, who played youth football at SV Auersmacher. Few other details of his private life have been published.

Emil Poklitar died on 4 October 2026, aged 87. His death was announced by 1. FC Saarbrücken on 5 October 2026. The place and cause of death were not made public. The club paid tribute to him as a charismatic player and a wonderful person whose memory would live on at the Ludwigspark.

Poklitar is remembered as one of the great figures of Saarland football. 1. FC Saarbrücken said he stood for passion, commitment and unshakeable willpower, and that he quickly became the face of the club and a crowd favourite in the 1960s. His escape from East Germany on the day the Berlin Wall was built also made him part of the story of divided German football.