Eric "Hövdingen" Persson (19 April 1898 – 9 June 1984) was chairman of the Swedish football club Malmö FF between 1937 and 1974.

At the yearly members meeting in 1974, he announced that he would be stepping down as chairman after the season, his successor would be Hans Cavalli-Björkman.

Four years later in 1979, Malmö FF reached the final of the European Cup (The predecessor to UEFA Champions League).

During World War II, Persson was a part of organisations that helped Jewish people escape the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

[citation needed] In 1958, Persson part of the committee who selected the Swedish national football team for the FIFA World Cup which took place in Sweden that year.