FOUNDATION

The Fdration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the
Union Franaise de Sports Athltiques at the Rue Saint Honor 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904. The foundation act
was signed by the authorised representatives of the following associations:

France - Union des Socits Franaises de Sports Athltiques (USFSA)

Belgium - Union Belge des Socits de Sports (UBSSA)
Denmark - Dansk Boldspil Union (DBU)
Netherlands - Nederlandsche Voetbal Bond (NVB)
Spain - Madrid Football Club
Sweden - Svenska Bollspells Frbundet (SBF)
Switzerland - Association Suisse de Football (ASF)

Present at that historic meeting were: Robert Gurin and Andr Espir (France); Louis Muhlinghaus and Max Kahn
(Belgium); Ludvig Sylow (Denmark); Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschman (Netherlands); Victor E Schneider
(Switzerland). Sylow also represented the SBF while Spir performed the same function for the Madrid Football Club.
When the idea of founding an international football federation began taking shape in Europe, the intention of those
involved was to recognise the role of the English who had founded their Football Association back in 1863.
Hirschman, secretary of the Netherlands Football Association, turned to the Football Association. Its secretary, FJ
Wall, did accept the proposal but progress stalled while waiting for the Executive Committee of the Football
Association, the International FA Board and the associations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland to give their opinion
about the matter.
Gurin, secretary of the football department of the Union des Socits Franaises de Sports Athltiques and a
journalist with Le Matin newspaper, did not want to wait any longer. He contacted the national associations on the
continent in writing and asked them to consider the possibility of founding an umbrella organisation.
When Belgium and France met in the first official international match in Brussels on 1 May 1904, Gurin discussed
the subject with his Belgian counterpart Louis Muhlinghaus. It was now definite that the English FA, under its
president Lord Kinnaird, would not be participating in the foundation of an international federation. So Gurin took
the opportunity and sent out invitations to the founding assembly. The process of organising the international
game had begun.
The first FIFA Statutes were laid down and the following points determined: the reciprocal and exclusive
recognition of the national associations represented and attending; clubs and players were forbidden to play
simultaneously for different national associations; recognition by the other associations of a player's suspension
announced by an association; and the playing of matches according to the Laws of the Game of the Football
Association Ltd.
Each national association had to pay an annual fee of FF50. Already then there were thoughts of staging an
international competition and Article 9 stipulated that FIFA alone was entitled to take over the organisation of such
an event. It was decided that these regulations would only come into force as of 1 September 1904. Moreover, the
first Statutes of FIFA were only of a provisional nature, in order to simplify the acceptance of additional members.
On the day of foundation, the Deutscher Fussball-Bund (German FA) sent a telegram confirming that it would
adhere to these Statutes in principle.
FIFA TAKES SHAPE
The first FIFA Congress followed immediately and on 22 May 1904, Robert Guerin was elected as President. Victor
E Schneider (Switzerland) and Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschman (Netherlands) were made Vice-Presidents. Louis
Muhlinghaus (Belgium) was appointed Secretary and Treasurer, with the assistance of Ludvig Sylow (Denmark).
These pioneers were faced with an immense task because FIFA only existed on paper, as it were. Now came the
real work: to give this new body shape and attract new members. In the first place, the English had to be
convinced that their membership of this newly created organisation was indispensable.

On 14 April 1905, the Executive Committee of the FA recognised the national associations affiliated to FIFA and
joined. This was FlFA's first big success and the credit was due Baron Edouard de Laveleye. With great personal
effort, the president of the Union Belge des Socits de Sports Athltiques dissipated the last misgivings of the
English. The Baron became the first honorary member of FIFA.
The second FIFA Congress took place in Paris from 10 to 12 June 1905. In the meantime, the associations from
Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary had joined FIFA; Scotland, Wales and Ireland would follow England's
example. There was already talk about an international competition to take place in 1906. It would consist of four
groups and Switzerland would be in charge of organising the semi-finals and the final. There was a proposal to
involve the best club teams and Schneider, the Swiss Vice-President, had already donated a trophy.
The FIFA Executive Committee was elected for a further year but now the difficulties were accumulating. The first
international competition was a failure. Various national associations had major worries, with the French governing
body divided internally. These difficulties were a heavy burden for the FIFA President who had set about his tasks
with so much enthusiasm. Guerin increasingly withdrew from the sport and handed over the administration to VicePresident Schneider and Espir, his personal assistant.
All the same, FIFA could now give a sign of its strength. When the 'English Ramblers', an improvised English
football club, wanted to play games on the continent without the authorisation of the FA, FIFA forbade its members
from playing against this team. The FA, which like its three fellow British associations now had a good relationship
with FIFA, was particularly impressed by this strict and uncompromising stance.
This was in clear evidence at the next Congress in Berne in 1906 where - with Schneider conducting negotiations in
the absence of Gurin - Daniel Burley Woolfall, an Englishman, was elected the new President. Woolfall was a
pragmatist and had gathered a great deal of experience on the administrative board of the FA. Under his guidance,
English and continental football became more united. Moreover, he also led the push for uniformity in the Laws of
the Game.
The idea of holding a major international competition was still up in the air and so the FA in England assumed the
responsibility for staging a tournament that took place as part of the Olympic Games in London in 1908. Some
problems arose in the organisation, which were still unsolved four years later in 1912, when the tournament was
played in Stockholm. The new sport was regarded with suspicion at the Olympics and was considered as a show
and not a competition. Given the amateur ethos of the Olympics, the problem of professional players also arose - a
thorny problem which would be pursued in decades to follow. England won both the 1908 and 1912 tournaments.
The Congress which, in accordance with the Statutes, was to be held in different cities on an annual basis, was
always presided over by President Woolfall. The will to impose uniform football rules on an international level
always featured at the top of the agenda. This had a positive effect, resulting in the basic rules of the federation,
which are still partly valid today and which allowed FIFA to create a solid base and develop clear guidelines.
Under the guidance of the English President, obvious progress was also made in the administration. The first official
FIFA bulletin was published. It was agreed to have French as the official language. The application of the Laws of
the Game, strictly established according to the English model, became compulsory. A clear definition was made of
international matches - national selections and inter-club - and outsiders were forbidden to organise games for
lucrative purposes.
FIFA only consisted of European Associations up until 1909. The first members from overseas joined in the
following order: South Africa in 1909/10, Argentina and Chile in 1912, United States in 1913. This was the start of
FlFA's intercontinental activities. The long path towards full expansion had been sketched out.

MORE ASSOCIATIONS FOLLOW

The start of World War One caused a major interruption. Who talked then about football and its mission to unite
nations? And yet, the ties that had been developed were not fully broken, even if they were only maintained on a

small scale. There were some international matches played, albeit organised on neutral territory. However, given
the difficulties some members faced in crossing frontiers, there would be no Congress for seven years from 1914.
President Daniel Burley Woolfall died in 1918 and that FIFA did not fade out altogether was down to one man only,
Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschman. He carried out his tasks as honorary secretary from his offices in Amsterdam and
carefully kept the organisation alive, maintaining correspondence with his foreign colleagues. This way, he looked
after the FIFA Secretariat on his own, and at his own expense.
Hirschman had an incredible capacity for work and dedicated his life to sport in general and football in particular. A
former general secretary of the Dutch Football Association, he also helped establish his national Olympic
Committee. One of the founders of FIFA, he made contact with all the members at the end of the war, on the
initiative of the President of the French Football Association, Jules Rimet. Hirschman actually convened an assembly
in Brussels in 1919 but negotiations advanced slowly. After a long, bloody war, wounds had not yet healed. Many
delegates, particularly the British, did not yet want to accept yesterday's foes.
A meeting was eventually held in Antwerp in 1920 and a new administrative Board of FIFA was elected on a
provisional basis. It comprised the following: Rimet as chairman, Denmark's Louis Oestrup as deputy chairman and
Hirschman as honorary secretary. The results of this election were then submitted to all affiliated associations
which unanimously gave their approval by mail. This was the last time that such a procedure was employed, as the
next Statutes excluded voting by mail or by mandate.
Rimet became FIFA's third President on 1 March 1921 and the game's governing body became the life task of the
then 48 year-old Frenchman. He took over a federation that had been shaken by World War One and counted 20
members. The British had left in unison and neither Brazil nor Uruguay were present. Over the 33 years of his
presidency, FIFA experienced an incredible upswing - and this in spite of the subsequent horrors of World War Two.
One ought to talk about a 'Jules Rimet era' in view of his success in reorganising FIFA and realising the dream of a
world championship. On passing on the reins of FIFA in 1954, as he opened the FIFA World Cup in Switzerland,
the federation counted 85 members.
Rimet was hardly an unknown. While president of France's Ligue de Football Association, he had participated in the
1914 Congress. The following proposal was ratified on that occasion: "Under the condition that the Olympic
Tournament take place in accordance with the Regulations of FIFA, the latter shall recognise this as a world football
championship for amateurs." FIFA had underlined its eagerness to assume responsibility for organising the Olympic
Football Tournament and in the first years of Rimet's reign, it did just that.
The 1924 Olympic Football Tournament in Paris featured 24 teams and proved a great success. The British stayed
away but the Americans were there and a team representing faraway Uruguay showed how football was played in
South America, much to the delight of the public. Uruguay's results were astounding: 7-0 against Yugoslavia, 3-0
against the United States, 5-1 against France, 2-1 against the Netherlands. Sixty thousand spectators followed the
final between Uruguay and Switzerland, which the South Americans won 3-0. Uruguay had the gold medal - and
were celebrated as world champions in Montevideo.
South America's predominance was even more impressive at the Olympics in Amsterdam in 1928. Uruguay
retained their gold medal at the expense of their neighbours and final opponents Argentina. It was not long before
the teams were facing each in another final... for an even greater prize.

THE FIRST FIFA WORLD CUP

The success of the Olympic Football Tournament intensified FlFA's wish for its own world championship.
Questionnaires were sent to the affiliated associations, asking whether they agreed to the organisation of a
tournament and under what conditions. A special committee examined the question, with President Jules Rimet the
driving force. He was aided by the untiring Secretary of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay.
Following a remarkable proposal by the Executive Committee, the FIFA Congress in Amsterdam on 28 May 1928
decided to stage a world championship organised by FIFA. Now, the organising country had to be chosen. Hungary,

Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden submitted their candidatures. Right from the start, Uruguay was the
favourite and not simply for its Olympic gold medal wins in 1924 and 1928 - the country was celebrating its 100th
anniversary of independence in 1930 at great expense.
Moreover, its national association was willing to cover all the costs, including the travel and accommodation of the
participating teams. Any possible profit would be shared, while Uruguay would take on the deficit. These arguments
were decisive. The FIFA Congress in Barcelona in 1929 assigned Uruguay as first host country of the FIFA World
Cup . The other candidates had withdrawn.
With Europe in the midst of an economic crisis, not everything went to plan during the countdown to these first
finals. Participation did not only involve a long sea journey for the Europeans; the clubs would have to renounce
their best players for two months. Consequently, more and more associations broke their promise to participate
and it took much manoeuvring by Rimet to ensure at least four European teams - France, Belgium, Romania and
Yugoslavia - joined him on the Conte Verde liner bound for Buenos Aires.
The first FIFA World Cup opened at the brand-new Estadio Centenario in Montevideo on 18 July 1930. It was the
beginning of a new era in world football and the inaugural event proved a remarkable success, both in a sporting
and a financial sense. Of course, the organisers were disappointed that only four European sides had participated.
The anger in Montevideo was so intense in fact that four years later, world champions Uruguay became the first
and only team to refuse to defend their title.
When the Congress convened in Budapest in 1930, it thanked Uruguay for staging the world championship for the
first time in difficult conditions. It also noted its regret at seeing only a minimum number of teams participating
from Europe.
The significance of the new tournament only increased following the setback FIFA suffered in the lead-up to the
1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. After failing to settle differences of opinion over the amateur status of
footballers with the International Olympic Committee regarding the amateur status of football players, plans to
organise the Olympic Football Tournament were abandoned.
FIFA chose Italy ahead of rival candidates Sweden to host the second FIFA World Cup and this time it took
qualifying matches to arrive at the 16 finalists. Unlike in 1930 there were no groups and only knockout rounds,
meaning Brazil and Argentina went home after playing just one match each. Once again, the home team prevailed,
Italy winning the Final against Czechoslovakia in extra time. For the first time, the Final was transmitted on the
radio.
Four years later, Rimet saw his wish fulfilled when the third FIFA World Cup took place in France, his home country.
Again not everything ran according to plan: Austria had disappeared from the scene and so Sweden did not have
an opponent in the first round. Uruguay still did not wish to participate and Argentina withdrew. This is why the
national teams from Cuba and the Dutch East Indies came to France. This time, there was no home victory and
Italy successfully defended their title.
The FIFA World Cup should have taken place for the fourth time in 1942 but the outbreak of World War Two meant
otherwise. Although FIFA maintained its Zurich offices throughout the conflict, it was not until 1 July 1946 in
Luxembourg that the Congress met again. Thirty-four associations were represented and they gave Rimet, who
had been President for a quarter of a century already, a special Jubilee gift. From now on, the FIFA World Cup
trophy would be called the Jules Rimet Cup.
As the only candidate, Brazil was chosen unanimously to host the next FIFA World Cup, to be staged in 1949 (and
postponed to 1950 for time reasons). At the same time, Switzerland was given the option for 1954.

BRITISH ASSOCIATIONS RETURN

The year 1946 saw the return of the four British associations to FIFA. This was thanks in large part to the
diplomatic talent of Jules Rimet who found in Arthur Drewry and Sir Stanley Rous farsighted partners in the English
FA. Both men would head FIFA in later years.

The event was celebrated with a match between Great Britain and a 'Rest of Europe XI' played at Hampden Park,
Glasgow on 10 May 1947.Billed as 'The Match of the Century' by the press, it drew a crowd of 135,000 spectators
and receipts amounted to 35,000. As a sign of goodwill, this sum was placed at FlFA's disposal in order to help the
governing body surmount financial difficulties brought on by the war years. The British won the game 6-1.
The first post-war FIFA World Cup was staged in Brazil in 1950, where the hosts lost out on the title to Uruguay.
For the second time, the 'Jules Rimet Cup' was bound for Montevideo.
The start of the fifth finals in Switzerland in 1954 signalled the end of Rimet's long reign. After opening the
tournament in Lausanne, the 80-year-old President confirmed his retirement at the Congress in Bern on 21 June.
Rimet earned a standing ovation from his fellow delegates and, moreover, became the first Honorary President. For
the last time, on 4 July, the 'Father of the World Cup' presented the captain of the victorious team, West
Germany's Fritz Walter, with the 'Jules Rimet Cup'.

50th ANNIVERSARY
Rodolphe William Seeldrayers was the fourth President of FIFA, stepping into the shoes of Jules Rimet whom he
had assisted as Vice-President for over 25 years. In his new function, he celebrated the 50th Anniversary of FIFA,
which now counted 85 members. Yet his reign was brief, curtailed by his death in October 1955.
Seeldrayers' successor was Arthur Drewry who was elected President on 9 June 1956, but had already headed FIFA
for over half a year on an interim basis. He chaired the Study Committee for the new FIFA Statutes and opened the
sixth FIFA World Cup in Stockholm in 1958. Brazil captured their first world title in Sweden but it would prove the
only finals of Drewry's presidency. He died on 25 March 1961 aged 70.
FIFA's operations were controlled for six months by the Swiss Ernst B Thommen who, as chairman of the
Organising Committee for the 1954, 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cups, gave great service to the world governing
body. Then, on 28 September 1961, Sir Stanley Rous was elected the sixth President of FIFA.
Rous was an international referee in his younger years and in the late 1930s had helped rewrite the Laws of the
Game. It was to his great delight that during his term of office, England won the world crown in 1966. As
President, Rous oversaw further expansion. During this post-colonial period, the number of members grew steadily
with affiliation to FIFA among the first steps taken by many newly independent nations. The television transmission
of

the

FIFA

World

Cup

also

contributed

considerably

towards

the

worldwide

expansion.

As a private institution, FIFA's means and possibilities were still very much restricted as it received neither
governmental subsidies nor funds from other sources. Income came strictly from profits from the FIFA World Cup
and this money had to be spread out over a four-year period. It took a great deal of self-sacrifice, therefore, to
maintain FIFA's good work and Rous achieved this. In recognition of his merits, he was made Honorary President in
Frankfurt on 11 June 1974. On that day, the Brazilian Dr Joao Havelange took over the reins of the Fdration
Internationale de Football Association.

A NEW ERA
From the moment the South American Confederation, the Confederacin Sudamericana de Ftbol, presented his
candidature for the FIFA Presidency in 1970, Dr Joo Havelange had looked for solutions to the major problems of
world football. When the Brazilian was elected at the 39th Congress in 1974, he was ready to consider football not
only as a competition but also to try and find new ways and means of promoting technical development worldwide.
Havelange's installation in FIFA's headquarters heralded the dawn of a new era. Previously, with survival
dependent almost exclusively on FIFA World Cup proceeds in four-yearly intervals, the world governing body had
been somewhat conservative when it came to taking decisions. In no time, Havelange transformed an
administration-oriented institution into a dynamic enterprise brimming with new ideas and the will to see them
through.

The actual address in Zurich, home to FIFA since 1932, did not alter but beside the Derwald Villa on the
Zurichberg, which in 1974 housed a staff of just 12, a modern office building now rose housing almost 100
employees coming to grips with an ever increasing workload.
Back in 1974, FIFA was flexing its muscles in readiness for the tenth FIFA World Cup, which was very much a trial
of strength between Europe with nine teams and South America with four. The ripples created by political
upheavals, particularly in Africa where many former colonies had been granted independence, were beginning to be
noticed on the international sports scene. At that time Africa, Asia, and CONCACAF were each still sending one
selection each to the world football showpiece. For the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, Havelange duly increased
the table of competitors from 16 to 24 teams.
Since that decision, the unqualified success of teams that were once derided as also-rans has reinforced
Havelange's notion that his policies were right. For the 1998 finals in France, the field was increased again to 32
finalists, allowing even greater participation from all the confederations.
On a political level, Havelange firmly followed the course of appeasement and service, following the principle of
universality to which FIFA has committed itself. Under his leadership, the FIFA offices became the hub of sporting
diplomacy. One notable example of this was when representatives from Iraq, Iran, the two Koreas, Japan and
Saudi Arabia came face to face in Zurich in July 1993 to discuss the Asian final qualifying round for USA 94 in an
atmosphere of friendship and peace.
Havelange had already shown his flair for taking advantage of the conciliatory potential of football at exactly the
right moment. After intense diplomatic activity - the Brazilian visited every association at least once- he smoothed
the way for the People's Republic of China to return to FIFA. In 1991 the two Koreas sent a joint team to the FIFA
World Youth Championship in Portugal. And because of its particular situation, Israel began competing with
European teams in all FIFA qualifying competitions.

GLOBALISATION
Over the past 25 years football has enhanced its status as the world's leading game, reaching into
other branches of society, commerce and politics. Football, more than any other factor, has enveloped
whole regions, people and nations.
With approximately 200 million active players it now constitutes a substantial chunk of the leisure
industry, having opened up new markets for itself and for the rest of the business world.
The potential has yet to be exhausted, especially in Asia and North America. As of mid-2007, FIFA has
grown to include 208 member associations, thus making it one of the biggest and certainly the most
popular sports federation in the world.

THE BLATTER YEARS

On 8 June 1998 Joseph S. Blatter was elected as successor to Dr Joo Havelange and became the eighth FIFA
President. This victory at the 51st FIFA Ordinary Congress in Paris elevated the Swiss, who had already served FIFA
in various positions for 23 years, on to the highest rang in international football.
Blatter is one of the most versatile and experienced exponents of international sport diplomacy and is totally
committed to serving football, FIFA and the world's youth.