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A Brief History of FIFA |
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Well before the creation of FIFA on May 21 1904, the idea of an 'umbrella' organisation, which would control all aspects of global football, had already been mooted by the then dominant force of the English Football Association in the 19th century. However, it took several progressive Europeans to come up with the skill and enterprise to from an all-governing body. Initially, FIFA consisted of 7 European nations: Belgium, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Spain. After several failed attempts at staging an international tournament and the problems the First World War produced, it was not until 26 years after the birth of FIFA that the first World Cup finals took place. Although there was a lengthy delay before a tournament was organised, international matches were a regular occurrence. Although Scotland and England may lay claim to contesting the first ever international match, the first 'official' match took place between France and Belgium, on May 1 1904. This fixture acted as a precursor to the fulfilment of a Frenchman's dream and the creation of the dominant sporting organisation in the world. Robert Guerin, (1904-1906) was the first FIFA President and he presided over the discussions that created the laws and statutes of the organisation and of international football, many of which are all intact to this day, including the most prized and important law: players are forbidden to play for more than one nation. Under Guerin, England (who had previously been antagonistic to the creation of FIFA and therefore decided against, much to the anger of Guerin, joining FIFA in May) grudgingly joined the new organisation later in the year. They were followed by Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary in 1906. Therefore, by the end of 1906, membership had swelled and there was a growing body of opinion that favoured organising a tournament between the affiliated members. As desirable as this was, internal wrangling delayed the process, and at this point, the hitherto influential Guerin, played less of a role in the development of FIFA. In 1906 he was replaced by Englishman, Daniel Burley Woolfall (1906-1918), who had experience with the English Football Association and fought hard to promote the uniformity of the game's laws. His lasting legacy was the inclusion of several nations outside of Europe. Up to 1909, only European nations were members: when Woolfall died in 1918, South Africa, USA, Chile and Argentina had all added their considerable weight to FIFA. Truly, it could be called an international organisation. With the death of its President and the onset of global warfare, the future of not only FIFA, but also football itself, looked grave. FIFA survived the War due to the efforts of one man: Honorary Secretary, Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann. His hard work at organising games on neutral territory and promoting sporting harmony amongst member nations who were fighting each other all over the world, ensured the longevity of FIFA. The most important and influential figure in the history of FIFA, took over as President in 1921. Jules Rimet had a lot of work to do to ensure FIFA would survive the economic depression that was beginning to hit the world. What he achieved is incomparable with any other person in FIFA's illustrious history. He presided over the inaugural World Cup Finals in Uruguay in 1930, had the trophy named after him until 1970, and under him, membership grew from 20 to 84. He is the founding father of modern day FIFA and set in motion the cycle of events that sees FIFA as the outstanding sporting organisation in the world today. There was no greater recognition of the work of Jules Rimet than when the decision was taken to name the World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy which now belongs to the Brazilian Football Association, after their historic third victory in Mexico in 1970. The current president, Joseph Blatter continues to do the work that FIFA has dedicated itself to over the last century: promoting the game in all parts of the world and allowing football to cross political and social differences. From its humble beginnings of 7 members, it now boasts over 200 affiliated nations and is widely recognised as the largest and most popular sporting organisation in the world.
Robert Guerin France
1904-1906 |
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