According to abbreviationfinder, FIFA is the acronym for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. It is the institution that governs football federations throughout the world. It was founded on 21 of maypole in 1904 and is headquartered in the city of Zurich (Switzerland). It is part of the FA Board International, the body in charge of modifying the rules of the game.
It is responsible for organizing the soccer world championships in the different modalities. It brings together 208 associations or federations of the most universal of sports worldwide, with 16 affiliated countries more than the United Nations, five less than the International Association of Athletics Federations, and the International Basketball Federation, both with 213 federations.
Beginnings of FIFA
The idea of creating an international federation began to emerge at the beginning of the century, when the first official international matches were played on the continent. They wanted to recognize the predominance of the British, who had founded their Football Association in 1863.
Therefore, Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann (secretary of the Dutch Association), addressed the Football Association. The secretary accepted the proposal, but the Executive Committee of the Football Association, the International FA Board and the Associations of Scotland, Wales and Ireland allowed a long time to pass before confirming acceptance of the proposal.
But Robert Guérin, secretary of the Football Department of the Union Françaises des Societés de Sports Athlétiques and journalist did not want to wait any longer and wrote to the national associations of the continent to ask them to examine the proposal.
The 1 of maypole of 1904 met for the first time in an international match selections from France and Belgium, on that occasion the two secretaries of associations (Muhlinghaus and Guerin) first discussed the matter. Meanwhile, the British association gave up participating, so Guerín invited other associations to the founding assembly.
First FIFA Status
- The mutual and exclusive recognition of the national associations present and represented.
- The prohibition of clubs and players playing at the same time for different national associations.
- Mutual recognition of expulsions dictated by other associations and the organization of matches based on the Laws of the Game of the Football Association Ltd.
- Each national association had to contribute annually a fee of CHF 50 (Swiss francs).
In those days it was thought of organizing a competition and in article 9 of the Statutes it was stipulated that FIFA was the only body authorized to organize an international competition. It was agreed to put these provisions into effect as of September 1, 1904.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French) universally known by its acronym FIFA is the institution that governs football federations throughout the world. It was founded on 21 of maypole of 1904 in the back building of the headquarters of the Union Française des Sports Athletiques Saint Honore street n ° 229 in Paris. Representatives of seven European football associations signed the founding act:
- France – Union des Societés Françaises de Sports
- Athlétiques USFSA. Represented by Robert Guérin and André Espir.
- Belgium – Union Belge des Sociétés de Sports UBSSA. Represented by Louis Muhlinghaus and Max Kahn.
- Denmark – Dansk Boldspil Union DBU. Represented by Ludvig Sylow.
- The Netherlands – Nederlandsche Voetbal Bond NVB. Carl Anton Wilhelm Hisrschmann.
- Spain – Real Madrid FC. Represented by André Espir.
- Sweden – Svenska Bollspells Förbundet SBF. Represented by Ludvig Sylow.
- Switzerland – Association Suisse de Football ASF. Represented by Victor E. Schneider
On the very day of its founding, the German Association presented itself by telegram. Two days later, 23 of maypole of 1904, the first FIFA Congress appointed as president journalist Frances Robert Guerin, vice president Victor E. Schneider and Carl Anton; Louis Muhlinghaus was appointed secretary and treasurer, assisted by Ludvig Syiow.
These pioneers were in charge of creating associations as true representatives and getting members. First, there was convincing the English that their participation in the new organization was indispensable. The 14 of April of 1905, the leadership of the Football Association Ltd., recognized national associations affiliated to FIFA and declared their affiliation.
Anthem
Since the 1994 Soccer World Cup, as well as the UEFA Champions League, FIFA adopted an anthem composed by the German Franz Lambert, which has no lyrics, only instrumental music.
The FIFA anthem is used before they play international matches, including friendlies, World Cup, Women ‘s World Cup, FIFA U 20 and U 17 as well as in the finals of the national tournaments and other special events like the day of Fair play.
In 2004, that is to say, on the eve of the commemoration of the centenary of FIFA, the Japanese musician Gota Yashiki made some arrangements for this anthem.
Second FIFA Congress and the first Championship
The second FIFA Congress took place in Paris and was from June 10 to 12, 1905. In the meantime, the associations of Germany, Austria, Italyand Hungary, as well as Wales and Ireland had joined.
There were already discussions about an international competition to be held in 1906. But the plan to organize the first international competition failed. This situation added to economic factors, propitious the replacement of Guérin by the English Daniel Burley Woolfall.
The next international tournament was the Olympic football competition in London 1908, which had a good result with the participation of professional players, it was organized by the English Football Federation, contrary to the principles of FIFA The Federation spread outside the continent European with the entry of South Africa in 1909, Argentina and Chile in 1912 and the United States in 1913. This was the beginning of FIFA’s worldwide activity.
At the beginning of the First World War in 1914 it affected the development of football, many players were expelled by the war and the possibility of traveling to fulfill international commitments was affected. However, international relations were not completely interrupted. After the war, Woolfall passed away and the organization was temporarily led by the Dutchman Carl Hirschmann.
The 1 of March of 1921 the French Jules Rimet becomes president and becomes the third president of FIFA, which had 20 members when Rimet took office. The British, Brazilians, and Uruguayans had withdrawn and were no longer part of the organization.
Jules Rimet was not, in his beginnings in FIFA an unknown person. In 1914 he participated as a representative of the French Federation and approved a notion that read “Under the condition that the Olympic Football Tournament is organized in accordance with the FIFA Regulations, the competition will be recognized as a World Amateur Championship”.
FIFA was ready to take on the responsibility of organizing the Olympic Football Tournament of the 7th Olympic Games in Paris. The success was enormous, with 24 national teams participating. The English did not participate, however the United States and Uruguay were there, the latter finishing Olympic Champion by beating Switzerland in the finals by 3 goals to 0.
In the 1928 Olympic Tournament in Amsterdam, Uruguay also triumphed on that occasion, its final opponent was Argentina. After the Olympic tournaments, FIFA’s desire to organize a World Cup of its own increased. At the proposal of the Executive Committee, the FIFA Congress of May 28, 1928 decided to hold a World Championship. Only the organizing association had to be chosen.
Hungary, Italy, Holland, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay presented their candidacies. But it was Uruguay (two-time Olympic champion 1924 and 1928) and commemorated in 1930 the centenary of independence.
The FIFA Congress held in 1929 in Barcelona designated Uruguay as the first country to host a World Cup. The decision was not taken with much enthusiasm, Europe was in an economic crisis and several associations began to withdraw their participation proposals, but thanks to Jules Rimet, four European teams embarked on the journey: France, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Romania.
The 18 of July of 1930 was inaugurated at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo the First World Football Championship. The organizers were disappointed to have only 4 European teams, the rancor in Montevideo was so serious that for the first and last time the world champion (Uruguay) did not appear, four years later to defend the title in Italy 1934. Four years later, Jules Rimet, the “Father of the World Championship”, saw his dream come true: the World Championship was held in France, his native country.
