The History of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) began on 21 May 1904, when it was founded at the headquarters of the Union Française de Sports Athlétiques , 229 Rue St Honoré in Paris.

Representatives of the Football Associations of France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland signed the foundation act.

International matches had been played earlier in the century, and the Football Association had been discussing the matter for some time without reaching any agreement. Robert Guérin , a journalist with ‘’Matin’’ got tired of waiting and wrote to each of the continental Football Associations and, at a match between France and Belgium in Brussels on 1 May 1904, their respective secretaries came to the conclusion that England would not participate under its current President, Lord Kinnaird - Guérin made formal approaches to the others, and the first FIFA Statutes were laid down. These included:-

1. Only the represented National Associations would be recognised
2. Clubs and players could only play for one National Association at a time
3. All Associations would recognise the suspension of a player in any one Association
4. Matches to be played according to the ‘’Laws of the Game of the Football Association Ltd’’
5. Each National Association to pay an annual fee of 50 French Francs.
6. Only FIFA could organise International Matches

These statutes would come into force on 1 September - Germany had also joined by Telegram on the above Foundation Day. The first FIFA Congress was held on 23 May - Robert Guérin was elected President, Victor E. Schneider of Switzerland and Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann of the Netherlands were made Vice Presidents; Louis Muhlinghaus of Belgium was appointed Secretary and Treasurer with the help of Ludvig Sylow of Denmark.

England joined on 14 April 1905, thanks to great efforts by Baron Edouard de Laveyeye who was made the first honorary member of FIFA. Austria, Italy and Hungary had joined by the time of the second Congress on 10 June 1905, and Scotland, Wales and Ireland were not far behind.

Victor Schneider , the Swiss Vice President, donated a trophy for an international competition in 1906 but it was not a success. This and other problems at home and abroad led to Guérin handing over the administration of FIFA to Schneider and André Espir . At the 1906 Congress Daniel Burley Woolfall of England was elected President. He was a pragmatic and very experienced man and made great strides towards uniformity of the laws of the Game.

During the 1908 Olympic Games in London, FIFA organised a major international tournament, and a second took place in Stockholm in 1912. England won both tournaments, but there were problems (such as the presence of professional players).

In 1909 South Africa , the first non-European member joined, and Argentina and Chile followed in 1912 and the USA in 1913.

World War I then intervened; some International Matches were played, but with difficulty; President Woolfall died in 1918. It was Hirschmann, almost acting alone, who kept FIFA alive, and in 1919 convened an assembly in Brussels. However the British Associations were not very interested in re-establishing ties with former enemies. Another meeting was held in Antwerp in 1920, where Jules Rimet of France was elected Chairman, Louis Oestrup of Denmark Deputy Chairman, and Hirschmann as Honorary Secretary.

Jules Rimet became the third President on 1 March 1921 at the age of 48. FIFA organised the International Tournament at the Olympics of 1924 - with all amateurs. It was a great success, even though the British Associations continued to stay away; 60,000 spectators watched the final between Uruguay and Switzerland. Four years later saw an all South American final between Uruguay and Argentina.

These successes prompted FIFA, at the Amsterdam congress of 28 May 1928, to consider staging its own World Championship. At the following Congress in Barcelona plans were finalised - it would be held in Uruguay, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary of independence the following year. Unfortunately, Europe was in the midst of an economic crisis, and teams would have to do without their key players for two months - several nations pulled out. But anyway, the first World Cup opened in Montevideo on 18 July 1930 albeit with only four teams from Europe.

Italy was chosen as the venue for the next World Cup. A qualifying round reduced the teams to 16 finalists - the home team beat Czechoslovakia in the final, the first one to be broadcast live on radio. Four years later the World Cup was held in Jules Rimet’s home country, France. Austria, Uruguay and Argentina withdrew and were replaced by Cuba and the Dutch East Indies - Italy successfully defended the title. The next World Cup did not take place until after the Second World War, in Brazil in 1950 - it was renamed the Jules Rimet trophy.

In 1946 the four British nations had returned to the fold. On 10 May 1947 a 'Match of the Century' between Great Britain and a 'Rest of Europe XI' was played at Hampden Park in Glasgow before 135,000 spectators - Britain won six-one. The match was a god send for FIFA, who received the proceeds, which was in sever financial difficulties at the time.

At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, Jules Rimet retired after presenting the Cup to Germany’s captain Fritz Walter. He was replaced by Rodolphe William Seeldrayers of Belgium who celebrated FIFA’s 50th anniversary, at which time it had 85 members. He died the next year and was succeeded by Englishman, Arthur Drewry who died in 1961.

Sir Stanley Rous was elected the 6th President of FIFA. He had been a referee in his youth and was very experienced in the international game. He presided over England’s win in 1966. The popularity of the World Cup grew during his popular presidency, helped by the advent of television. He retired in 1974, when Brazilian, João Havelange took over. He transformed the rather staid organisation into a dynamic enterprise brimming with new ideas. For the 1982 World Cup in Spain, he increased the number of finalists to 24, and then to 32 in the 1998 World Cup in France. Under his diplomacy, North and South Korea sent a joint team to the 1991 Youth Championship in Portugal, and Israel began competing Internationally.

On 8 June 1998 Sepp Blatter of Switzerland was elected the current President. He is totally committed to serving Football, FIFA and the World’s youth.

External links

• Official History Website