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| Founded in 1904 to provide unity among national soccer associations, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) boasts 204 members, rivaling that of the United Nations, and is arguably the most prestigious sports organization in the world. |
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| As organizers of the biggest event in the world, the World Cup, a record 197 countries (or 97% of FIFA’s members) took part in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup in Korea Republic and Japan. The next FIFA World Cup will be contested in 2006 and hosted by Germany. |
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| FIFA was established on May 21, 1904, by seven national associations — Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland — to “promote the game of Association Football (as opposed to rugby or American football), to foster friendly relations among National Associations, Confederations, and their officials and players, by promoting the organization of football matches at all levels, and to control every type of association football by taking steps as shall be deemed necessary or advisable.” |
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| FIFA’s birth was a result of the growing number of international games shortly after the dawn of the 20th century. Soccer leaders in Europe felt that such expanded competition required a governing body, and under the leadership of Robert Guerin, a French journalist, the seven founding members gathered in Paris to shape the future of the sport. Guerin, FIFA’s first president, presided over the organization from 1904 to 1906. Seven other men have also served as FIFA president, including Jules Rimet for 33 years from 1921 to 1954. |
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| Currently Switzerland’s Joseph (Sepp) Blatter serves as FIFA president, having been elected to a second four-year term just prior to the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. Blatter replaced Dr. João Havelange of Brazil in 1998, who was elected to his post in 1974 and served six terms. The current FIFA general secretary is Dr. Urs.Linsi, who previously served as FIFA’s Director of Finance and Services under Blatter. |
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| Almost 100 years after FIFA’s creation, soccer is the world’s most popular sport, played by more than 150 million registered athletes — including 10 million women — and viewed by billions of fans in stadiums and on television worldwide. In fact, upwards of 49.2 billion cumulative viewers tuned in to watch the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including 52.3 million live viewers for Brazil’s historic fifth overall title with a 2-0 championship victory over Germany. |
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| As soccer’s ultimate administrative authority, FIFA governs all facets of the game: regulating the rules of play, overseeing the transfers of players internationally, organizing international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, establishing standards for refereeing, coaching and sports medicine, and encouraging soccer’s development around the world. |
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| Among the six official world championships staged by FIFA are the World Cup, the Women’s World Cup, the World Youth Championship (Under-20), the Under-19 Women’s World Championship, the Under-17 World Championship and the Futsal World Championship. FIFA have also periodically staged the FIFA Confederations Cup, a competition between each of its confederations champions, and the FIFA World Club Championship, which was held at the beginning of 2000 for the first time and won by Brazilian side Vasco de Gama. |
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President: Joseph S. Blatter
General Secretary: Urs Linsi
Director of Communications: Markus Siegler |
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FIFA House
11 Hitzigweg
8030 Zurich, Switzerland |
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FIFA
P.O. Box 85
8030 Zurich, Switzerland |
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Phone: 41-1 / 384-9595
Fax: 41-1 / 384-9696
Web Site: www.fifa.com |
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Headquarters
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