FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association | |
 | |
 Map of FIFA confederations and their members | |
| Founded | 21 May 1904 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Robert Guérin |
| Founded at | Paris, France |
| Type | Sports governing body |
| Headquarters | |
| Coordinates | 47°22′53″N 8°34′28″E / 47.38139°N 8.57444°E |
| Members | 211 member associations |
| Gianni Infantino | |
Senior vice-president | Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa (AFC) |
Vice-presidents |
|
Secretary general | Mattias Grafström |
Main organ | FIFA Congress |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Affiliations | International Olympic Committee International Football Association Board |
| Staff | 700+[3] |
| Website | www |
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association[a] (FIFA)[b] is an international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations. These national associations must also be members of one of the six regional confederations: CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), OFC (Oceania), and CONMEBOL (South America).
FIFA has several objectives in its organisational statutes, including growing the game internationally, ensuring it is accessible to everyone, and advocating for integrity and fair play.[7] It is responsible for organising and promoting association football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup which began in 1930, and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991.
FIFA is a member of the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for the laws of the game, and FIFA applies and enforces the rules across its competitions.[8] FIFA tournaments generate revenue from sponsorships; in 2022, FIFA had revenues of over US$5.8 billion, ending the 2019–2022 cycle with a net positive of $1.2 billion, and cash reserves of over $3.9 billion.[9]
History
The need for a single body to oversee association football became increasingly apparent at the beginning of the 20th century with the increasing popularity of international fixtures. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA) at the Rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904.[10] The French name and acronym are universally adopted outside French-speaking countries. The founding members were the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by then-Real Madrid CF; the Royal Spanish Football Federation was not created until 1913), Sweden and Switzerland.
On the same day, the German Football Association declared through a telegram its intention to affiliate.[11]
The first president of FIFA was Robert Guérin. Guérin was replaced in 1906 by Daniel Burley Woolfall from England, by then a member of the association. The first tournament FIFA staged, the association football competition for the 1908 Olympics in London was more successful than its Olympic predecessors, despite the presence of professional footballers, contrary to the founding principles of FIFA.[12][13][14][15]
Membership of FIFA expanded beyond Europe with the application of South Africa in 1909, Argentina in 1912, Canada and Chile in 1913, and the United States in 1914.[16]
The 1912 Spalding Athletic Library "Official Guide" includes information on the 1912 Olympics (scores and stories), AAFA, and FIFA. The 1912 FIFA president was Dan B Woolfall.[17] Daniel Burley Woolfall was president from 1906 to 1918.[18]
During World War I, with many players sent off to war and the possibility of travel for international fixtures severely limited, the organisation's survival was in doubt. Post-war, following the death of Woolfall, the organisation was run by Dutchman Carl Hirschmann. It was saved from extinction but at the cost of the withdrawal of the Home Nations (of the United Kingdom), who cited an unwillingness to participate in international competitions with their World War enemies. The Home Nations later resumed their membership. The FIFA collection is held by the National Football Museum at Urbis in Manchester, England.[19] The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay.[19]
Identity
Flag
 | |
| Use | Sport  |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 3:5 |
| Adopted | 2018 |
| Design | Blue field with a FIFA logo |
The FIFA flag is blue, with the organization's wordmark logo in the middle. The current FIFA flag was first flown during the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Moscow, Russia.[20]
Anthem
Akin to the UEFA Champions League, FIFA has adopted an anthem composed by the German composer Franz Lambert since the 1994 FIFA World Cup. It has been re-arranged and produced by Rob May and Simon Hill.[21][22] The FIFA Anthem is played at the beginning of official FIFA sanctioned matches and tournaments such as international friendlies, the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup, Football at the Summer Olympics, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup, FIFA Futsal World Cup, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.[23]
Since 2007, FIFA has also required most of its broadcast partners to use short sequences including the anthem at the beginning and end of FIFA event coverage and for break bumpers to help promote FIFA's sponsors. This emulates practices long used by international football events, such as the UEFA Champions League. Exceptions may be made for specific circumstances; for example, an original piece of African music was used for bumpers during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[24]
Presidents of FIFA
| No | Name | Country | Took office | Left office | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Guérin |  France | 23 May 1904 | 4 June 1906 | |
| 2 | Daniel Burley Woolfall |  England | 4 June 1906 | 24 October 1918 | Died in office |
| — | Cornelis August Wilhelm Hirschman |  Netherlands | 24 October 1918 | 1920 | Acting |
| 3 | Jules Rimet | France | 1 March 1921 | 21 June 1954 | |
| 4 | Rodolphe Seeldrayers |  Belgium | 21 June 1954 | 7 October 1955 | Died in office |
| 5 | Arthur Drewry | England | 9 June 1956 | 25 March 1961 | Died in office |
| — | Ernst Thommen |  Switzerland | 25 March 1961 | 28 September 1961 | Acting |
| 6 | Stanley Rous | England | 28 September 1961 | 8 May 1974 | |
| 7 | João Havelange |  Brazil | 8 May 1974 | 8 June 1998 | |
| 8 | Sepp Blatter | Switzerland | 8 June 1998 | 8 October 2015 | Expelled |
| — | Issa Hayatou |  Cameroon | 8 October 2015 | 26 February 2016 | Acting |
| 9 | Gianni Infantino |  Italy Switzerland  Lebanon | 26 February 2016 | Incumbent |
Structure
Six confederations and 222 national associations
| FIFA confederations |
|---|
 |
| AFC • CAF • CONCACAF |
| CONMEBOL • OFC • UEFA |
Besides its worldwide institutions, there are six confederations recognized by FIFA which oversee the game in the different continents and regions of the world. National associations, and not the continental confederations, are members of FIFA. The continental confederations are provided for in FIFA's statutes, and membership of a union is a prerequisite to FIFA membership.
- Asian Football Confederation (AFC; 47 members - 46 are FIFA members)[c]
- Confederation of African Football (CAF; 54 members (all FIFA members) + 2 associate members)
- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF; 41 members - 35 are FIFA members)[d]
- Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL; 10 members - all FIFA members)
- Oceania Football Confederation (OFC; 13 members - 11 are FIFA members)[c]
- Union of European Football Associations (UEFA; 55 members - all are FIFA Members)[e]
In total, FIFA recognizes 211 national associations and their associated men's national teams as well as 204 women's national teams; see the list of national football teams and their respective country codes. [25] The number of FIFA member associations is higher than the number of UN member states as FIFA has admitted associations from 23 non-sovereign entities as members in their own right, such as the four Home Nations within the United Kingdom and the two special administrative regions of China: Hong Kong and Macau.[26]
FIFA can suspend countries due to numerous multifaceted issues. Common reasons include governance interference, corruption, and financial irregularities. Doping or the misappropriation of drugs is also a consideration for expulsion. FIFA suspended Russia from all competitions after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[27] The FIFA Men's World Rankings are updated six times each year and rank each team based on their performance in international competitions, qualifiers, and friendly matches. The FIFA Women's World Rankings are updated on a quarterly schedule.
Laws and governance
FIFA headquarters is in Zürich, and it is an association established under the law of Switzerland.[25]
FIFA's supreme body is the FIFA Congress, an assembly of representatives from each affiliated member association. Each national football association has one vote, regardless of size or footballing strength. The Congress assembles in ordinary sessions once every year, and extraordinary sessions have been held once a year since 1998. Congress makes decisions relating to FIFA's governing statutes and their method of implementation and application. Only Congress can pass changes to FIFA's statutes. The congress approves the annual report and decides on the acceptance of new national associations, and holds elections. Congress elects the President of FIFA, its general secretary, and the other members of the FIFA Council in the year following the FIFA World Cup.[28]
The FIFA Council – formerly called the FIFA Executive Committee – is the organisation's main strategic body, making decisions in the intervals between Congress meetings. The council comprises 37 people: the president, who chairs the Council; 8 vice-presidents; and 28 members from the confederations. Each confederation must elect at least one woman to the Council. Six of the Vice-Presidents hold the role ex officio as the Presidents of the Confederations, and the remaining two must come from UEFA.[29] The Council reviews the bids to host the World Cup and proposes up to three of these to the Congress, which votes to select the host country or countries.[30]
The President and the Secretary General are the main office holders of FIFA and are in charge of its daily administration, carried out by the general secretariat, with its staff of approximately 280 members. Gianni Infantino is the current president, elected on 26 February 2016 at an extraordinary FIFA Congress session after former president Sepp Blatter was suspended pending a corruption investigation.[31][32]
FIFA's worldwide organizational structure also consists of several other bodies under the authority of the FIFA Council or created by Congress as standing committees. Among those bodies are the Finance Committee, and Referees Committee, as well as independent judicial bodies the Disciplinary Committee, and the FIFA Ethics Committee.[25]
The FIFA Emergency Committee deals with all matters requiring immediate settlement in the time frame between the regular meetings of the FIFA Council.[33][34] The Emergency Committee consists of the FIFA president as well as one member from each confederation.[35] Emergency Committee decisions made are immediately put into legal effect, although they need to be ratified at the next Executive Committee meeting.[36]
Between 1994 and 2017, FIFA's independent research arm, the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), led global sports medicine initiatives. The centre standardized injury surveillance, developed the widespread "FIFA 11+" injury prevention warm-up programme, and established the medical evidence that led to mandatory cooling breaks during matches in extreme heat.[37]
Administrative cost
FIFA publishes its results according to International Financial Reporting Standards. The total compensation for the management committee in 2011 was 30 million for 35 people. Blatter, the only full-time person on the committee, earned approximately two million Swiss francs, 1.2 million in salary, and the rest in bonuses.[38][39][40] A report in London's The Sunday Times in June 2014 said the members of the committee had their salaries doubled from $100,000 to $200,000 during the year. The report also said leaked documents had indicated $4.4 million in secret bonuses had been paid to the committee members following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[41]
Governance
 | This section needs more citations. (May 2017) |
The laws that govern football, known officially as the Laws of the Game, are not solely the responsibility of FIFA; they are maintained by a body called the International Football Association Board (IFAB). FIFA has members on its board (four representatives); the other four are provided by the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, who jointly established IFAB in 1882 and are recognized for the creation and history of the game. Changes to the Laws of the Game must be agreed upon by at least six delegates.
The FIFA Statutes form the overarching document guiding FIFA's governing system. The governing system is divided into separate bodies with the appropriate powers to create a system of checks and balances. It consists of four general bodies: the Congress, the executive committee, the general Secretariat, and standing and ad hoc committees.[42]
Discipline of national associations
FIFA frequently takes active roles in the running of the sport and developing the game around the world. One of its sanctions is to suspend teams and associated members from international competition when a government interferes in the running of FIFA's associate member organizations or if the associate is not functioning correctly.
A 2007 FIFA ruling that a player can be registered with a maximum of three clubs and appear in official matches for a maximum of two in a year measured from 1 July to 30 June has led to controversy, especially in those countries whose seasons cross that date barrier, as in the case of two former Ireland internationals. As a direct result of this controversy, FIFA modified this ruling the following year to accommodate transfers between leagues with out-of-phase seasons.