The Fdration Internationale de Football Association, also known as FIFA, is the worlwide association of (football)soccer. It is one of the largest sports groups on Earth. The current headquarters for the association is based in Zrich, Switzerland. As the popularity of soccer continued to increase during the 20th century, it became apparent that a governing body for the sport needed to be formed. Though the Football Association had proposed an international organization many times, they were unsuccessful.
FIFA was formed when seven European countries decided to work together to form the association. The organization was founded on May 21, 1904 in Paris. The first worldwide competition was held in 1906, and it was met with little success. The founding president Robert Gurin chose to resign, and was replaced by Daniel Burley Woolfall. The next competition was held at the 1908 Olympics in London, and was much more successful. Within the next year, membership in the organization extended beyond Europe, and included the United States, South Africa, and Argentina.
The rising prominence of FIFA was slowed at the start of World War 1. Many players were sent to war, and international travel was heavily restricted. After World War 1 ended, the popularity continued to increase, and the first World Cup was held in 1930. This tournament was highly successful, and plans were made for more games. The World Cup has become one of the most important tournaments for soccer, and is the equivalent of the Super Bowl. The FIFA 2006 World Cup will be held in Germany.
FIFA has become a world renown organization The revenues brought in by the association between 2003 and 2006 are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The success of the organization has also extended into the video game market, with the release of FIFA 2006 by Electronic Arts. This game is planned to be released in October. The FIFA series of games are widely popular among those who enjoy soccer, and a number of titles have been published over the last ten years. There are also a number of websites about FIFA, which includes fifasite.com.
There are a number of awards which have come to be associated with the organization. The FIFA World Player of the Year award is the highest honor to be given to a player. This award is a part of the annual ceremony. A "Match of the Century" was held in 2004 between Brazil and France. A list has been compiled by the organizaiton which is called the FIFA 100, and is a list of the greatest soccer players who have ever lived. Today FIFA is split into six global confederations.
The laws which govern soccer are not made by FIFA, but are instead given by an organization called the International Football Association Board. Fifty percent of the board members are also members of FIFA. A large percentage of the board is also from the United Kingdom, and this is because of the contributions made to the sport by Britain. Though the association had humble beginnings, it has today grown into a respectable organization which has a global appeal. |
