We love football, and we passionately follow our favourite clubs. No matter, any match we watch, it is governed by a set of rules. The fixtures, the competitions, and the award ceremonies are governed by a central body named FIFA.
Why was FIFA created?
Modern football was invented in 1863 in England along with the formation of The Football Association (The FA). In the late 19th & early 20th century, football was spreading rapidly across Europe. While the basic style to play the game was the same, the rules like the length of the pitch, the offside rule, the dimensions of the ball and many other things were different in each nation. So whenever 2 nations decided to play the game, they could not agree to rules. That’s when the need of a central body which could frame the universal rules and standardise things in football was needed. And that’s when FIFA was created.
Formation of FIFA
FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association. (It’s French because French was the main diplomatic language when FIFA was formed.) FIFA was created on 21 May 1904 in Paris, France.
FIFA was founded by 7 European nations: France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain (represented by Real Madrid club), Sweden, Switzerland. Its headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland. The first ever FIFA president was Robert Guérin (France) who served from 1904 to 1906.
Today, 211 national associations are associated with FIFA. 6 Confederations are under FIFA’s umbrella: UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North & Central America + Caribbean), and OFC (Oceania)
FIFA’s official communications and documentation are carried out in 4 official languages: English, French, Spanish, and German.
Structure of FIFA
211 nations are with FIFA. Each country has ONE vote. They elect the FIFA president and council members. FIFA president has a term of 4 years and he can have a maximum of 3 terms. The current FIFA president is Gianni Infantino. He chairs all the meetings and represents FIFA in IOC, UN, global forums.
The FIFA council body is the strategic and policy-making body which replaced the old Executive Committee in 2016. It comprises: FIFA President, Vice Presidents, Members elected from 6 confederations. They set FIFA’s global strategy and decide Tournament formats and Host selection procedures.
The General Secretariat (Administrative Body) whose head is called Secretary General handles day-to-day operations and implements decisions taken by: FIFA Congress and FIFA Council. The departments included under this body are:
- Competitions
- Refereeing
- Development
- Legal Affairs
- Finance
- Marketing & Media
The important Standing Committees are:
- Finance Committee
- Development Committee
- Referees Committee
- Medical Committee
- Ethics Committee
- Disciplinary Committee
FIFA has 3 independent judicial bodies: Ethics Committee (Investigates corruption & misconduct), Disciplinary Committee (Handles violations of FIFA rules, Player bans, fines, suspensions), and Appeal Committee (Hears appeals against disciplinary decisions)
FLOW OF POWER
FIFA Congress
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FIFA President
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FIFA Council
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General Secretariat
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Confederations
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National Associations
Major Tournaments Organized by FIFA
- FIFA Men’s World Cup
- FIFA Women’s World Cup
- U-17 & U-20 World Cups
- Club World Cup
- Futsal World Cup
- Beach Soccer World Cup
Who writes the rules of Football?
IFAB – International Football Association Board which was formed in the year 1886 writes the rules. For a long time FIFA had no role in writing any rules. IFAB was created by England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. FIFA joined IFAB in 1913, almost 30 years later. Since then, rule-making is shared, but not equally.
To amend or make any rule, IFAB has 8 votes in total: 4 votes → FIFA (represents the entire world outside the UK), and 1 vote each → England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland (4 total). To amend or make any rule at least 6 out of 8 votes are required.
Interesting & Lesser-Known Facts About FIFA
- England invented football, but did NOT join FIFA until 1905 believing they didn’t need an international body.
- FIFA has more members than the UN. While the UN has only 193 members, FIFA has 211 members.
- FIFA was nearly destroyed by World Wars. Many member nations withdrew and FIFA survived mainly due to Swiss neutrality.
- FIFA is registered as a non-profit organization. But it generates billions of dollars, mainly from: World Cup broadcasting rights and Sponsorships.
- The first ever FIFA World Cup happened in 1930. The original trophy was called the Jules Rimet Trophy.
- Brazil won it permanently after winning 3 World Cups. The current trophy was introduced in 1974.
FIFA official website
You can check about every competition and clubs information by visiting FIFA’s official website.
