The Fédération Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA , /ˈ fiː f ə/ ; English:
International Federation of Association
Football ) is the international governing
body of association football, futsal and
beach soccer . Its membership comprises
209 national associations . Its headquarters
are in Zurich , Switzerland, and its president
is Sepp Blatter . FIFA is responsible for the
organisation of football's major
international tournaments, notably the
World Cup.
History
Main article: History of FIFA
The need for a single body to oversee
association football became apparent at the
beginning of the 20th century with the
increasing popularity of international
fixtures. FIFA was founded in Paris on 21
May 1904; the French name and acronym
persist even outside French-speaking
countries. The founding members were the
national associations of Belgium , Denmark,
France , the Netherlands , Spain (represented
by Madrid Football Club; the Spanish
federation was not created until 1913),
Sweden and Switzerland . Also, that same
day, the German Association declared its
intention of affiliating through a telegram.
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.
Membership of FIFA expanded beyond
Europe with the application of South Africa
in 1908, Argentina and Chile in 1912, and
Canada and the United States in 1913.
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 recent
World War enemies. The Home Nations later
resumed their membership.
The FIFA collection is held by the National
Football Museum in England.
