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FIFA

FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, is the institution that governs all the football federations around the world. FIFA oversees 208 football federations and associations from different countries. FIFA is also a member of the FA Board International, the institution that determines the laws of the game of association football. The federation is composed of a legislative body, executive committee and an administrative body and has a staff of 280 people from 30 different countries.

FIFA was founded on May 21, 1904 and its headquarters are in Zurich, Switzerland after football associations from France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Spain, Sweden authorised the founding act. The first FIFA Congress took place on May 22nd 1904, with Robert Guerin being elected as president. The priority of the new federation was to have new members join.

Two years later the first FIFA Executive Committee was elected in order to fix the problems which the federation was experiencing, including the failures of the first FIFA competitions and internal problems that football associations such as the FFF were having. Modeled after the successful Olympic Football Tournament, the FIFA committee came up with the idea of staging its own international competition, called the World Cup. This new football tournament being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, turned out to be of huge financial success and also helped football gain popularity all around the world.

Ever since that point on The Fédération Internationale de Football Association has grown to become the leading football organisation. Every country that has a national football tries to join the federation in hopes of winning one of the tournaments which FIFA holds. The FIFA World Cup tournament is currently the most popular competition out of any sport, with the next competition being held in 2010 in South Africa.

Three Global FIFA Tournaments

The FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup is biggest international competition in football. A total of 208 national football teams from all over the world enter to play in the tournament. Out of those 208, only 31 qualify to play in actual World Cup competition, with the previous tournament's winner making 32 teams total. Brazil has the greatest number of World Cup wins with 5, and Italy is the most recent champion of the competition in Germany in 2006. The winner of the world greatest sporting event is awarded the gold-plated World Cup trophy engraved with each past year's world champion.

FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is the second most important international football tournament as is often as seen as a warm-up event to the FIFA World Cup. In order to qualify for the tournament, national teams must win their overall confederation competition. The champion of the FIFA World Cup automatically qualifies for this tournament. The most recent champions of the competition were Brazil.

FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between champion club teams from six continental confederations. The tournament was started in 2000 and teams from Brazil have become most successful. The most recent champions of FIFA Club World Cup are AC Milan as they defeated Boca Juniors by a score of 4-2. The event has been held in Tokyo, Japan for the past 2 years and OleOle has covered the matches live from Japan.


FIFA Management

FIFA is governed by a president and an an Executive Committee. Joseph S. Blatter (Sepp Blatter) is the current FIFA president, and is known for his ego and his brash, outspoken demeanor. He is currently trying to convince UEFA and European football clubs to stop using so many foreign players on their starting squads, but with little avail. EU regulation prohibits the practice of discrimination based on ethnicity or country of origin. Some view his statements and opinions as intruding on the governance of European football, which is the responsibility of the UEFA confederation.


FIFA employs approximately 280 people from more than 30 countries and is composed of a Congress which creates and passes rules, an Executive Committee for management, General Secretariat for administration and finance and special committees to assist the Executive Committee with various projects as needed.

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Snapshot

FIFA ranking as of 09/2009

# Team P
1. Brazilian Football Confederation 1632
2. Spain 1629
3. Holland Football Federation 1340
4. Italian Football Federation 1215
5. Germany Football Federation 1161
6. Argentina 1103
7. The FA 1101
8. Croatia 1087
9. French Football Federation 1049
10. Portugal Football Federation 1042
11. US Soccer 1025
12. Russian Football 982
13. Switzerland 961
14. Cameroon 949
15. Czech Republic 928
16. Greece 921
17. Chile 909
18. Mexican Football Federation 904
19. Ivory Coast 903
20. Serbia 892
21. Paraguay 879
22. Ukraine 857
23. Bulgaria 854
24. Australian Football Federation 848
25. Uruguay 838
26. Israel 837
27. Denmark 830
28. Egypt 798
29. Algeria 781
30. Colombia 775
30. Northern Ireland 775
32. Nigeria 763
33. Slovakia 758
34. Ireland 755
35. Honduras 754
36. Romania 752
37. Norway 751
38. Ghana 746
39. Turkey 737
40. Japan 735
41. Sweden 728
42. Bosnia-Herzegovina 721
43. Costa Rica 707
44. Ecuador 697
45. Gabon 691
46. Scottish Football 687
47. Latvia 683
48. South Korea 671
49. Slovenia 663
50. Hungary 645
51. Venezuela 632
51. Mali 632
53. Canadian Soccer Association 631
54. Tunisia 629
55. Burkina Faso 616
56. Poland 609
57. Finland 606
58. Austria 524
59. Lithuania 523
60. Bolivia 522
62. Iran 518
63. Morocco 511
64. Saudi Arabia 500
65. Cyprus 489
67. Benin 475
68. Belgium 474
69. Jamaica 469
70. Panama 464
71. Guinea 461
72. Trinidad and Tobago 459
73. Belarus 444
74. Peru 439
76. Cuba 432
77. Uganda 428
78. Wales 418
80. Uzbekistan 403
82. El Salvador 397
83. New Zealand 383
84. Mozambique 382
85. South Africa Football 381
86. Haiti 377
87. Iceland 372
88. Moldova 371
89. Senegal 368
90. Malawi 365
91. DPR Korea 359
92. Barbados 355
93. Iraq 349
94. Qatar 347
96. Zambia 340
97. Albania 334
98. Angola 330
100. Armenia 325
101. Cape Verde 316
102. China 313
103. Estonia 306
104. Kenya 304
105. Grenada 303
106. Antigua and Barbuda 300
107. Congo 297
108. Fiji 291
109. Kuwait 283
110. Thailand 280
111. Namibia 271
112. DR Congo 256
113. Sudan 253
114. Rwanda 246
115. U.A.E. 242
117. Georgia 234
117. Guyana 234
119. Singapore 228
120. Libya 225
121. Kazakhstan 224
122. Faroe Islands 218
122. Gambia 218
125. Azerbaijan 213
125. Botswana 213
127. Hong Kong 207
129. Indonesia 201
130. Guatemala 200
131. Zimbabwe 197
133. Luxembourg 177
135. Nicaragua 165
136. Equatorial Guinea 163
138. India 160
143. Liechtenstein 139
143. Saint Vincent and The Grenadines 139
146. Malta 132
147. Tchad 130
148. Swaziland 129
150. Bermuda 128
150. Malaysia 128
152. Sierra Leone 117
153. Eritrea 115
154. Madagascar 113
156. St. Kitts and Nevis 106
156. Lesotho 106
159. Vanuatu 99
160. Liberia 98
161. Taiwan 88
162. Puerto Rico 87
173. Solomon Islands 60
183. Mauritius 38
183. Samoa 38
186. Cook Islands 34
194. Tahiti 19
201. Andorra 4
203. San Marino 0
203. Papua New Guinea 0
FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football, is the governing body that oversees the numerous football confederations, federations, and associations around the world and organize various...
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