FIFA has been served by eight Presidents since its foundation in 1904. From Frenchman Robert Guerin to the current incumbent Joseph S. Blatter via Jules Rimet, the father of the FIFA World Cup™, each President has played his part in the growth and development of the world's favourite game.
Robert Guerin, France - 1904-06
Born 1876, Died 1952
Frenchman Robert Guerin was the dynamic figure
behind the founding of FIFA in 1904. A journalist with Le Matin
newspaper, Guerin was actively involved in football through his
role as secretary of the Football Department of the Union des
Societes Françaises de Sports Athletiques. He brought together
representatives of the first seven member countries in Paris for
the signing of FIFA's foundation act and agreement of the first
FIFA statutes. On 22 May 1904, Guerin - then just 28 - was elected
president at the inaugural FIFA Congress and remained in his post
for two years, during which time another eight associations came on
board, including the English Football Association.
Daniel Burley Woolfall, England - 1906-18
Born 1852, Died 1918
An English FA administrator from Blackburn, Daniel
Burley Woolfall was elected as President on 4 June 1906. A key aim
during his presidency was to achieve uniform football rules on an
international level and he played a prominent role in the drafting
of FIFA's new constitution. Under Woolfall, the application of
the Laws of the Game, established under the English model, became
compulsory and a clear definition was made of international
matches. Two years after assuming the presidency, he helped
organise the first noteworthy international football competition,
the 1908 Olympic Games in London. His reign as president brought
the arrival of FIFA's first non-European members in South
Africa, Argentina, Chile and the United States but was interrupted
by the outbreak of the First World War. Woolfall's presidency
ended with his death in August 1918.
Jules Rimet, France- 1921-54
Born 1873, Died 1956
(named Honorary FIFA President on 21 June 1954)
When the FIFA World Cup trophy was renamed in
honour of Jules Rimet in 1946, it was rightful recognition of the
role played by the Frenchman, then celebrating his 25
th anniversary as President, in establishing what fast
became the sport's foremost competition. Rimet, inspired by the
success of the Olympic Football Tournament, was the driving force
behind the FIFA World Cup's inception in 1930. His overriding
aim was a rapprochement of nations through sport and the First
World War only reinforced his determination. He oversaw the first
five tournaments before handing 'his' trophy over for the
final time to West Germany captain Fritz Walter in June 1954. That
same month, the then 80-year-old ended his long reign - during
which FIFA membership grew from 20 to 85 countries - and became the
federation's first Honorary President.
Rodolphe William Seeldrayers, Belgium - 1954-55
Born 1876, Died 1955
A lawyer from Brussels, Rodolphe William
Seeldrayers was an accomplished sportsman in his youth, winning a
Belgian championship with Racing Club Brussels - a club he later
served as president. As a sports administrator, he helped found the
Belgian Football Association and served on the International
Olympic Committee. At FIFA he performed the duties of
Vice-President for 27 years prior to succeeding Jules Rimet, his
great comrade-in-arms. Seeldrayers was President for the 1954 FIFA
World Cup and also oversaw the world governing body's 50
th anniversary celebrations that same year. He died in
office on 7 October 1955.
Arthur Drewry, England - 1955-61
Born 1891, Died 1961
Arthur Drewry served as interim head of FIFA for
six months following the death of Rodolphe William Seeldrayers and
then became President in his own right in June 1956. Together with
Stanley Rous, he had keenly supported Jules Rimet's efforts to
bring the British associations back into FIFA in 1946 and he also
served as president of the Football League and chairman of the
Football Association in England. The near five years that Drewry
spent as President - from his election in 1956 to his passing aged
70 on 25 March 1961 - included the 1958 FIFA World Cup in
Sweden.
Sir Stanley Rous, England - 1961-74
Born 1895, Died 1986
(named Honorary FIFA President on 11 June 1974)
Sir Stanley Rous had already made an impressive
contribution to football on and off the field before becoming
President of FIFA. As a top-class referee, he took charge of the FA
Cup final in England and 36 international matches. Then, having
becoming secretary of the English FA in 1934, he helped rewrite the
Laws of the Game in 1938 while his patient diplomacy helped pave
the way for the British nations rejoining FIFA in 1946. Rous was
knighted in 1949 for his contribution to the London Olympics the
previous year and to sport in general. He became the third English
President of FIFA when he took the reins in September 1961 and
during his term of office, the FIFA World Cup became a worldwide
television spectacle - particularly with the Mexico 1970 finals,
which were the first to be broadcast around the globe in colour.
Four years earlier he had been witness to England's FIFA World
Cup triumph on home soil.
João Havelange, Brazil - 1974-98
Born 1916
(named Honorary FIFA President on 8 June 1998)
Dr João Havelange's 24 years as FIFA President were a
period of significant change which featured, most notably, the
expansion of the FIFA World Cup from a 16-team tournament to one
twice as large by the time the Brazilian left his post in 1998. An
Olympic swimmer and water polo player in his younger days,
Havelange's greatest achievement as a football administrator
was arguably to ensure increased involvement on the world stage for
teams from Asia, Africa, CONCACAF and Oceania, who had had just
three FIFA World Cup finalists between them in 1974. FIFA's
Zurich headquarters housed just 12 staff members when he took
office yet that figure would increase almost tenfold as FIFA's
organisational responsibilities and commercial interests grew, not
least with a wave of new tournaments introduced, notably the world
championships at Under-17 and U20 level in the late 1980s and the
FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA Women's World Cup at the start
of the 1990s.
Joseph S. Blatter, Switzerland - 1998-present
Born 1936
Joseph S. Blatter had already served FIFA for 23
years when he was elected President of world football's
governing body on 8 June 1998. A former keen amateur footballer, he
joined FIFA as Director of Technical Programmes in 1975 where he
helped lay the foundations for future under-age and women's
competitions. He worked closely under his predecessor, Dr João
Havelange, serving as General Secretary for nine years from 1981
and subsequently CEO, and playing a key role in organising five
FIFA World Cups from Spain 1982 onwards. The Swiss was also the
driving force behind FIFA's ongoing partnership with SOS
Children's Villages, which started in 1994, and since his
election he has extended the federation's humanitarian remit by
forming an alliance with UNICEF. Re-elected for a second term as
President on 29 May 2002, Mr Blatter has expanded FIFA's
competition portfolio, developing the FIFA Club World Cup as well
as introducing world championships for Beach Soccer and Futsal. The President was re-elected to serve a fourth term on 1 June 2011.
