
England, however, joined on 14 April 1905, thanks to great efforts by Baron Edouard de Laveleye who was made the first honorary member of FIFA. Schneider of Switzerland and Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann of the Netherlands were made vice-presidents, and Louis Muhlinghaus of Belgium was appointed secretary and treasurer with the help of Ludvig Sylow of Denmark.Įarly attempts at the organisation of a tournament began, but without the British countries, this failed. The first FIFA Congress was held on – Maurice Robert Guérin was elected president, Victor E. These statutes came into effect on 1 September 1905, decided by the founding members and Germany.

With the number of inter-nation matches increasing as football spread, the need for a global governing body emerged.

Previously the Football Association had been the world's only governing body, though codified football was being played only in the United Kingdom at this stage. This was followed by the creation of the world's second national football association, the Scottish Football Association in 1873.

The following year at The Oval, England enjoyed a 4–2 victory over the travelling Scots. The first official match between representatives of two nations was conducted between England and Scotland in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Partick, Glasgow, finishing in a 0–0 draw.

Charter FIFA (1 September 1905) original screen
