Congresses that left their mark on FIFA and football
The representatives of the 34 associations attending the first
FIFA Congress staged after the Second World War pass several
far-reaching decisions. Thanks to Jules Rimet's diplomatic
skills, the four British associations - England, Northern Ireland,
Wales and Scotland, return to FIFA after an absence of almost 20
years.
The reason for the temporary exclusion of these four member
associations was a disagreement with FIFA on the status of amateur
players. Leading the negotiations for the British are Arthur Drewry
and Sir Stanley Rous, who will later take over the helm of FIFA.
The British associations' return is celebrated with a
match between a UK team and a FIFA eleven in Glasgow's Hampden
Park in 1947. Acclaimed by the press as the "Match of the
Century", it pulls in a crowd of 135,000 eager fans. As a
goodwill gesture, the receipts of GBP 35,000 were passed on to FIFA
to help it bridge the financial losses suffered during the war. The
British team won 6-1.
Further Congress decisions in 1946:
• The World Cup trophy is renamed the Jules Rimet Cup in the
President's honour.
• Brazil are named hosts of the next World Cup (planned for
1949 but actually held in 1950) and Switzerland hosts of the
subsequent tournament. Both tournaments are to be played according
to the knockout system.
• The delegates approve CONMEBOL's proposal for Spanish
to become an official language of FIFA.
The following extract from the Congress minutes testify to the significance of the 25th FIFA Congress.