Parent International Football Organization – Exactly on December 18, 2022, the World Cup match which was held in Qatar, officially ended. Did Sinaumed’s join the euphoria of the international football tournament which has been taking place since 20 November 2022? The 2022 FIFA World Cup which hosted Qatar was won by Argentina with a final score of 4-2 against France. Even though the qualification for the FIFA World Cup was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic that spread throughout the world, in fact the tournament was successfully held.
FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association ) is the parent organization for football at the international level. This means that all football organizations in each country will remain “subject to” FIFA regulations as the parent. Apart from holding a World Cup tournament which includes several countries, FIFA is also a non-governmental organization, aka an NGO, which of course stands independently.
So, what are the dynamics, organizational structure, along with the goals and missions of FIFA as the parent organization for soccer at the international level? What is the role of FIFA as a tournament in the world of sports for countries in the world, including Indonesia? So, so that Sinaumed’s understands these things, let’s look at the following review!
What is the main organization of football at the international level?
In Indonesia, the highest football organization is held by PSSI (All Indonesian Football Association) which of course becomes a national federation. Then, is there a football organization at the international level? The answer is of course there is, namely FIFA which acts as the parent organization for football at the international level.
Apart from acting as the parent organization for football at the international level, FIFA has also contributed to the development of modern football in all countries of the world, which started in England.
At the beginning of the development of modern football, an organization was established as a container for all football activities called the Football Association Freemason’s Tavern in London, England. This organization began with a meeting of 11 representatives from several countries and then made a single rule in the game of football.
Furthermore, another organization called the International Football Association Board (IFAB) was established which was formed by 4 associations to regulate world football regulations.
Over time, finally the parent organization for international football was born, namely under the name FIFA ( Federation International de Football Association ) which stood in France, on May 21, 1904 to be precise. The initial meeting to establish FIFA was attended by only 7 countries, namely the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. At that time, the football championship tournament organized by FIFA was still within the scope of the Olympics only, then its membership continued to grow. Until finally, FIFA was considered the parent organization of football for many countries in the world, including Indonesia.
Since FIFA acts as the parent organization for international football, they also have the right to organize international football tournaments which only member countries can participate in.
Apart from that, FIFA also has full authority to form regulations in football matches throughout this country. Until now, the FIFA organization already has a total of 211 member countries. Indonesia and its national organization PSSI are also a member of FIFA, so it is not uncommon for PSSI and FIFA to have meetings to discuss matters regarding football.
Just a little trivia , PSSI is also a member of the AFC as a football organization in the Asian continent as well as a permanent member of AFF as a football organization in the Southeast Asian region. That is why, the formation of regulations and organizational structure at PSSI must still follow the provisions of FIFA. In short, PSSI must not act indiscriminately in violation of FIFA rules.
Get to Know FIFA as the Parent Organization of International Football
History of the Founding of FIFA
Apart from being the parent organization for international football, FIFA is also a world football federation which certainly plays a major role in the development of this sport throughout the world from time to time. FIFA ( Federation International de Football Association ) was first established in France, precisely on May 21, 1904.
The initial meeting to establish FIFA was attended by 7 countries, namely the Netherlands, Belgium (Louis Muchlinghaus and Max Kahn), France (Robert Guerin), Spain (Andre Espier), Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland (Victor E. Schneider).
Robert Guerin from France was appointed as FIFA’s first resident, from May 1904 to June 1906 to be precise. At that time, the football championship tournament organized by FIFA was still within the scope of the Olympics, then its membership continued to grow.
When FIFA was just established, several countries representing the European countries had invited the English Football Federation (FA) to join together, but the offer was rejected. Then, at the first FIFA meeting, a statute, aka basic regulation, was made that football players were not allowed to defend two countries and clubs at the same time until there was recognition of player sanctions by the federations of other countries. The Statute entered into force on September 1, 1904.
At the same time, the German Football Federation also stated that they agreed with the statute and joined the parent organization of this international football.
As previously explained, the FIFA statutes were first drawn up with the following points:
- Reciprocal recognition of the football associations of countries that are present or represented.
- Players are banned from playing in two countries and clubs at the same time.
- The banning of players who have been registered with a country association will be announced by FIFA.
- The game rules are based on the Law of the Game of the Football Association Ltd.
FIFA Organizational Structure
Since FIFA is the parent organization of international football, then of course in the process it still requires an organizational structure with different obligations. So, here is the structure that exists within the FIFA organization.
1. President
The highest authority in FIFA is the President who is elected to serve for 4 years. The process of electing the FIFA president is carried out through elections by the members of the association who are present at the congress and of course the previous president can also take office again if indeed elected.
Later, the FIFA president will represent and lead congress activities, executive meetings, and emergency meetings of other committees. As with FIFA executive members, the president also has the right to vote in every election activity.
Currently, the position of FIFA president is held by Gianni Infantino from Switzerland. Before becoming president, he had served as general secretary of UEFA ( Union of European Football Associations ) since October 2009.
2. Congress
The FIFA Congress is the highest body in the parent organization of this international football. When the congress takes place, there will be many articles that regulate what matters must be discussed and what decisions will be taken.
The FIFA Congress is responsible for developing games whose nature has changed in recent years. Each member will have one vote at this congress.
The FIFA Congress is the most important meeting and is held every 2 years. However, since 1998, regulations have been enacted that this congress will be held annually as a global meeting agenda that allows the ‘football parliament’ to influence decisions on a number of issues that are constantly evolving.
3. Council
The FIFA Council consists of 37 members, with 1 president elected by the FIFA Congress; 8 vice presidents; and 28 members who are elected every four years. At this FIFA Council, it has a rule that there must be at least one elected female representative in each confederation.
4. Executive Committee
FIFA’s Executive Committee is tasked with determining strategy in a forum in which all confederations can play a direct role. The executive committee’s decisions will be assisted by the recommendations of 22 special committees. This executive committee will consist of the Council, the General Secretariat, the Advisory Board and the Independent Committees which carry out their duties under the FIFA statutes.
5. Finance
In accordance with the FIFA Statutes article 69 paragraph 2 which states that “FIFA revenues and expenses must be managed so that they can be balanced in the financial period”. Well, about 90% of FIFA’s financial revenue is derived from the sale of television rights, marketing, hotels and other licenses for FIFA World Cup tournaments. The revenue will also be used to fund various programs for organizing international tournaments.
FIFA Vision & Mission
As is the case with organizations in general, FIFA as the parent organization for international football also has a vision & mission that has been stated in the FIFA Statutes. So here’s the review!
Fifa Vision
- Positively to promote the game of football in any way it sees fit.
- Promote friendly relations among national associations, confederations, officials and players by organizing football matches.
- Guiding the football community in taking the necessary steps to prevent violations of the FIFA Statutes.
- Prevent methods or practices deemed inappropriate in the game and to protect against misuse.
- Promote the elimination of discrimination against any nation or individual on grounds of race, religion or politics in sport.
- Provide statutory regulations as a reference for resolving differences that may arise between national associations.
Fifa Mission
- Developing football anywhere and for anyone.
- Organizing tournaments.
- Care for society and the environment.
Fifa Competition
For ordinary people, the competition organized by FIFA is only the World Cup. In fact, FIFA has held many tournaments for both men and women. There are various tournaments held for men, namely:
- World Cup, once every 4 years.
- Confederations Cup, once every 4 years as the preliminary tournament of the World Cup.
- U-20 World Cup, every 4 years for players aged 20 years.
- U-17 World Cup, once every 4 years for players aged 17 years.
- World Cup between clubs, every year by bringing together each champion from their respective regions.
- Beach Soccer World Cup, every 2 years.
- Futsal World Cup, every 4 years.
- The Olympics, held when the Olympics took place.
- Junior Olympics, held when the Junior Olympics takes place.
- Junior Club World Cup, every year.
Meanwhile, there are also various soccer tournaments for women held by FIFA, namely:
- World Cup, once every 4 years.
- U-20 World Cup, every 4 years for players aged 20 years.
- U-17 World Cup, once every 4 years for players aged 17 years.
- The Olympics, held when the Olympics took place.
- Junior Olympics, held when the Junior Olympics takes place.
FIFA’s Position As An International Organization According To International Law
As INGOs
It should be noted that apart from being the parent organization for international football, FIFA is also INGO, aka the International Non-Government Organization . This means that FIFA does not want the direct involvement of the government to “interfere” with their organizational structure and activities.
Yep, INGOs are the same as NGOs, namely independent organizations that have no connection with the government in a country. However, at a certain level, these INGOs can be given observer status and are also allowed to provide recommendations when UN, IPU (Inter-Parliamentary Union ) and IOC (International Olympic Committee ) sessions take place.
As part of INGO, of course its membership and scope are narrower than IGO (International Governmental Organization) .
But keep in mind that this is normal because FIFA only manages sports, namely football. FIFA already has a legal entity in Switzerland which aims to manage football professionally in the world as well as the interests of the world community. FIFA is also a non-profit organization so there is no single owner.
Example of Enforcement of FIFA Statutes in Several Member Countries
It should be noted that FIFA has a statute called Lex Sportiva which relates to the existence of an international sports federation and plays an important role for the world of football, especially in this era of globalization.
The statute “seems” to have become part of international law that applies to the governments of each member country, the media, and other third parties. In carrying out this Lex Sportiva statute, FIFA does not see the country’s status as big or small.
Even a big country like England has also been subject to threats of punishment from FIFA regarding violations committed by the British government. The following are examples of several countries that have received FIFA sanctions.
1. Indonesian
In 2015, FIFA suspended PSSI which resulted in the Indonesian national team being unable to play in international tournaments.
Not only that, even the U-16 and U-19 national teams who had been training in preparation for the AFF Cup also failed to compete because of the sanctions. At that time, FIFA sanctions were the final aftermath of a major conflict between PSSI and Kemenpora.
2. Brunei Darussalam
In 2009, FIFA imposed sanctions on a neighboring country, Brunei Darussalam after government intervention.
Yep, the government of Brunei Darussalam intervened unilaterally by dissolving BAFA (Brunei Darussalam Football Federation) and replacing it with a new association formed by the government itself. This sanction is in the form of banning the Brunei Darussalam football team from participating in the Singapore Super League event.
3. Kuwait
In October 2007, FIFA also imposed sanctions on the state of Kuwait due to government intervention during the election process for the chairman and board of directors. At that time, the Kuwait Football Federation (KFA) even held elections for a number of important positions in FIFA.
Of course, FIFA and AFC rejected the election due to obvious interference from Kuwait’s sports governing body. Remember, that FIFA is INGO being an independent organization without government intervention. As a result, all members of the club get suspended from various international competitions.