Abstract
The international political situation at the end of World War II was very different to the context in which FIFA had operated prior to the conflict, most notably due to the beginnings of decolonisation and the outbreak of the Cold War. What’s more, the world governing body’s rapid expansion during this period, mostly due to the affiliation of newly decolonised nations, was raising a number of administrative challenges. How could FIFA best respond to this new context?
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Notes
- 1.
By arrival date and in alphabetical order: Guatemala, Syria (1946); Afghanistan, Burma, Canada, South Korea, Gold Coast, Honduras, Iran, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sudan (1948); Iraq, Nicaragua (1950). There were seven European newcomers: the four UK associations and the Soviet Union in 1946, Cyprus in 1948 and Saarland in 1950. These information came from the 1950 FIFA Handbook.
- 2.
Plans to hold an executive committee meeting in New York in 1951 were finally abandoned due to the cost of getting all the executive committee members, most of whom were from Europe, to New York. Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 6–7 October 1951. FIFAA, executive committee (1951–1952).
- 3.
Minutes of the FIFA congress, 25–26 July 1946. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 4.
Freely translated from the French. Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 10–12 November 1945. FIFAA, executive committee (1940–1946).
- 5.
Letter from I. Schricker to the Egyptian Football Association, 4 December 1945. FIFAA, correspondence with Egypt (1932–1994).
- 6.
Agenda of the FIFA congress, 22–23 June 1950. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 7.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 21 June 1950. FIFAA, executive committee (1947–1950).
- 8.
Minutes of the FIFA congress, 22–23 June 1950. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 9.
‘Associations established in a Colony or Dominion may, in agreement with the national association of their metropolitan area, remain a subordinate group to it or affiliate directly to the Federation’. Statutes of the FIFA [1954], art. 1. FIFAA, statutes (1904–1981).
- 10.
The conflict, which involved a split between the federation and the professional league (Dimayor League), impacted all South American football because the Dimayor League paid high salaries to players. Decisions such as not paying compensation for player transfers and refusing to release players for national team matches put the Dimayor League at odds with the South American football authorities.
- 11.
Minutes of the CONMEBOL congress, March–May 1949. FIFAA, correspondence with CONMEBOL (1941–1961).
- 12.
Freely translated from the French. Interview with Hans Bangerter, conducted on 1 October 2012 in Bolligen.
- 13.
The confederation had not yet adopted the name CONMEBOL and was still called the South American Football Confederation.
- 14.
FIFA’s congress will consider an amendment to the federation’s statutes if it is proposed and seconded by a total of three national associations.
- 15.
Agenda of the FIFA congress, 22–23 June 1950. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 16.
Freely translated from the French. ‘22 et 23 juin: congrès de la FIFA. La FIFA envisagera-t-elle aussi des réformes de structure?’, L’Équipe, 21 June 1950.
- 17.
Minutes of the FA’s national selection committee, 7 November 1949. Football Association archives (thereafter FAA), FA minutes (1949–1950). Since it was founded in the 1880s, the Argentinian FA had had a close relationship with the English FA and had even asked to be incorporated into the English FA.
- 18.
Freely translated from the French. ‘Qui succédera au docteur Schricker au poste de secrétaire général de la FIFA?’ France Football, 12 July 1950.
- 19.
Minutes of the FIFA congress, 22–23 June 1950. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 20.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 21 June 1950. FIFAA, executive committee (1947–1950).
- 21.
Statutes of the FIFA [1954], art. 11. FIFAA, statutes (1904–1981).
- 22.
Freely translated from the French. Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 31 March–2 April. FIFAA, executive committee (1951–1952).
- 23.
Minutes of the FIFA reorganisation committee, 29–31 March 1951. FIFAA, reorganisation (1950–1953) [folder: 1. Minutes].
- 24.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 2 December 1950. FIFAA, executive committee (1947–1950).
- 25.
The strengthening ties within the Soviet bloc are reflected in the numerous sporting exchanges that were organised between the countries of Eastern Europe at this time (Dufraisse 2017). On the Soviet bloc in sport see for e.g. Terret (2009).
- 26.
This idea of a Soviet or Communist bloc remains controversial among scholars. For more on this question, see for e.g. Kott and Faure (2011). However, for convenience I will use this term in the present book.
- 27.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 16 May 1949. FIFAA, executive committee (1947–1950).
- 28.
Letter from I. Schricker to FIFA’s executive committee, 13 December 1946. FIFAA, executive committee (circulars to members 1946–1957).
- 29.
Granatkine was officialy replaced for health reasons. He continued to serve as president of the USSR’s football association and he returned to FIFA in 1954.
- 30.
Comments by Manuel Valdes in a letter to FIFA dated 24 September 1951 (quoted in Dietschy 2010, p. 366). Franco’s regime used Kubala as an example in its anti-communist propaganda. In 1954, Kubala played himself in a film entitled Los Ases Buscan La Paz (Simón 2012).
- 31.
Agenda of the FIFA congress, 22–23 June 1950. FIFAA, congress (1946–1952).
- 32.
Freely translated from the French. Letter from the secretary general of the Hungarian FA to FIFA’s secretary general, 5 December 1950. FIFA, reorganisation 50–53 (folder: 3. Proposals and projects).
- 33.
Although Andrejevic did not represent the Soviet bloc, due to the continuing rift between Belgrade and Moscow, he supported similar positions to those of the Eastern bloc countries.
- 34.
Minutes of the FIFA reorganisation committee, 4–5 October 1951. FIFAA, reorganisation (1950–1953) [folder: 1. Minutes].
- 35.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 6–7 October 1951. FIFAA, executive committee (1951–1952).
- 36.
A Spanish volunteer division that fought alongside the Germans on the Eastern Front (Viuda-Serrano 2010, p. 1085).
- 37.
Freely translated from the French. Translation of a letter from Serguei Savin to Kurt Gassmann, 31 May 1952. FIFAA, reorganisation (1950–1953) [folder: 4. Reorganization Commission].
- 38.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 20–23 July 1952. FIFAA, executive committee (1951–1952).
- 39.
Letter from A. Munoz Calero to K. Gassmann, 3 September 1952. FIFAA, reorganisation 1950–1953 (folder: 4. Reorganisation Commission).
- 40.
Minutes of the FIFA executive committee, 8–9 September 1952. FIFAA, executive committee (1951–1952).
- 41.
In March 1953, Seeldrayers wrote to Secretary General Kurt Gassmann about the Yugoslav delegate, Andrejevic, who, despite holding less categorical positions than his Soviet counterpart, was also calling for greater equality between FIFA members: ‘If he continues [to do so], he will be called Gromyko because he insists on saying: “niet”’. Freely translated from the French. Letter from R. W. Seeldrayers to K. Gassmann, 10 March 1953. FIFAA, reorganisation 1950–1953 (folder: 4. Reorganisation Commission). The Gromyko Seeldrayers refers to is Andrei Gromyko, a Russian diplomat who was ambassador to the United States from 1943 to 1946, and later Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was nicknamed ‘Mr. Niet’ because of his ability to stand up to Westerners and defend Soviet policies.
- 42.
The paper, entitled ‘Sport et Droit International, Les Statutes de la Fédération Internationale de Football Association’, was published in NGOC-OGN Bulletin, August–September 1953.
- 43.
Relations between the two countries were still very cold.
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Vonnard, P. (2020). Between Internationalism and Cold War. In: Creating a United Europe of Football . Football Research in an Enlarged Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42343-8_3
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