The life of the first president of FIFA

〖France〗 Robert Green

Robert Green is one of the first people to be recorded in the history of world football

because it was under his initiative Founded FIFA and served as its first president. The orderly development and popularization of football around the world is closely related to the FIFA he founded. It can be said that without his pioneering work, FIFA would not have developed to the point where it is now.

Green is a well-educated man. He received a good education, studied economics, passed the bar exam, worked as a practicing lawyer, and also worked as an engineer. He has a wide range of interests and is good at singing and dancing. This laid the foundation for him to establish good interpersonal relationships, properly handle various conflicts, and provided conditions for the creation of FIFA.

Green has rich experience in media work. He has been the editor of "Martin" newspaper and a reporter and correspondent of "Instrument" newspaper. Served as editor-in-chief of Air France. He is well versed in the promotion and publicity role of the media. He loves football and is the secretary-general of the French Football Federation, the predecessor body of the French Football Association.

His experience working in the media made him interested in football. He dreams of promoting football into a sport that is loved by people all over the world. In 1903, Green was determined to create an international football federation. He told several close friends and colleagues in European countries about his idea. He received understanding and support from some friends. Among the most enthusiastic supporters of his idea were fellow Frenchman André Espier, Belgian Louis Mullinghaus and Dutchman Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann. Hirschman later served as Secretary General of FIFA. In an era when communications were underdeveloped, Green worked diligently, often handling a large number of correspondence by himself, and worked hard for the establishment of FIFA.

Since England is the originator of modern football, it had already formed a football league with English characteristics before the establishment of FIFA, and had already established the English Football Association. Green humbly asked the English for advice on organization and management. matters. He greatly admires the English's management and coordination abilities in football, and believes that only English people are qualified to serve as the president of FIFA and lead the development of FIFA. To this end, he actively contacted the English Football Association and even traveled across the ocean to visit Mr. Wall, the Secretary-General of the English Football Association. But contrary to expectations, he unexpectedly discovered that the secretary-general of the English Football Association knew nothing about the development of football on the European continent and did not understand the importance football attracted in many countries. The English are aloof and do not pay attention to the football careers of other countries.

On May 21, 1904, FIFA was established in Paris with only 8 member countries. France, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands asked to participate, a club in Spain asked to participate, and Sweden, Switzerland and Germany called to join. At the meeting, the agenda was simple. Robert Greene was elected first president. Today, FIFA has nearly 200 member states, and Green is the youngest president in the history of this world football governing body, at the age of 28.

At the founding meeting, Green and his colleagues formulated FIFA's charter and defined FIFA's goals and obligations. It stipulates that member states recognize each other, are not allowed to hold competitions with national teams of non-member states, and players are strictly prohibited from representing different countries in competitions within a year, etc. The most important thing is that it stipulates that only FIFA is qualified to host world championships. In this way, it has a clear division of labor and a clear positioning with the International Olympic Committee.

When it was founded, FIFA was just an organization that stayed on paper. All specific matters had not been implemented. It had no office location, no funds, no premises of its own, and it didn’t even have a name. No. What Green didn't understand was why the English would miss such a golden opportunity to make history. They could have taken a leadership role in getting this international organization up and running and truly playing its role as the originator of modern football.

Green likes to listen to all directions and is good at listening to opinions from all sides before making decisions.

He is a pan-nationalist with a broad mind and can get along well with people of all nationalities and races, which enabled him to carry out his work smoothly in the early days of FIFA. When it was first established, FIFA was like a piece of uncut jade, with good texture and foundation, but it required highly skilled craftsmen to build it. Green is that kind of original person.

At the second FIFA Congress in 1905, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland joined FIFA, along with Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary. The conference decided to hold the league in 1906, and someone also donated a trophy, but due to various reasons, the game was postponed indefinitely.

England is an extremely unstable country in the history of FIFA. It withdrew from FIFA in 1920. England became a member of FIFA again from 1924 to 1928, but it was only after 1948 that England officially became a permanent member of FIFA. Its renegade is a joke in the history of FIFA.

In 1906, there was a conflict between FIFA and the French Football Federation. Green had to resign and temporarily handed over the development power of FIFA to the vice-president, Swiss Schneider.

In 1906, FIFA held a conference in Bonn, Germany, but Green did not attend. At the meeting, Woolfl, chairman of the English Football Association, was elected president of FIFA. He remained in this position until his death in 1918.

Coubertin was 31 years old when he founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894. Ten years later his compatriot Green founded FIFA. Whether this is due to French romance or French foresight, no one can tell. But one thing can be said is that French people love sports and love life.