FIFA Marks 99th Birthday by Announcing Centennial Launch Date

To celebrate the occasion of the 99th anniversary since the founding of FIFA (21 May 1904), the world football governing body today announced that it will formally launch its Centennial celebrations during a press conference on Sunday 29 June 2003, prior to the Final of the FIFA Confederations Cup France 2003 at the Stade de France in St. Denis.

Furthermore, FIFA announced it would present the revised FIFA Statutes for ratification to the FIFA Extraordinary Congress in Doha, Qatar on 19-20 October 2003. The FIFA Statutes have been under revision by the FIFA Statutes Revision Committee since 2002 in order to provide FIFA with a modern and comprehensive legal framework for football administration in the 21st century. Upon ratification, the revised FIFA Statutes would come into force on 1 January 2004.

FIFA also announced that the national teams of France and Brazil would square off on 20 May 2004 in an international friendly match at the Stade de France, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of FIFA.

Two other members of the football family will join FIFA in major celebrations next year, as both the AFC and UEFA will observe their 50th anniversary in 2004.

FIFA was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union Française de Sports Athlétiques at the rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904 by representatives from Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Contact:
FIFA Media Department – Phone: +41-1/254 98 00 /Fax: +41-1/254 97 02 / E-mail: media@fifa.org