Bringing Europe together
Thursday 6 July 2006
e-mail
Print
Digg
Save
The Henri Delaunay trophy is synonymous with UEFA's history (©UEFA)
This article looks at UEFA's history and addresses two of the key questions raised in this section of UEFA’s ten-year strategy document, Vision Europe: why was UEFA created, and what activities has UEFA traditionally undertaken?
United European football movement
FIFA, the world governing body, was formed in 1904 with seven European members, while UEFA came into being exactly 50 years later. This gap of half a century could be attributed to the fact that FIFA had always been run from Europe, largely by Europeans dealing with predominantly European issues; but by 1954 FIFA's membership had risen to 79 and the European associations began to feel the need for their own organisation, to organise competitions for Europe's national teams and clubs and to provide a focal point for a united European football movement.
Henri Delaunay
After the Second World War there was a growing desire among the European associations for more national team competition than just the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic football tournament. The idea of a continental championship for national teams was hardly a new one: South America had introduced one as early as 1916, while both Africa and Asia launched one in the mid-1950s. Henri Delaunay, the visionary Frenchman after whom the UEFA European Championship trophy is named, first suggested the idea for a European tournament to FIFA well before the war. But fears that such a tournament might reduce the value of the World Cup remained in place right up until 1958, when the draw for the inaugural European Nations Cup, as it was then known, took place in Stockholm. The final was in Paris two years later, the Soviet Union defeating Yugoslavia 2-1.
Gabriel Hanot
Clubs were also pressing for greater international experience and at the insistence of L’Equipe editor Gabriel Hanot, with the backing of several of the clubs, UEFA was approached to organise what was to become the European Champion Clubs’ Cup on behalf of the clubs. After some initial concerns UEFA was happy to oblige and from this moment it has had constant direct contact with the clubs involved. Now, more than 50 years later, that competition is known as the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup is a high-profile secondary competition and the European Club Forum ensures a formal framework for continued dialogue and consultation between UEFA and the clubs.
One member one vote
Apart from club and national team competition, with FIFA’s membership growing year by year and its adherence to the principle of one member one vote, it had become clear that an organisation such as the Union of European Football Associations was needed to lobby for the interests of what was, and still is, the organisational, financial and competitive engine for world football. At the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland Europe accounted for 12 of the 16 finalists, and even in 1962 when it was held in Chile there were only two fewer teams from Europe. Today, the registered clubs in Europe outnumber those in South America or Asia by more than five to one, and of the global football economy over 80 per cent originates in Europe.
International recognition
The other major argument in favour of closer links between European national associations was the need for progress and better understanding in a number of areas such as competition administration, refereeing, coaching and television coverage. The advantages of a united European football movement were clear - swapping ideas, establishing best practice and minimum standards - and this aspect of UEFA's work is as important now as it was then. It can be seen in projects such as the HatTrick Education programme, the Top Executive Programme and the UEFA Club Licensing system. UEFA's Coaching Convention, which raises the standards of coaching and offers coaches greater freedom of movement through international recognition of their qualification, is something that could only have been achieved by a pan-European organisation.
Professional competence
Central among the other activities that UEFA has traditionally undertaken is a heavy involvement with professional football, owning and managing the European national team final rounds as well as the club competitions. None of Europe's big associations run the main club competition in their country, but UEFA does this at the European level. As a consequence it has taken on and developed a lot of professional competence to be able to manage approximately 1,500 club competition matches every season, including high-profile UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup games during 17 weeks of the year.
Problems for the future
In the past UEFA was involved in establishing the first international match calendar, which formed the basis for the current FIFA Co-ordinated International Match Calendar, and it was also responsible for player transfers in Europe although FIFA has been responsible for the latter since the Bosman ruling in 1995. The next three articles in this series will focus on some of the key trends that have shaped – and are shaping – UEFA’s history and development, including threats and problems for the future. If you wish to read more about this or any other aspect of Vision Europe please click here.
©uefa.com 1998-2009. All rights reserved.
