Robert Guérin (28 June 1876 – 19 March 1952) was a French journalist, and the
1st President and one of the founders of the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
(FIFA). A journalist with ''Le Matin'' newspaper, Guérin was actively involved in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
through his role as secretary of the Football Department of the
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques
The Union of French Athletic Sports Societies (french: Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA)) was a former sports governing body in France. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athleti ...
. He brought together representatives of the first seven member countries in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
for the signing of FIFA's foundation act and agreement of the first FIFA statutes. On 23 May 1904, Guérin (then just 28) was elected president at the inaugural FIFA Congress and remained in his post for two years, during which time another eight associations came on board, including
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerin, Robert
1876 births
1952 deaths
Founders of association football institutions
Presidents of FIFA