FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has been the governing body of world football since 1904. It has grown from a small European-based organization into a body with a membership of almost 200 nations. In this article, we trace this growth and locate the place of FIFA within a world order of transnational organizations and worldwide cultural politics. Drawing on previously unpublished material, face-to-face observation of the politics of FIFA and related football confederations, and unique insights into the structures and personalities who run the world game, the article demonstrates the importance of transnational organizations in sport for the expression of the national aspirations of developing countries, the goals of multinational companies, and the naked power of ambitious individuals. In doing so, the article shows sport to be a revealing focus for understanding the dynamics of power and resistance at the supranational level.
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