UIAFA

The Union Internationale Amateur de Football Association (UIAFA; French for International Amateur Association Football Union) was an international governing body of association football which competed with FIFA for a short time between 1909 and 1912.^[1][2][3][4]

International Amateur Association Football Union

Union Internationale Amateur de Football Association (French)
Abbreviation	UIAFA
Founded	March 18, 1909 (1909-03-18)
Founded at	Paris, France
Dissolved	1912
Type	Football federation
Region served	Worldwide

History

 

Stadium de Roubaix during the 1911 Great European Tournament.

In 1907 there was a split in English football between the Amateur Football Association (AFA) and the Football Association (FA) during the conflict between amateurism and professionalism. The AFA tried to join FIFA, but was not admitted. In solidarity, the Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA), which in that moment was the French FIFA member, left the organization, being replaced by the Comité français interfédéral (CFI).^[3][5]

On the other hand, in Bohemia there was the Český svaz footballový (ČSF; Czech Football Federation), which had joined FIFA in 1906, but was later expelled from the international organization on 8 June 1908 during the congress held in Vienna due to objections from the Austrian Football Association (Österreichischer Fußball-Verband, ÖFV), as Bohemia was part of the Austrian-administered territory within Austria-Hungary.^[6]

These three federations not associated with FIFA founded the UIAFA (Union internationale amateur de football Association),^[7] which was established in Paris on 18 March 1909.^[8] British Prince Arthur of Connaught was named honorary president of the organization.^[9] The first president was Victor E. Schneider, who had been vice president of FIFA.^[3] At the FIFA Congress held in Budapest in 1909, the matches between clubs of its member associations and UIAFA clubs were prohibited.^[10]

On 15 October 1909, the Federación Española de Clubs de Football (FECF; Spanish Federation of Football Clubs), a forerunner of the current RFEF, joined the UIAFA.^[4] The Fédération Belge des Sports Athlétiques (FBSA), a Belgian rebel federation, became member in February 1910.^[3] At the congress held in January 1911, a Swiss federation, the Ligue Sportive Suisse (LSS), joined the organization.^[11][12][13] Also was reported the presence of an Austrian association in the meeting.^[11][12][13] Some sources say that another two federations representing British East Africa and South America also joined UIAFA in that same congress.^[3] That same year the UIAFA organized a European championship in Roubaix during the International Exposition of the North of France. The competition was called Great European football tournament (In French Grand Tournoi européen de football)^[14] and was won by the Bohemian national team.^{[3][5][6][15]}

On 28 May 1911, the Związek Footballistów Polskich (ZFP; in English: Association of Polish Footballers) applied for membership. This was a federation formed in Austrian Galicia at the initiative of the Polish club Wisła Kraków, which had already belonged to the UIAFA since December 1910.^[16][17] It would become a full member at the next congress to be held in Prague in 1912.^[17][18] However, the UIAFA became inactive.^[19] The USFSA joined the CFI, recognized by FIFA, in December of that same year.^[3] In 1913 the Spanish FECF and its rival RUECF tried to join FIFA without success, something that was not achieved until the formation of the RFEF that same year.^[4] The English AFA finally joined the FA in 1914.^[3] Lastly, after the disintegration of Austria-Hungary and the independence of Czechoslovakia, the ČSF became the Czechoslovak Football Federation (ČSSF; Československý Svaz Footballový).

Members

•   Amateur Football Association (AFA)
•   Český svaz footballový (ČSF)
•   Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA)
•   Federación Española de Clubs de Football (FECF)
•   Fédération Belge des Sports Athlétiques (FBSA)
•   Ligue Sportive Suisse (LSS)
•   Związek Footballistów Polskich (ZFP)

Also it was reported the membership of an Austrian federation in the 1911 congress,^[11][12][13] and some sources say another two federations representing British East Africa and South America joined the organization in that congress.^[3]

References

1. Christian Koller; Fabian Brandle (2015). "A Game for the Elite". Goal! A cultural and social history of modern football. CUA Press. p. 42. ISBN 9780813227276.
2. John Nauright (2012). "Association Football, Italy". Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 237. ISBN 9781598843019.
3. "Grand Tournoi Européen (Roubaix) 1911". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
4. Vicent Masià (June 2011). "La Federación Española de Fútbol (I)" [The Spanish Football Federation (I)]. La Futbolteca (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
5. Matthieu Delahais (9 April 2020). "Quand Roubaix accueillait le premier championnat d'Europe, en 1911" [When Roubaix hosted the first European Championship, in 1911]. Chroniques bleues (in French). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
6. "Böhmen - der geheime Europameister" [Bohemia - the secret European champion]. Wiener Zeitung (in German). 9 June 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
7. "Una nouvelle Fédération Internationale" [A new International Federation]. Les Jeunes (in French). No. 47. 19 December 1908. p. 1. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
8. "Football association. Aprés le match France-Angleterre (A.F.A.)" [Association football. After the France-England match (A.F.A.)]. L'Auto-Vélo (in French). Vol. 3, no. 77. 20 March 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
9. "Une nouvelle Fédération Internationale" [A new International Federation]. Le Peuple français (in French). No. 78 [Year XVIII]. 20 March 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
10. "FIFA: Budapesten született meg a szervezet első jelentős döntése" [FIFA: The organization's first major decision was made in Budapest]. Nemzeti Sport (in Hungarian). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
11. "Dernière heure. Fédérations des sports" [Breaking. Sports federations]. La Dépêche de Brest (in French). Vol. 9, no. 256. 5 January 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
12. "La vie sportive. Athletisme" [Sports life. Athletics]. Le Journal (in French). Vol. 6, no. 675. 5 January 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
13. "Football leaders meet". The New York Herald - European edition - Paris. Vol. 27, no. 164. 6 January 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
14. "Au Stadium de Roubaix" [At the Roubaix Stadium]. L'Auto-Vélo (in French). Vol. 3, no. 867. 18 May 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
15. "La Semaine Sportive" [Sports Week]. Dunkerque Sports (in French). No. 143. 4 June 1911. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
16. "109 lat temu z inicjatywy Wisły powstał pierwszy polski związek piłkarski" [109 years ago, on the initiative of Wisła, the first Polish football association was established]. wisla.krakow.pl (in Polish). 21 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
17. "Wisła a Związek Footballistów Polskich" [Wisła and the Polish Footballers' Association]. historiawisly.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 May 2023.
18. "Football". Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny (in Polish). No. 124. 1 June 1911. p. 6. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
19. "UIAFA". historiawisly.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 May 2023.