What is the relationship between Pierre de Coubert and football? Apparently nothing. However, it was Coubertin’s enthusiasm that awakened the Olympics that paved the way for the first World Cup more than three decades later.
It was Pierre de Coubertin, a French historian and teacher, who dusted off the ancient sports festival and turned it into the world’s sports center. Believing that exercise, sports and athletics are good for a healthy body, Coubertin started the International Olympic Committee in 1894 with the support of a group of like-minded sports enthusiasts. The formation of the Olympic Committee was the culmination of decades of thought to reorganize the Olympic Games, a world sporting event that had been active in Greece before Christ. And so, in 1896, the first modern Olympics took place at the Panathinaiko Stadium in the ancient Greek city of Athens. Later, after the Olympics in Paris in 1900 and in St. Louis in 1904, every four years, it was thought that a world festival should be held for football as well. The spark given in Coubert also spread to the World Cup in football.
In 1904, the French journalist Robert Guerin was the first president to form a football federation with European countries as members. At the age of just 28, Guevara started the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) with the vigor of youth. He was able to sit in this position for only two years. Later, when Daniel Burley Woolfall, one of the English football authorities, took over as president, the First World War broke out by the time the member states from outside Europe were brought together under FIFA. 1921 The person who reaches that position is actually Ulrime, who is known as the father of World Cup football.
However, in 1904, the idea of a football fair in the style of the Olympics was born in the thoughts of Cornelius Augustus Wilhelm Hirschman, a wealthy Dutch banker who participated in the formation of FIFA and was the second secretary general. From 1906 to 1931, Wilhelm Hirschmann was in charge of world football.
Hirschmann’s was an adventure similar to how Pierre Coubertin revived the Olympics. Hirschman and his colleagues believed that the dream would flourish if England, Ireland and Scotland joined them, which is described as the fatherland of football. When Hirschmann came up with the idea of an international football competition, he was met with derisive reactions. At that time, the greatest power in the world and the owners of the sunless empire, England proceeded with resentment
It was impossible to go. The expected happened. Powerhouses including England, Ireland and Scotland backed away from the idea of an international football tournament. Meanwhile, the First World War broke out. All playgrounds have become battlefields. Stadiums, arenas, cannons and bobsleds lined up. Instead of balls, human heads began to roll. And after all the world wars were over, Hirschmann dusted off his plans again. By that time, FIFA President Yul Rimey, who took office in 1921, also arrived. He was an idea that the World Football Mela should be held in any corner of the world at any cost
Ulrime. Thus, they announced a World Cup group in mind, including England. The reckoning was that as things progressed, England too would fall behind. They activated the idea of a football fair in Paris with the participation of the countries of the world on the model of the Olympics. 15 European countries have been divided into four groups and the fixture has been prepared. However, the dream of the first World Cup football was nipped in the bud when England, who did not respond positively even at one point, announced that none of the countries supporting them would play. A time when even the existence of FIFA was questioned. However, Ulrime and Hirschman were not ready to take back the legs that had been put forward. They began investigating football opportunities outside of Europe.
Uruguay kicks off the first World Cup
When England and their friendly nations turned their backs on the idea of a football fair, FIFA chiefs were forced to look for alternatives. The economic depression in Europe after the war was also a reason for the withdrawal of English teams. The concern that they will lose their jobs when they come back from playing the World Cup has also backfired. However, with the confirmation that the international football fair would not be held in Europe, Ulrime-Hirschmann’s thoughts turned to Latin America, the key players in Olympic football at the time. Uruguay, who were football winners in the 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, expressed their willingness to prepare the stage. Along with this, one thing that motivated them was the experience of 40,000 spectators flocking to witness the 1924 Olympic football final. It didn’t take much for Hirschman, who was also an economist, to realize that football was a popular game and that huge market potential lay ahead.
The capital city of Montevideo was chosen as the venue for the first World Cup. Meanwhile, there were some changes in Europe. Austrian football leader Dr. Hugo Maisel announced his support for Ulrimake. Oppam, France, Belgium and Yugoslavia also expressed their cooperation. An excited Ulrime presented a trophy made of gold to the winners, and the first World Cup was in full swing. 1929 The city of Montevideo was announced as the venue for the first World Cup at the Barcelona FIFA Congress.
A proud Uruguay
Overcoming all odds, the first World Cup with 13 teams took place in three venues in the city of Montevideo. Argentina, Chile, France and Mexico in Group One. UGO, Brazil and Bolivia competed in two, Uruguay, Romania and Peru teams in three, and USA, Paraguay and Belgium teams in four. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals. In the first semi-final, Argentina beat America 6-1, and in the second semi-final, Uruguay beat Ugo 6-1. In the final, Uruguay won its first title, playing in front of Argentina’s fans who poured across the La Plata River.