| 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 |
TheUnion Internationale Amateur de Football Association (UIAFA;French for International Amateur Association Football Union) was an international governing body ofassociation football which competed withFIFA for a short time between1909 and1912.[1][2][3][4]
In 1907 there was a split in English football between theAmateur Football Association (AFA) and theFootball Association (FA) during the conflict between amateurism and professionalism. The AFA tried to joinFIFA, but was not admitted. In solidarity, theUnion des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA), which in that moment was the French FIFA member, left the organization, being replaced by theComité français interfédéral (CFI).[3][5]
On the other hand, inBohemia there was theČeský 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 inVienna due to objections from theAustrian Football Association (Österreichischer Fußball-Verband, ÖFV), as Bohemia was part of theAustrian-administered territory withinAustria-Hungary.[6]
These three federations not associated with FIFA founded the UIAFA (Union internationale amateur de football Association),[7] which was established inParis on 18 March 1909.[8] BritishPrince 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 theFIFA Congress held inBudapest in 1909, the matches between clubs of its member associations and UIAFA clubs were prohibited.[10]
On 15 October 1909, theFederación Española de Clubs de Football (FECF; Spanish Federation of Football Clubs), a forerunner of the currentRFEF, joined the UIAFA.[4] TheFédération 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, theLigue 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 representingBritish East Africa andSouth America also joined UIAFA in that same congress.[3] That same year the UIAFA organized a European championship inRoubaix during the International Exposition of the North of France. The competition was calledGreat European football tournament (InFrenchGrand 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 inAustrian Galicia at the initiative of the Polish clubWisła 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 inPrague in 1912.[17][18] However, the UIAFA became inactive.[19] TheUSFSA 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 theRFEF that same year.[4] The EnglishAFA finally joined theFA in 1914.[3] Lastly, after the disintegration of Austria-Hungary and the independence of Czechoslovakia, the ČSF became theCzechoslovak Football Federation (ČSSF;Československý Svaz Footballový).
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 representingBritish East Africa andSouth America joined the organization in that congress.[3]
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