The FIFA Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by FIFA. The award is presented at the annual FIFA congress. It is normally awarded to people who are considered to have made a significant contribution to association football.
| FIFA Order of Merit | |
|---|---|
 The FIFA Order of Merit | |
| Awarded by FIFA | |
| Type | Order of merit |
| Eligibility | Any individual |
| Awarded for | "significant contribution to the development of association football" |
| Status | Active |
| Grades | 1 |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1984 |
| Last induction | 2012 |
| Total inductees | 121 |
At FIFA's centennial congress they made one award for every decade of their existence. These awards were also handed out to fans, organisations, clubs, and one to African Football. These were referred to as the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit.
The winner does not have to be directly involved with football to receive it. One such notable non-footballing personality was Nelson Mandela who won it for bringing South Africa back to international football.
Recipients
editPersonalities directly involved in football
editAssociations
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol | 2004 |  Uruguay |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| African Football | 2004 | Centennial Award in 2004 | |
| International Football Association Board | 2004 | Centennial Award in 2004 |
Clubs
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield F.C. | 2004 |  England |
Centennial Award in 2004[1] |
| Real Madrid C.F. | 2004 |  Spain |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
Players
edit
Managers
edit
| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franz Beckenbauer* | 1984, 2004 |  Germany |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Helmut Schön | 1984 | Germany |
|
| Mário Zagallo | 1992 |  Brazil |
|
| Karl Heinz Weigang | 1998 | Germany |
|
| Miljan Miljanić* | 2002 |  Serbia |
|
| Valeriy Lobanovskyi | 2003 |  Ukraine |
|
| Sein Hlaing | 2004 |  Myanmar |
|
| Bobby Robson | 2009 | England |
Emerald Award [3] |
| Kazimierz Górski* | 2006 |  Poland |
|
| Nodar Akhalkatsi | 2008 |  Georgia |
|
| Johan Cruijff* | 2010 |  Netherlands |
|
| Winston Chung Fah | 2012 |  Jamaica |
|
| Óscar Tabárez | 2012 | Uruguay |
Referees
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Rous* | 1984 | England |
|
| Nikolay Latyshev | 1987 |  Soviet Union |
|
| Thomas Wharton | 1992 |  Scotland |
|
| Farouk Bouzo | 1996 |  Syria |
|
| Javier Arriaga Muñiz | 1996 |  Mexico |
|
| Fernando G. Álvarez | 2005 |  Philippines |
|
| Hari Raj Naicker | 2012 |  Fiji |
Administrators
edit
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*in diamond, ruby or emerald [6]
Other individuals
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberto Marinho | 1987 | Brazil |
|
| Everwijn van Steeden | 1987 | England |
|
| Emilio Azcárraga Milmo | 1987 | Mexico |
|
| Diego Lucero | 1987 | Uruguay |
|
| Pedro Ramírez Vázquez | 1988 | Mexico |
|
| Karl-Heinz Heimann | 1992 | Germany |
|
| Walter Lutz | 1992 |  Switzerland |
|
| Henry Kissinger | 1996 |  United States |
|
| Douglas Ivester | 1996 | United States |
|
| Udo Jürgens | 1996 | Germany |
|
| Fernand Sastre | 1998 |  France |
|
| Nelson Mandela | 1998 |  South Africa |
|
| Erwin Himmelseher | 2000 | Germany |
|
| Kofi Annan | 2002 |  Ghana |
|
| Thaksin Shinawatra | 2004 |  Thailand |
|
| Robert Louis-Dreyfus | 2006 | France |
|
| Otto Schily | 2006 | Germany |
|
| Rudi Michel | 2006 | Germany |
|
| Mohammed Yusuf | 2008 | Fiji |
|
| Alpha Oumar Konaré | 2008 |  Mali |
|
| Thabo Mbeki | 2010 | South Africa |
Other collectives
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Television | 2004 | Centennial Award in 2004 | |
| The City of Sheffield | 2004 | England |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Fans of Japan | 2004 |  Japan |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Fans of Korea | 2004 |  South Korea |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
Commercial brands
edit| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adidas | 2004 | Germany |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Coca-Cola | 2004 | United States |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive | 2004 | France |
Centennial Award in 2004 |
References
edit- ^ "Honours of Oldest Soccer Team in World". Sheffield FC. 20 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Anniversary with nine FIFA Order of Merit Awards". FIFA. 9 August 1996. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "The official website for European football".
- ^ "Global game honours fighter Warren". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 2004. Archived from the original on 28 April 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
- ^ "Leszek Rylski mourned". UEFA.com. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "UEFA tribute to loyal football servants – UEFA.com". 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
External links
edit- "FIFA Fact Sheet: FIFA Order of Merit holders" (PDF). FIFA. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2013.