18 November 2004
Pelé, the legendary Brazilian footballer; IOC President
Jacques Rogge; and FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter were in
Lausanne yesterday to open the new temporary exhibition at
the Olympic Museum entitled 100 Years of Planet Football –
FIFA 1904-2004. This is a commemorative exhibition covering
the history of football from the founding of the
International Association Football Federation (FIFA) to its
current activities. The exhibition has been mounted by the
Olympic Museum in collaboration with FIFA.
FIFA-IOC: a long-standing friendship
After the symbolic photograph taken beside the FIFA World
Cup, the personalities began with a visit to the exhibition,
which was followed by an official ceremony with various
speeches. For President Blatter, this exhibition is also an
expression of the long-standing harmonious relations between
FIFA and the Olympic Movement. “The IOC has its place in the
FIFA centenary celebrations as, since its creation, the FIFA
World Cup has been very closely linked to the Olympic
Movement and in particular the Olympic football
tournaments.”
Football history
In addition, the exhibition looks at FIFA and the IOC’s
mission in the global development of football. It is also
the FIFA World Cup, a unique event in the way it manages,
like the Olympic Games, to bring countries together and
offer occasions rich in emotion.
Kick-off by Pelé
At the morning’s press conference devoted to the exhibition,
when asked for a story about his career, Pelé recalled:
“When I won my first World Cup in 1958, aged 17, the only
thing I wanted to do was phone my family to tell them. But I
had to wait until the next day to do so. Today, when a
player scores a goal, he can use his mobile to phone his
mother straightaway and say ‘Mum, I’ve scored!’.” Other
days, other ways…
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