Colombia U-20 World Cup � PAGE �2�
Running head: FIFA U-20 World Cup
FIFA 2011 U-20 World Cup Colombia
SPG 313 - Power, Politics & International Sport Governance
Dr. Emese Ivan
Javier Pinto
St. John's University
April 26, 2011
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Introduction
Soccer, most notably known as Futbol or Football in other corners of the world is a sport that has the strongest, passionate and most loyal fan base of any other major sport in the world. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the lone entity in charge of managing this sport on an international level. It organizes some of the most important mega events in the world on both male and female landscapes. The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the worlds second most important mega sport event, second only to the World Cup. In 2011, the eighteenth edition of this tournament was held in Colombia, a South American nation that has a passionate following for the sport.
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Figure 3In this paper we will exam how a country like Colombia, that in recent years has overcome so much internal turmoil, organized the best U-20 World Cup to date.
FIFA and the U-20 World Cup
FIFA, as defined on its website, is an association governed by Swiss law founded in 1904 and based in Zurich. It has 208 member associations and its goal is the constant improvement of football. FIFA is composed of a Congress (legislative body), Executive Committee (executive body), General Secretariat (administrative body) and committees (assisting the Executive Committee). They organize tournaments for both male and female competitors at all stages of development from youth Olympic tournaments to the World Cup. They are considered the governing body of not only football but also futsal (indoor football) and beach soccer. FIFA also offers more then just these tournaments, they also...