FIFA Order of Merit
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.
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 doesn't 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
Football Associations
| Recipient | Year |
| Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
| African Football | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
| International Football Association Board | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
Footballers
| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franz Beckenbauer | 1984, 2004 |  Germany | Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Bobby Charlton | 1984 |  England | |
| Pele | 1984, 2004 |  Brazil | Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Stanley Rous | 1984 | England | |
| Dino Zoff | 1984 |  Italy | |
| Lev Yashin | 1988 |  Soviet Union[1] | |
| Antonio Carbajal | 1992 |  Mexico | |
| Stanley Matthews | 1992 | England | |
| Francisco Varallo | 1994 |  Argentina | |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 1994 | Argentina/ Spain | |
| Eusébio | 1994 |  Portugal | |
| Just Fontaine | 1994 |  France | |
| Zico | 1996 | Brazil | |
| Bobby Moore | 1996 | England | |
| Salif Keita | 1996 |  Mali | |
| Michelle Akers | 1998 |  United States | |
| Larbi Benbarek | 1998 |  Morocco | |
| Gilmar | 1998 | Brazil | |
| Gerd Müller | 1998 | Germany | |
| Fernand Sastre | 1998 | France | |
| Pradip Kumar Banerjee | 2004 |  India | Centennial Award in 2004 |
| Lee Ramoon | 2004 |  Cayman Islands | |
| Johnny Warren | 2004 |  Australia | |
| Paolo Maldini | 2008 | Italy | |
| Bobby Robson | 2009 | England | |
| Johan Cruijff | 2010 |  Netherlands | |
| Steve Sumner | 2010 |  New Zealand | Centennial Award in 2004 |
Football Referees
| Recipient | Year | Nationality |
| Farouk Bouzo | 1996 |  Syria |
| Javier Arriaga Muñiz | 1996 | Mexico |
Football Officials
| Recipient | Year | Nationality |
| Chen Chengda | 1994 |  China |
| Sir Arthur George | 1994 | Australia |
| Maurice Burlaz | 1996 | France |
| Guillermo Cañedo | 1998 | Mexico |
| Henry Fok | 1998 |  Hong Kong/ China |
| Julio Grondona | 1998 | Argentina |
| Vyacheslav Koloskov | 1998 |  Russia |
| Bert Millichip | 1998 | England |
| Karl Heinz Weigang | 1998 | Germany |
| Santiago Bernabéu | 2002 | Spain |
| João Havelange | 2004 | Brazil (Centennial Award) |
| Jules Rimet | 2004 | France (Centennial Award) |
| Nodar Akhalkatsi | 2008 |  Georgia |
| Lisle Austin | 2010 |  Barbados |
| Junji Ogura | 2010 |  Japan |
| György Szepesi | 2012 |  Hungary |
Other individuals
| Recipient | Year | Nationality |
| Henry Kissinger | 1996 | United States |
| Nelson Mandela | 1998 |  South Africa |
| Fernando G. Álvarez | 2005 | United States |
| Sein Hlaing | 2004 |  Burma |
Clubs
| Recipient | Year | Nationality |
| Real Madrid | 2004 | Spain (Centennial Award) |
| Sheffield F.C. | 2004 | England (Centennial Award) |
Corporate
| Recipient | Year | Nationality | Corporation |
| Douglas Ivester | 1996 | United States | |
| Adidas | 2004 | Germany | N/A (Centennial Award) |
| Coca-Cola | 2004 | United States | N/A (Centennial Award) |
| Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive | 2004 | France | N/A (Centennial Award) |
Other
| Recipient | Year |
| Fans of Japan | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
| Fans of Korea | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
| Television | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
| The City of Sheffield | 2004 (Centennial Award) |
References
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
External links
- FIFA Fact Sheet: FIFA Order of Merit holders, FIFA, 2010.
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