Jules Rimet (1873-1956) was the 3rd president of FIFA who had the initiative to stage a World Cup in 1930. As president of FIFA he served for 33 years from 1921 until 1954 a length of service that has never been surpassed. The first World Cup Trophy called “Victory” but generally known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde was renamed in his honour in 1946.
As a football administrator Rimet also served as president of the French Football Federation and founded the football club Red Star Saint-Ouen.
In the village of Theuley-les-Lavoncourt in France stands a monument to this man who changed world football. The monument consists of a grassed penalty area, a replica goal and portrait of this football administrator who never played the game competitively.
Initially FIFA, the organisation that Rimet helped found was just involved in amateur Olympic competition and plans to stage a World Cup were opposed by amateur football associations and Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC. Plans for a World Cup despite the difficulties were put forward in 1928 without the FA who were not happy with how it would impact the domestic club season and declined the invitation to attend the first World Cup in 1930, hosted by Uruguay.
Jules Rimet died in France on the 16th October 1956 aged 83.
The Jules Rimet Trophy, a somewhat small 35 cm tall gold plated sterling silver victory figure won by England in 1966 was won outright by Brazil in 1970 but was later stolen and presumed destroyed. A few replicas remain including one made in 1966 despite FIFA forbidding it after the trophy went missing in England and a further replica to replace the original theft in 1983.
Source: DSG
