- Sepp Blatter
Joseph "Sepp" Blatter is the 8th and current president of FIFA. He was elected on June 8, 1998, succeeding Dr. João Havelange (Brazil).
- Michel Platini
History: Michel Platini (June 21, 1955, Joeuf, Departement Meurthe-et-Moselle) is a former French football player, widely regarded as one of the most elegant midfielders of his generation. ...
- Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine former football superstar. He played in four World Cups and received a FIFA award: "FIFA Internet Player of the Century", after being voted in an international fan poll organized by FIFA in 2000 to choose the best football player of all time. Maradona won various trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over the course of his career.
- Freddy Adu
Fredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu (born 2 June 1989 in Tema, Ghana) is a Ghanaian-American soccer player for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer. At the age of 14, Adu became the youngest professional athlete in modern American team sports history when he signed a professional contract with Major League Soccer, the top league of the United States soccer pyramid.
- Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm-Garciaparra (born Mariel Margaret Hamm on March 17,1972 in Selma, Alabama) is a former American soccer player. Playing for many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team, she scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female. Hamm eventually became one of the most famous women athletes in the world, an iconic symbol of women's sports, …
- Jules Rimet
Jules Rimet (October 14, 1873 - October 16, 1956) was president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1945 and of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. Rimet was born at Theuley-les Lavoncourt, France. On Rimet's initiative, the first Football World Cup was held in 1930 (see Football World Cup 1930). The Jules Rimet Trophy was named in his honour. He also founded one of France's oldest teams: Red Star Saint-Ouen. He died at Suresnes in France in 1956.
- Valon Behrami
Valon Behrami (born 19 April 1985 in Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Swiss midfielder currently playing professional football for S.S. Lazio of Italian Serie A. Born in Kosovo to Albanian parents, Behrami moved to Stabio, a village in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, due to war when he was only a child, and he then obtained the Swiss nationality. Behrami started playing football in Swiss sides FC Stabio, FC Chiasso and FC Lugano.
- Lennart Johansson
Lennart Johansson (born 5 November, 1929) was the president of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations from 1990 until 2007. Born in Sweden, Johansson lives in Stockholm and was the president of local football club AIK's football section until he stepped down in 2005. In April 2005 he was re-elected for a new two-year period as President of UEFA, and announced that he would seek another four-year term. However, he lost the UEFA leadership election of 26 January, …
- Julio Grondona
Julio Humberto Grondona is an Argentine football executive. He has served as president of the Argentine Football Association (Asociación del Fútbol Argentino) since 1979. He also serves as Senior Vice-President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). As a player, Grondona auditioned at River Plate but never made the team. In the 1950s, he founded Arsenal de Sarandí with his brother Héctor, who succeeded him as club president.
- Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson is an English football manager. He is currently the head coach of the Finnish national team. Hodgson is probably best known for guiding the Swiss national team to the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996; before that Switzerland had not qualified for a major tournament since the 1960s. He has also coached many notable club sides, including Malmö FF, Internazionale, Blackburn Rovers, Grasshoppers, F.C. Copenhagen and Udinese.
- Rogério Ceni
Rogério Ceni (born January 22, 1973 in Pato Branco, Paraná, Brazil) is a Brazilian goalkeeper. He has been a member of the Brazilian Série A club São Paulo since September 7, 1990, playing more than 700 matches and winning 2 Copa Libertadores trophies and 2 World Club Championship with them. He is officially recognised by FIFA and the IFFHS as the goalkeeper to have scored the most goals in the history of football: 72 (As of 03/06/07).
- Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE (born December 30, 1937 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England) is a former English footballer, elected in a poll by the IFFHS as the second best goalkeeper of the 20th Century. Banks' was a member of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup.
- Howard Webb
Howard Melton Webb (born july 14 1971) is an English football referee in the FA Premier League. He is based in Rotherham, Yorkshire. His first game in the Premiership was on 18 October 2003, when he took charge of the 0 - 0 draw between Fulham and Wolves. He has since been appointed as a FIFA official.
- João Havelange
Dr. Jean-Marie Faustin Goedefroid de Havelange, usually known as João Havelange (born May 8, 1916 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was the president of FIFA from 1974 to 1998. He succeeded Sir Stanley Rous and was succeeded by Joseph Blatter. Since 1963, João Havelange has been a member of the International Olympic Committee. Havelange's father left his home country of Belgium in order to start a new life in Brazil. He died when João was only 17 years old.
- Massimo Busacca
Massimo Busacca (born February 6, 1969 in Bellinzona) is a Swiss football (soccer) referee. He lives in Monte Carasso near Bellinzona and is also a business owner. He has been a referee in the highest Swiss football league since 1996. He has been a FIFA referee since 1999. He was called to be a referee at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
- Garrincha
Manoel Francisco dos Santos (October 28, 1933 - January 20, 1983), known by the nickname "Garrincha" ("little bird"), was a Brazilian football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962, and played the majority of his professional career for Brazilian club Botafogo. FIFA considers him the best Brazilian player ever after Pelé, and in 1999, he was similarly ranked by the IFFHS, …
- John Motson
John Walker Motson OBE (born 10 July 1945, Salford, Lancashire), known as Motty, is an English football commentator. The son of a Methodist minister, 'Motty' was educated at Culford School, where much to his disdain rugby, hockey and cricket were played and football not. He was in the same year as Gary Newbon, who still holds the record for the most appearances in the school's 1st XV rugby.
- Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov alternatively spelt Stoitchkov (born February 8, 1966, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria) is a football manager and former striker who was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. He was honoured as European Footballer of the Year in 1994.
- Urs Meier
Urs Meier is a retired Swiss football referee, a grocer by trade that owns a brand of household appliances. From 1994 until 2004 he was an international FIFA referee. He was elected by an expert jury to be the second-best referee in 2002 and third-best in 2004. He officiated at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, taking charge of the semi-final between South Korea and Germany in 2002. He also refereed the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final as well that year.
- Frank de Bleeckere
Frank de Bleeckere (born July 1, 1966 in Oudenaarde) is a Belgian football referee. He has been a referee since January 1, 1998, and an international (FIFA) official since 2001. De Bleeckere was refereeing in his first World Cup Finals in Germany, having had to pass a late fitness test following injury.
- Jay-Jay Okocha
Augustine Azuka "Jay-Jay" Okocha (born August 14, 1973 in Enugu) is a Nigerian football midfielder who currently plays in the Qatar league for Qatar SC, a move that was completed in July 2006.
- Henri Delaunay
Henri Delaunay was a French football administrator. After playing for the Paris team Étoile des Deux Lacs, he became a referee. He retired following an incident during a match between AF Garenne-Doves and ES Benevolence, when he swallowed his whistle and broke two teeth on being struck full face by the ball. He started his career as administrator in 1906 when he became president of Étoile des Deux Lacs, then secretary-general of the Comité français interfédéral (CFI), …
- Sebastian Mila
Sebastian Mila is a Polish footballer. He signed for Vålerenga on February 9, 2007, after a rather turbulent stay in FK Austria Wien. He plays as a midfielder, and he has got 27 caps for the Poland national football team. In 2003, he came on the scene as an exciting player for Poland's Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski, with his goal - which eliminated the Premiership outfit Manchester City - from the 2003/04 UEFA Cup.
- Artemio Franchi
Artemio Franchi (1922-1983) was an Italian football administrator. He served as Italian Football Federation President (1967-1976, 1978-1980), UEFA President (1972-1983) and as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee (1974-1983). He died in a road accident near Siena in August 1983. The home stadium of ACF Fiorentina and that of A.C. Siena are both named in his honor, as well as the Artemio Franchi Trophy.
- Andy Webster
Andrew Neil Webster (born April 23 1982 in Dundee) is a Scottish professional football currently playing for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, on loan from Wigan Athletic. His position is centre back.
- Jorge Larrionda
Jorge Luis Larrionda Pietrafesa (born March 9, 1968) is a FIFA football referee from Uruguay who has officiated at international matches since 2000. He is currently one of the world's top referees, having had the highest moment of his career during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, in which he officiated four matches, including a semifinal between Portugal and France. However, his refereeing style has also won him many critics, …
- Rinus Michels
Marinus ("Rinus") Jacobus Hendricus Michels (February 9, 1928 - March 3, 2005) was a Dutch football player and coach. He played his entire career for the club Ajax Amsterdam, whom he later coached, and was a member of the Netherlands national team both as a player and as manager. Michels became most notable for his coaching achievements, having won the European Cup with Ajax and the Spanish league with FC Barcelona, …
- Andrew Jennings
Andrew Jennings is an investigative reporter, writer and documentary filmmaker. He is best known for his work concerning corruption in sports organizations and the politics of international sports, particularly within FIFA and the International Olympic Committee.
- Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg (born March 13 1975) is one of many referees in the FA Premier League. He is based in Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He trained as an electrician and is of part-Canadian ancestry.
- Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers (born February 1, 1966 in Santa Clara, California) was a leading American soccer player and played on the historic 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Akers was a three-time All-American from Shorecrest High School in Seattle. Akers then attended the University of Central Florida where she was a four-time All-American, was Central Florida's Athlete of the Year in 1988-89, …
- Wolfgang Stark
Wolfgang Stark (born November 20, 1969 in Landshut), is a German football referee, who officiates in the FIFA league. He has refereed matches in Champions League and qualifications to the European Football Championship and the World Cup.
- Hope Powell
Hope Powell OBE (born 8 December 1966) is the coach of the England women's national football team. As a player, Powell won 66 caps for England, mainly as an attacking midfielder, scoring 35 goals. She made her England debut at the age of 16, and would go on to play in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, England's first World Cup appearance. She was also vice-captain of her country. At club-level, she won the FA Women's Cup three times, …
- Stanley Rous
Sir Stanley Ford Rous (born April 25, 1895 in Mutford, Suffolk; died July 18, 1986) was an English football referee and administrator.
- Mike Riley
Michael Anthony Riley (born December 17, 1964) is an English football referee from West Yorkshire who oversees matches in both the Football League and the FA Premier League. Riley became a national Football League referee in 1994, having previously served five years on their assistant referees' list. He was later granted FIFA status in 1999 allowing him to officiate international fixtures.
- Salvador Carmona
Salvador José Carmona Álvarez is a retired Mexican football defender who is currently banned for life from playing professional soccer affiliated to FIFA for failing two separate anti-doping tests. During his career, he obtained 85 caps for the Mexican national team since his debut in 1996, and participated at the World Cup finals in 1998 and 2002, in which he played an important role in the team.
- Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born October 23rd 1940 in Três Corações, Brazil), best known by his nickname Pelé, is a former Brazilian football player and widely considered as the greatest in history. In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments and contribution to the game, in addition to being officially declared the football ambassador of the world by FIFA and a national treasure by the Brazilian government.
- Steve Bennett
Stephen Graham Bennett (born 17 January 1961 in Farnborough, Kent) is an English football referee.
- Terje Hauge
Terje Hauge (born October 5, 1965 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian football referee from the club Olsvik IL. Since he made his debut in 1990, Hauge has refereed 232 matches in the Tippeligaen. He has been an authorised FIFA referee since 1993. He won the Kniksen award as referee of the year in the Tippeligaen in 2004.
- David Smith
David Smith (nickname "Smudger") (born 26 December 1970) is a former professional footballer. He was a midfielder who played for Norwich City FC (where he began his career), Oxford United F.C., Stockport County F.C., Macclesfield Town F.C. and Drogheda United (Ireland). He came through the youth team and reserves at Norwich and played 18 times for the first team. His league debut was in April 1990 against Derby County. He played 198 times for Oxford (2 goals), …
- Walter Centeno
Walter Centeno Corea is a Costa Rican midfielder, who currently plays for Deportivo Saprissa. Before joining Saprissa, Centeno played for Belen and Goicoechea, also of Costa Rica, and AEK Athens FC of Greece. While playing for AEK Athens FC he participated in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage managing to score in the team's away home draws against Real Madrid (2-2) and AS Roma (1-1).