Simon Cooper

He wins the French military cross, the Croix de Guerre, three times.

And he comes home from war with the idea we have to make peace between peoples.

We have to reconcile, especially the French and Germans, and football is the way to do that.

And he becomes president of the French FA.

And then in 1921, just after the war, he becomes president of FIFA.

He stays president for 30 years.

And during his era, they create this World Cup in 1930.

So it's the idea of football brings peace.

Everyone is welcome.

It doesn't matter if your ruler is a fascist or a Democrat.

We don't care.

He was sort of open to everyone.

He gives Mussolini the World Cup of 1934.

In World War II, he collaborates a bit too much with Vichy.

He gets in trouble for meeting German football officials just before France is invaded, et cetera.

So he was very much a guy who every regime is welcome, which has remained the FIFA principle.

Yeah, I mean, like you, I've been to Uruguay, and it struck me that, you know, the central part of the city is these 1920 skyscrapers.

It looks a bit like New York, but dilapidated.

So obviously there hadn't been kind of economic advance since then.

But when they get the World Cup, they get it because they're the one country that's willing to pay for the whole thing.