5 years – 5 topics – 5 pictures: Part 1 "The Collection"

One of the most important sources of objects for the collection of the FIFA Museum are the numerous FIFA Tournaments. FIFA Museum staff or dedicated FIFA employees select and collect a wide range of objects at each tournament to commemorate historic moments on and off the pitch, from team shirts or kick-off balls to refereeing equipment and even gaming controllers. At the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018, the FIFA Museum collected objects, such as these gloves and Captains’ armbands. The exhibition Just Arrived! put the items on display in Zurich to extend the World Cup festivities with objects fresh from the pitch.

In collaboration with the Pozzo family and the Turin State Archive, the FIFA museum has curated and digitized the diverse photographic archive of Vittoria Pozzo, the only coach to lead his team to the world title twice. Many of the images are rare and personal images of Pozzo himself, offering unique insight into the life and work of an iconic football coach. The museum also holds a variety of objects from Pozzo, from tracksuits and typewriters to football memorabilia. The Pozzo archive is one of several photographic archives that the museum has acquired and makes available to the public.

This past year the museum welcomed a special piece of women’s football history into its collection. Boldklubben Femina, the Danish club who won the ‘unofficial’ women’s World Cup in 1970 gifted their trophy and a selection of items from their club to the museum. Members of the team were involved in the creation of the exhibition Heroes: Centuries of Women’s Football in Zurich and The Women’s Game in Paris. The trophy and pamphlets given by Femina and objects given by other generous donors enabled the museum to expand its coverage of historic women’s football, thus opening a new exhibit on the topic and ensuring the preservation of these items for generations to come.

In March 2020, the private collection of Şenes Erzik, honorary President of the Turkish FA, found its way into the FIFA Museum collection. Erzik held a number of positions within the Turkish FA, FIFA and UEFA, who’s vice-president he became in 1994. He visited the museum to donate the collection and share his favourite items with museum Director Marco Fazzone. With donations of this type, the museum takes on the responsibility of ensuring the preservation, accessibility, and conservation of unique historic items.

In response to the rapid growth of eSports globally, the museum added a new aspect of football culture with ‘The Virtual Pitch’, a new area dedicated to the history of football videogames and the competitions around them. This not only addressed a new demographic of football fans, but also added 40+ years of football video game culture to the museum. It also marked the first year in which the museum collected items at a FIFAe tournament. To open the exhibition, 2019 World Champion ‘MoAuba’ came to Zurich to hand over the centerpiece of the exhibition, the FIFAe World Cup Trophy, to its new permanent home.