FOOTBALL OR SOCCER

I have never played any game in my life, but when I was in Nigeria, somehow I developed some interest in Football. Although I still do not know how the game is played, nor I have tried to know, but still  I like a couple of things in it, such as that it is finished in 1 and 1/2 hour, I like to watch players running after one ball, their passing and the techniques used to score a goal, and of course penalty kicks and the extra time after a match has a tie etc etc. So since 1988 I have been watching all World Cup Games. This time I thought to pen down some of the interesting facts about it. Well, this information is not new, but it is very consolidated, hope amateur Football fans like myself will appreciate my efforts and be benefited by this.

HISTORY OF FOOTBALL

It is said that this game, in the form of kicking a ball into a small net was played by Chinese military during 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. Both the Greeks and Romans played a football type game, which resembled modern football game, could consist up to 27 players.

But Britain is the undisputed birth place of modern football, England and Scotland being the co-founders of the organized game. In early stages it was a war game type that is why many authorities to stop it but it was so popular that it could not be stopped. There is a story which places the first football game with the severed head of a Danish prince they had defeated in the battle. In medieval times people played it against their rival towns and villages, and kicking, punching, biting and gouging all were allowed.

1904 - Birth of FIFA (The Federation of World Football)

FIFA was founded in 1904. It celebrated its centenary in 2004. Its history is available in book form in four official languages - English, French, German, and Spanish, in most book stores.

Hiring of Foreign Players

Football didn't gain much popularity in Europe in World War II, but it gained very strong ground in South America during that period. Argentina and Uruguay both set up their professional leagues of ten teams, but soon they faced financial problems and Colombians bade for their stars to join them and the first few Argentina stars joined Colombian teams. Soon the number crossed 300. Other developments also took place - hiring English professional referees, putting number on jerseys, and allowing two substitutions.

In 1949, a Hungarian fled to Spain, signed for their team, and became the citizen of Spain. By 1956 some 250 players fled Hungary to wherever they found their footing. Even some FIFA World Cup finalists in Switzerland also joined them. In the end of 1950 an amateur team was founded in Australia and hired many professionals without any formalities, but FIFA stopped them doing so. In 2000 some 15,000 people signed for the teams of other countries.

FIFA has recently (2006) decided that the people who have originated from another country, but are nationals of another country, can play for their country of origin.

In the USA, the USA Football Association finally created a professional league in 1990 at last.