Football....

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's
much more serious than that.
Bill Shankly
It may come as a surprise to many, but football has a long and
interesting history; sources suggest that the sport was first introduced in
England as early as 1170 when an account describes youths going to
the fields for a game of ball. Aspects of the game can even be traced
back to as early as the second and third century BC in China. Sources
taken from military manuals at the time describe an exercise called Tsu
Chu, in which opponents used a leather ball filled with feathers and hair.
The aim was to get the ball into a small net fixed on to bamboo canes
while also defending themselves from attacks. Variations of the game
are also documented in Egyptian and Greek society, proving that the
sport has a long tradition throughout history.
In comparison to Chinas advanced version of the football itself, the
English equivalent was made using an inflated animal bladder. The
games appeal continued to increase in England so much so that in the
1300s, its popularity became a bone of contention for Edward II. The
king became increasingly concerned that football was distracting people
from practising archery, at a time when he was preparing to go to war
with Scotland. The solution to this problem was to enforce a ban on
everyone playing football. This was to be the first of many bans to be
instituted by leading figures such as Edward III, Henry IV and Oliver
Cromwell.
Nevertheless, football re-emerged and continued to increase in
popularity, particularly amongst the working classes, who saw the game
as an opportunity to channel their grievances and socialise with people
from similar backgrounds. But these matches did not always end in a
civilised manner; with limited rules and no referees at the time, the pitch
often became violent. It was acceptable to beat or punch opposing team
players including destroying their personal property and even, on
occasion, their homes or businesses. Volumes of players also varied in
some circumstances to as many as 1000 people at any one time, so it
wasn't surprising that football matches often spiralled out of control. It
became such a problem in the 1800s that a highway act was eventually
introduced in 1830, stating that those who played football on highways
would be required to pay a fine.

Football's appeal transcended the class divisions, becoming extremely

popular at public schools during the 18th century. This provided the
context for specific rules to be created for the game. An 1848 meeting at
Cambridge drew up rules outlining goal kicks, throw ins and goalies'
rights, all of which are still included today. These small stepspaved the
way for the rise of football club teams and national and international
games and championships.
The British have also been considered instrumental at spreading the
game, in its modern inception, across the world. The first ever match
recorded outside of Europe was in Argentina in 1867, led by several
Englishmen working abroad at the time.
Though football was considered a male sport, it was not exclusively
played by men; women have been involved in the game since the late
nineteenth century. It became increasingly popular during World War
Iwhen women had taken on the jobs traditionally done by men. Those in
industrial labour regularly met to play. A ladies team from Preston was
one of the first to compete in an international game against Paris. There
was a brief ban after World War I made by the Football Association who
deemed womens football to be inappropriate. However, the formation of
the English Womens FA saw the ban eventually lifted in 1971. Since
then womens football has continued to grow in Britain and abroad.
Some of the largest football clubs such as Arsenal, Everton and Chelsea
all have female teams which compete at home and internationally.
Football has become a much loved part of British culture, and has been
instrumental in causing change. Possibly the strangest match took place
during World War I, a period of history epitomised by bloodshed and
death on massive scales. On Christmas eve of 1914, upon hearing
German troops singing carols, both sides walked on to no mans land
and played a game of football. While it is not known who won that day,
this was to be the only time in the trenches where artillery fire
ceased. The Christmas Day Truce of 1914, as it became known,
highlights the impact football has had in this country, and indeed the
world, and helps explain why it is the nations favourite pasttime.
Football has also been mired by both tragedy and controversy, as seen
by the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989, in which 96 people were crushed
to death. In another incident, referred to as the Heysel Stadium Disaster
(1985), a large group of Liverpool fans breached a fence separating
them from Juventus fans; the resultant death of 32 people led to English

football clubs being banned by UEFA from all European competitions

until the early 1990s and a number of Liverpool fans being prosecuted
for manslaughter.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a defining moment for a nation
that until 1994 was under a regime of apartheid. It was hoped that the
biggest sports event in the world would bring prosperity to the host
country and show the rest of the world a different side of Africa. Football
has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings hundreds of
years ago.
History of Football - The Origins
FIFA.com

The contemporary history of the world's favourite game spans more than 100
years. It all began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association
football branched off on their different courses and the Football Association in
England was formed - becoming the sport's first governing body.
Both codes stemmed from a common root and both have a long and intricately
branched ancestral tree. A search down the centuries reveals at least half a dozen
different games, varying to different degrees, and to which the historical
development of football has been traced back. Whether this can be justified in
some instances is disputable. Nevertheless, the fact remains that people have
enjoyed kicking a ball about for thousands of years and there is absolutely no
reason to consider it an aberration of the more 'natural' form of playing a ball
with the hands.
On the contrary, apart from the need to employ the legs and feet in tough tussles
for the ball, often without any laws for protection, it was recognised right at the
outset that the art of controlling the ball with the feet was not easy and, as such,
required no small measure of skill. The very earliest form of the game for which
there is scientific evidence was an exercise from a military manual dating back
to the second and third centuries BC in China.
This Han Dynasty forebear of football was called Tsu' Chu and it consisted of
kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening,
measuring only 30-40cm in width, into a small net fixed onto long bamboo
canes. According to one variation of this exercise, the player was not permitted

to aim at his target unimpeded, but had to use his feet, chest, back and shoulders
while trying to withstand the attacks of his opponents. Use of the hands was not
permitted.
Another form of the game, also originating from the Far East, was the Japanese
Kemari, which began some 500-600 years later and is still played today. This is
a sport lacking the competitive element of Tsu' Chu with no struggle for
possession involved. Standing in a circle, the players had to pass the ball to each
other, in a relatively small space, trying not to let it touch the ground.
The Greek 'Episkyros' - of which few concrete details survive - was much
livelier, as was the Roman 'Harpastum'. The latter was played out with a smaller
ball by two teams on a rectangular field marked by boundary lines and a centre
line. The objective was to get the ball over the opposition's boundary lines and
as players passed it between themselves, trickery was the order of the day. The
game remained popular for 700-800 years, but, although the Romans took it to
Britain with them, the use of feet was so small as to scarcely be of consequence.
Football
Several codes of football. Images, from top down, left to
right: association football,Australian rules football, international rules
football, a rugby union scrum, rugby league, and American football.
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying
degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word football is
understood to refer to whichever form of football is the most popular in
the regional context in which the word appears. Sports commonly called
'football' in certain places include: association football (known as soccer
in some countries); gridiron football(specifically American
football or Canadian football); Australian rules football; rugby
football (either rugby league or rugby union); and Gaelic football.[1]
[2]
These different variations of football are known as football codes.
Various forms of football can be identified in history, often as
popular peasant games. Contemporary codes of football can be traced
back to the codification of these games at English public schools during
the nineteenth century.[3][4] The expanse of the British Empire allowed
these rules of football to spread to areas of British influence outside of
the directly controlled Empire,[5] though by the end of the nineteenth
century, distinct regional codes were already developing: Gaelic football,
for example, deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional
football games in order to maintain their heritage. [6] In 1888, The Football

League was founded in England, becoming the first of

many professional football competitions. During the twentieth century,
several of the various kinds of football grew to become some of the most
popular team sports in the world.[7]
Common elements
The various codes of football share certain common elements. Players in
American football, Canadian football, rugby union and rugby league take
up positions in a limited area of the field at the start of the game. [8] They
tend to use throwing and running as the main ways of moving the ball,
and only kick on certain limited occasions. Body tackling is a major skill,
and games typically involve short passages of play of 590 seconds. [8]
Association football, Australian rules football and Gaelic football tend to
use kicking to move the ball around the pitch, with handling more limited.
Body tackles are less central to the game, and players are freer to move
around the field (offside laws are typically less strict).[8]
Common rules among the sports include:[9]

Two teams of usually between 11 and 18 players; some variations

that have fewer players (five or more per team) are also popular.
A clearly defined area in which to play the game.

Scoring goals or points, by moving the ball to an opposing team's

end of the field and either into a goal area, or over a line.

Goals or points resulting from players putting the ball between

two goalposts.

The goal or line being defended by the opposing team.

Players being required to move the balldepending on the code
by kicking, carrying, or hand-passing the ball.
Players using only their body to move the ball.

In all codes, common skills include passing, tackling, evasion of tackles,

catching and kicking.[8] In most codes, there are rules restricting the
movement of players offside, and players scoring a goal must put the
ball either under or over a crossbar between the goalposts.
Etymology
Main article: Football (word)

There are conflicting explanations of the origin of the word "football". It is

widely assumed that the word "football" (or the phrase "foot ball") refers
to the action of the foot kicking a ball. [10] There is an alternative
explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games
in medieval Europe, which were played on foot. There is no conclusive
evidence for either explanation.
Early history
Ancient games
The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball
games, some of which involved the use of the feet. The Roman
game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a Greek team
game known as "" (Episkyros)[11][12] or "" (phaininda),
[13]
which is mentioned by a Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388311 BC)
and later referred to by the Christian theologian Clement of
Alexandria (c. 150 c. 215 AD). These games appear to have
resembled rugby football.[14][15][16][17][18] The Roman politician Cicero (106
43 BC) describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a
shave when a ball was kicked into a barber's shop. Roman ball games
already knew the air-filled ball, the follis.[19][20] Episkyros is recognised as
an early form of football by FIFA.[21]
A Chinese game called Tsu' Chu, Cuju or Zuqiu has been recognised
by FIFA as the first version of the game with regular rules. [22] It existed
during the Han Dynasty, the second and third centuries BC. The
Japanese version of cuju is kemari , and was developed during
the Asuka period.[23] This is known to have been played within the
Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 AD. In kemari several
people stand in a circle and kick a ball to each other, trying not to let the
ball drop to the ground (much like keepie uppie). The game appears to
have died out sometime before the mid-19th century. It was revived in
1903 and is now played at a number of festivals. [citation needed]
There are a number of references to traditional, ancient,
or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many
different parts of the world. For example, in 1586, men from a ship
commanded by an English explorer named John Davis, went ashore to
play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.[24] There
are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called Aqsaqtuk. Each
match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before
attempting to kick the ball through each other team's line and then at a
goal. In 1610, William Strachey, a colonist at Jamestown,
Virginia recorded a game played by Native Americans,
called Pahsaheman.[citation needed] On the Australian continent several tribes

of indigenous people played kicking and catching games with stuffed

balls which have been generalised by historians as Marn Grook (Djab
Wurrung for "game ball"). The earliest historical account is
an anecdote from the 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth, The
Aborigines of Victoria, in which a man called Richard Thomas is quoted
as saying, in about 1841 in Victoria, Australia, that he had witnessed
Aboriginal people playing the game: "Mr Thomas describes how the
foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and
how other players leap into the air in order to catch it." Some historians
have theorised that Marn Grook was one of the origins ofAustralian rules
football.
The Mori in New Zealand played a game called Ki-o-rahi consisting of
teams of seven players play on a circular field divided into zones, and
score points by touching the 'pou' (boundary markers) and hitting a
central 'tupu' or target.[citation needed]
Games played in Mesoamerica with rubber balls by indigenous
peoples are also well-documented as existing since before this time, but
these had more similarities to basketball orvolleyball, and since their
influence on modern football games is minimal, most do not class them
as football.[citation needed]Northeastern American Indians, especially
the IroquoisConfederation, played a game which made use of net
racquets to throw and catch a small ball; however, although it is a ballgoal foot game, lacrosse (as its modern descendant is called) is likewise
not usually classed as a form of "football." [citation needed]
These games and others may well go far back into antiquity. However,
the main sources of modern football codes appear to lie in western
Europe, especially England.

Ancient Greek football player balancing the ball. Depiction on

an Attic Lekythos.

A Song Dynasty painting by Su Hanchen, depicting Chinese children

playing cuju.

Paint of a Mesoamerican ballgame player of the Tepantitla murals

in Teotihuacan.

A revived version of kemari being played at the Tanzan Shrine, Japan.

An illustration from the 1850s of Australian Aboriginal hunter gatherers.

File:Children in the background are playing a football game,
possibly Woggabaliri.[25]
A group of aborigines playing football inGuiana.
Medieval and early modern Europe
Further information: Medieval football
The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in popularity of annual Shrovetide
football matches throughout Europe, particularly in England. An early
reference to a ball game played in Britain comes from the 9th
century Historia Brittonum, which describes "a party of boys ... playing at
ball".[26] References to a ball game played in northern France known
as La Soule or Choule, in which the ball was propelled by hands, feet,
and sticks,[27] date from the 12th century.[28]
An illustration of so-called "mob football"
The early forms of football played in England, sometimes referred to as
"mob football", would be played between neighbouring towns and
villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams
who would clash en masse,[29] struggling to move an item, such as
inflated animal's bladder[30] to particular geographical points, such as
their opponents' church, with play taking place in the open space
between neighbouring parishes.[31] The game was played primarily
during significant religious festivals, such as Shrovetide, Christmas,
orEaster,[30] and Shrovetide games have survived into the modern era in
a number of English towns (see below).
The first detailed description of what was almost certainly football in
England was given by William FitzStephen in about 11741183. He

described the activities of London youths during the annual festival

of Shrove Tuesday:
After lunch all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a
ball game. The students of each school have their own ball; the workers
from each city craft are also carrying their balls. Older citizens, fathers,
and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors
competing, and to relive their own youth vicariously: you can see their
inner passions aroused as they watch the action and get caught up in
the fun being had by the carefree adolescents. [32]
Most of the very early references to the game speak simply of "ball play"
or "playing at ball". This reinforces the idea that the games played at the
time did not necessarily involve a ball being kicked.
An early reference to a ball game that was probably football comes from
1280 at Ulgham, Northumberland, England: "Henry... while playing at
ball.. ran against David".[33] Football was played in Ireland in 1308, with a
documented reference to John McCrocan, a spectator at a "football
game" at Newcastle, County Down being charged with accidentally
stabbing a player named William Bernard.[34] Another reference to a
football game comes in 1321 at Shouldham, Norfolk, England: "[d]uring
the game at ball as he kicked the ball, a lay friend of his... ran against
him and wounded himself".[33]
In 1314, Nicholas de Farndone, Lord Mayor of the City of London issued
a decree banning football in the French used by the English upper
classes at the time. A translation reads: "[f]orasmuch as there is great
noise in the city caused by hustling over large foot balls [rageries de
grosses pelotes de pee][35] in the fields of the public from which many
evils might arise which God forbid: we command and forbid on behalf of
the king, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city in
the future." This is the earliest reference to football.
In 1363, King Edward III of England issued a proclamation banning
"...handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock-fighting, or other such
idle games",[36] showing that "football" whatever its exact form in this
case was being differentiated from games involving other parts of the
body, such as handball.
A game known as "football" was played in Scotland as early as the 15th
century: it was prohibited by the Football Act 1424 and although the law
fell into disuse it was not repealed until 1906. There is evidence for
schoolboys playing a "football" ball game in Aberdeen in 1633 (some
references cite 1636) which is notable as an early allusion to what some
have considered to be passing the ball. The word "pass" in the most

recent translation is derived from "huc percute" (strike it here) and later
"repercute pilam" (strike the ball again) in the original Latin. It is not
certain that the ball was being struck between members of the same
team. The original word translated as "goal" is "metum", literally meaning
the "pillar at each end of the circus course" in a Roman chariot race.
There is a reference to "get hold of the ball before [another player] does"
(Praeripe illi pilam si possis agere) suggesting that handling of the ball
was allowed. One sentence states in the original 1930 translation "Throw
yourself against him" (Age, objice te illi).
France circa 1750
King Henry IV of England also presented one of the earliest documented
uses of the English word "football", in 1409, when he issued a
proclamation forbidding the levying of money for "foteball". [33][37]
There is also an account in Latin from the end of the 15th century of
football being played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire. This is the first
description of a "kicking game" and the first description of dribbling:
"[t]he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by
some the foot-ball game. It is one in which young men, in country sport,
propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and
rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their
feet... kicking in opposite directions" The chronicler gives the earliest
reference to a football pitch, stating that: "[t]he boundaries have been
marked and the game had started.[33]
Other firsts in the medival and early modern eras:

"a football", in the sense of a ball rather than a game, was first
mentioned in 1486.[37] This reference is in Dame Juliana
Berners' Book of St Albans. It states: "a certain rounde instrument to
play with ...it is an instrument for the foote and then it is calde in Latyn
'pila pedalis', a fotebal."[33]

a pair of football boots was ordered by King Henry VIII of

England in 1526.[38]

women playing a form of football was first described in 1580 by

Sir Philip Sidney in one of his poems: "[a] tyme there is for all, my
mother often sayes, When she, with skirts tuckt very hy, with girles at
football playes."[39]

the first references to goals are in the late 16th and early 17th
centuries. In 1584 and 1602 respectively, John Norden and Richard
Carew referred to "goals" in Cornish hurling. Carew described how
goals were made: "they pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight
or ten foote asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelue [twelve]
score off, other twayne in like distance, which they terme their
Goales".[40] He is also the first to describe goalkeepers and passing of
the ball between players.

the first direct reference to scoring a goal is in John Day's play The
Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green (performed circa 1600; published
1659): "I'll play a gole at camp-ball" (an extremely violent variety of
football, which was popular in East Anglia). Similarly in a poem in
1613, Michael Drayton refers to "when the Ball to throw, And drive it
to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe".
Calcio Fiorentino
An illustration of the Calcio Fiorentino field and starting positions, from a
1688 book by Pietro di Lorenzo Bini.
Main article: Calcio Fiorentino
In the 16th century, the city of Florence celebrated the period
between Epiphany and Lent by playing a game which today is known as
"calcio storico" ("historic kickball") in the Piazza Santa Croce. The young
aristocrats of the city would dress up in fine silk costumes and embroil
themselves in a violent form of football. For example, calcio players
could punch, shoulder charge, and kick opponents. Blows below the belt
were allowed. The game is said to have originated as a military training
exercise. In 1580, Count Giovanni de' Bardi di Vernio wrote Discorso
sopra 'l giuoco del Calcio Fiorentino. This is sometimes said to be the
earliest code of rules for any football game. The game was not played
after January 1739 (until it was revived in May 1930).
Official disapproval and attempts to ban football
There have been many attempts to ban football, from the middle
ages through to the modern day. The first such law was passed in
England in 1314; it was followed by more than 30 in England alone
between 1314 and 1667.[41]:6 Football faced armed opposition in the 18th
Century when used as a cover for violent protest against the enclosure
act. Women were banned from playing at English and Scottish Football
League grounds in 1921, a ban that was only lifted in the 1970s. Female
footballers still face similar problems in some parts of the world.

Establishment of modern codes

English public schools
While football continued to be played in various forms throughout Britain,
its public schools (known as private schools in other countries) are
widely credited with four key achievements in the creation of modern
football codes. First of all, the evidence suggests that they were
important in taking football away from its "mob" form and turning it into
an organised team sport. Second, many early descriptions of football
and references to it were recorded by people who had studied at these
schools. Third, it was teachers, students and former students from these
schools who first codified football games, to enable matches to be
played between schools. Finally, it was at English public schools that the
division between "kicking" and "running" (or "carrying") games first
became clear.
The earliest evidence that games resembling football were being played
at English public schools mainly attended by boys from the upper,
upper-middle and professional classes comes from the Vulgaria by
William Herman in 1519. Herman had been headmaster
at Eton and Winchester colleges and his Latin textbook includes a
translation exercise with the phrase "We wyll playe with a ball full of
wynde".[42]
Richard Mulcaster, a student at Eton College in the early 16th century
and later headmaster at other English schools, has been described as
"the greatest sixteenth Century advocate of football". [43] Among his
contributions are the earliest evidence of organised team football.
Mulcaster's writings refer to teams ("sides" and "parties"), positions
("standings"), a referee ("judge over the parties") and a coach "(trayning
maister)". Mulcaster's "footeball" had evolved from the disordered and
violent forms of traditional football:
[s]ome smaller number with such overlooking, sorted into sides and
standings, not meeting with their bodies so boisterously to trie their
strength: nor shouldring or shuffing one an other so barbarously ... may
use footeball for as much good to the body, by the chiefe use of the
legges.[44]
In 1633, David Wedderburn, a teacher from Aberdeen, mentioned
elements of modern football games in a short Latin textbook
called Vocabula. Wedderburn refers to what has been translated into
modern English as "keeping goal" and makes an allusion to passing the
ball ("strike it here"). There is a reference to "get hold of the ball",
suggesting that some handling was allowed. It is clear that the tackles

allowed included the charging and holding of opposing players ("drive

that man back").[citation needed]
A more detailed description of football is given in Francis
Willughby's Book of Games, written in about 1660.[45] Willughby, who had
studied at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School,Sutton Coldfield, is the first
to describe goals and a distinct playing field: "a close that has a gate at
either end. The gates are called Goals." His book includes a diagram
illustrating a football field. He also mentions tactics ("leaving some of
their best players to guard the goal"); scoring ("they that can strike the
ball through their opponents' goal first win") and the way teams were
selected ("the players being equally divided according to their strength
and nimbleness"). He is the first to describe a "law" of football: "they
must not strike [an opponent's leg] higher than the ball". [citation needed]
English public schools were the first to codify football games. In
particular, they devised the first offside rules, during the late 18th
century.[46] In the earliest manifestations of these rules, players were "off
their side" if they simply stood between the ball and the goal which was
their objective. Players were not allowed to pass the ball forward, either
by foot or by hand. They could only dribble with their feet, or advance the
ball in a scrum or similar formation. However, offside laws began to
diverge and develop differently at each school, as is shown by the rules
of football from Winchester, Rugby, Harrow and Cheltenham, during
between 1810 and 1850.[46] The first known codes in the sense of a set
of rules were those of Eton in 1815 [47] and Aldenham in 1825.[47])
During the early 19th century, most working class people in Britain had
to work six days a week, often for over twelve hours a day. They had
neither the time nor the inclination to engage in sport for recreation and,
at the time, many children were part of the labour force. Feast
day football played on the streets was in decline. Public school boys,
who enjoyed some freedom from work, became the inventors of
organised football games with formal codes of rules.
Football was adopted by a number of public schools as a way of
encouraging competitiveness and keeping youths fit. Each school
drafted its own rules, which varied widely between different schools and
were changed over time with each new intake of pupils. Two schools of
thought developed regarding rules. Some schools favoured a game in
which the ball could be carried (as at Rugby, Marlborough and
Cheltenham), while others preferred a game where kicking and dribbling
the ball was promoted (as at Eton,
Harrow,Westminster and Charterhouse). The division into these two
camps was partly the result of circumstances in which the games were

played. For example, Charterhouse and Westminster at the time had

restricted playing areas; the boys were confined to playing their ball
game within the school cloisters, making it difficult for them to adopt
rough and tumble running games.
William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, is said to have "with a fine
disregard for the rules of football, as played in his time [emphasis
added], first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus creating the
distinctive feature of the rugby game." in 1823. This act is usually said to
be the beginning of Rugby football, but there is little evidence that it
occurred, and most sports historians believe the story to be apocryphal.
The act of 'taking the ball in his arms' is often misinterpreted as 'picking
the ball up' as it is widely believed that Webb Ellis' 'crime' was handling
the ball, as in modern soccer, however handling the ball at the time was
often permitted and in some cases compulsory,[48] the rule for which
Webb Ellis showed disregard was running forward with it as the rules of
his time only allowed a player to retreat backwards or kick forwards.
Firsts
Clubs
Main article: Oldest football clubs
Sports clubs dedicated to playing football began in the 18th century, for
example London's Gymnastic Society which was founded in the mid18th century and ceased playing matches in 1796. [50][51]
The first documented club to bear in the title a reference to being a
'football club' were called "The Foot-Ball Club" who were located
in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the period 182441.[52][53] The club
forbade tripping but allowed pushing and holding and the picking up of
the ball.[53]
In 1845, three boys at Rugby school were tasked with codifying the rules
then being used at the school. These were the first set of written rules
(or code) for any form of football.[54] This further assisted the spread of
the Rugby game.
Competitions
Main article: Oldest football competitions
One of the longest running football fixture is the Cordner-Eggleston Cup,
contested between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College,
Melbourne every year since 1858. It is believed by many to also be the
first match of Australian rules football, although it was played under

experimental rules in its first year. The first football trophy tournament
was the Caledonian Challenge Cup, donated by the
Royal Caledonian Society of Melbourne, played in 1861 under
the Melbourne Rules.[55] The oldest football league is a rugby football
competition, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup (1874), while the oldest
rugby trophy is the Yorkshire Cup, contested since 1878. The South
Australian Football Association (30 April 1877) is the oldest surviving
Australian rules football competition. The oldest surviving soccer trophy
is the Youdan Cup (1867) and the oldest national soccer competition is
the English FA Cup (1871). The Football League (1888) is recognised as
the longest running Association Football league.
The first ever international football matchtook place between sides
representing England and Scotland on March 5, 1870 at the Oval under
the authority of the FA. The first Rugby international took place in 1871.
Modern balls
Main article: Football (ball)
Richard Lindon (seen in 1880) is believed to have invented the first
footballs with rubber bladders.
In Europe, early footballs were made out of animal bladders, more
specifically pig's bladders, which were inflated. Later leather coverings
were introduced to allow the balls to keep their shape. [56] However, in
1851, Richard Lindon and William Gilbert, both shoemakers from the
town ofRugby (near the school), exhibited both round and oval-shaped
balls at the Great Exhibition in London. Richard Lindon's wife is said to
have died of lung disease caused by blowing up pig's bladders. [57] Lindon
also won medals for the invention of the "Rubber inflatable Bladder" and
the "Brass Hand Pump".
In 1855, the U.S. inventor Charles Goodyear who had
patented vulcanized rubber exhibited a spherical football, with an
exterior of vulcanized rubber panels, at the Paris Exhibition Universelle.
The ball was to prove popular in early forms of football in the U.S.A. [58]
The iconic ball with a regular pattern of hexagons and pentagons
(see truncated icosahedron) did not become popular until the 1960s, and
was first used in the World Cup in 1970.
Modern ball passing tactics
Main article: Passing (association football)
The earliest reference to a game of football involving players passing the
ball and attempting to score past a goalkeeper was written in 1633 by
David Wedderburn, a poet and teacher in Aberdeen, Scotland.

[59]

Nevertheless, the original text does not state whether the allusion to
passing as 'kick the ball back' ('Repercute pilam') was in a forward or
backward direction or between members of the same opposing teams
(as was usual at this time)[60]
"Scientific" football is first recorded in 1839 from Lancashire[61] and in the
modern game in Rugby football from 1862[62] and from Sheffield FC as
early as 1865.[63][64] The first side to play a passing combination
game was the Royal Engineers AFC in 1869/70[65][66] By 1869 they were
"work[ing] well together", "backing up" and benefiting from "cooperation".
[67]
By 1870 the Engineers were passing the ball: "Lieut. Creswell, who
having brought the ball up the side then kicked it into the middle to
another of his side, who kicked it through the posts the minute before
time was called"[68] Passing was a regular feature of their style[69] By early
1872 the Engineers were the first football team renowned for "play[ing]
beautifully together"[70] A double pass is first reported from Derby school
against Nottingham Forest in March 1872, the first of which is irrefutably
a short pass: "Mr Absey dribbling the ball half the length of the field
delivered it to Wallis, who kicking it cleverly in front of the goal, sent it to
the captain who drove it at once between the Nottingham posts" [71] The
first side to have perfected the modern formation was Cambridge
University AFC[72][73][74] and introduced the 235 "pyramid" formation. [75]
[76]

Football Association
Main article: The Football Association

The first football international, Scotland versus England. Once kept by

the Rugby Football Union as an early example of rugby football.
During the early 1860s, there were increasing attempts in England to
unify and reconcile the various public school games. In 1862, J. C.
Thring, who had been one of the driving forces behind the original
Cambridge Rules, was a master at Uppingham School and he issued his
own rules of what he called "The Simplest Game" (these are also known
as the Uppingham Rules). In early October 1863 another new revised
version of the Cambridge Rules was drawn up by a seven member
committee representing former pupils from Harrow, Shrewsbury, Eton,
Rugby, Marlborough and Westminster.
At the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen Street, London on the evening
of October 26, 1863, representatives of several football clubs in

the London Metropolitan area met for the inaugural meeting of The
Football Association(FA). The aim of the Association was to establish a
single unifying code and regulate the playing of the game among its
members. Following the first meeting, the public schools were invited to
join the association. All of them declined, except Charterhouse and
Uppingham. In total, six meetings of the FA were held between October
and December 1863. After the third meeting, a draft set of rules were
published. However, at the beginning of the fourth meeting, attention
was drawn to the recently published Cambridge Rules of 1863. The
Cambridge rules differed from the draft FA rules in two significant areas;
namely running with (carrying) the ball and hacking (kicking opposing
players in the shins). The two contentious FA rules were as follows:
IX. A player shall be entitled to run with the ball towards his adversaries'
goal if he makes a fair catch, or catches the ball on the first bound; but in
case of a fair catch, if he makes his mark he shall not run.
X. If any player shall run with the ball towards his adversaries' goal, any
player on the opposite side shall be at liberty to charge, hold, trip or hack
him, or to wrest the ball from him, but no player shall be held and hacked
at the same time.[83]
At the fifth meeting it was proposed that these two rules be removed.
Most of the delegates supported this, but F. M. Campbell, the
representative from Blackheath and the first FA treasurer, objected. He
said: "hacking is the true football". However, the motion to ban running
with the ball in hand and hacking was carried and Blackheath withdrew
from the FA. After the final meeting on 8 December, the FA published the
"Laws of Football", the first comprehensive set of rules for the game later
known as Association Football. The term "soccer", in use since the late
19th century, derives from an Oxford University abbreviation of
"Association".[84]
The first FA rules still contained elements that are no longer part of
association football, but which are still recognisable in other games
(such as Australian football and rugby football): for instance, a player
could make a fair catch and claim a mark, which entitled him to a free
kick; and if a player touched the ball behind the opponents' goal line, his
side was entitled to a free kick at goal, from 15 yards (13.5 metres) in
front of the goal line.
Globalisation of association football
Main article: History of FIFA

The need for a single body to oversee association football had become
apparent by the beginning of the 20th century, with the increasing
popularity of international fixtures. The English Football Association had
chaired many discussions on setting up an international body, but was
perceived as making no progress. It fell to associations from seven other
European countries: France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain,
Sweden, and Switzerland, to form an international association.
The Fdration Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) was
founded in Paris on May 21, 1904. Its first president was Robert Gurin.
The French name and acronym has remained, even outside Frenchspeaking countries.
Further divergence of the two rugby codes
Rugby league rules diverged significantly from rugby union in 1906, with
the reduction of the team from 15 to 13 players. In 1907, a New Zealand
professional rugby team toured Australia and Britain, receiving an
enthusiastic response, and professional rugby leagues were launched in
Australia the following year. However, the rules of professional games
varied from one country to another, and negotiations between various
national bodies were required to fix the exact rules for each international
match. This situation endured until 1948, when at the instigation of the
French league, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) was
formed at a meeting in Bordeaux.
During the second half of 20th century, the rules changed further. In
1966, rugby league officials borrowed the American football concept
of downs: a team was allowed to retain possession of the ball for four
tackles (rugby union retains the original rule that a player who is tackled
and brought to the ground must release the ball immediately). The
maximum number of tackles was later increased to six (in 1971), and in
rugby league this became known as the six tackle rule.
With the advent of full-time professionals in the early 1990s, and the
consequent speeding up of the game, the five metre off-side distance
between the two teams became 10 metres, and the replacement rule
was superseded by various interchange rules, among other changes.
The laws of rugby union also changed during the 20th century, although
less significantly than those of rugby league. In particular, goals
from marks were abolished, kicks directlyinto touch from outside the 22
metre line were penalised, new laws were put in place to determine who
had possession following an inconclusive ruck or maul, and the lifting of
players in line-outs was legalised.
In 1995, rugby union became an "open" game, that is one which allowed
professional players. Although the original dispute between the two

codes has now disappeared and despite the fact that officials from
both forms of rugby football have sometimes mentioned the possibility of
re-unification the rules of both codes and their culture have diverged to
such an extent that such an event is unlikely in the foreseeable future.
A player takes a free kick, while the opposition form a "wall",
in Association football
Use of the word "football"
The word "football", when used in reference to a specific game can
mean any one of those described above. Because of this, much friendly
controversy has occurred over the term football, primarily because it is
used in different ways in different parts of the English-speaking world.
Most often, the word "football" is used to refer to the code of football that
is considered dominant within a particular region. So, effectively, what
the word "football" means usually depends on where one says it.
Players assemble at the line of scrimmage in an American footballgame.
In each of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, one
football code is known solely as "football", while the others generally
require a qualifier. In New Zealand, "football" historically referred
to rugby union, but more recently may be used unqualified to refer to
association football. The sport meant by the word "football" in Australia is
either Australian rules football or rugby league, depending on popularity
(which largely conforms to what has been called the Barassi Line).
In francophone Quebec, where Canadian football is more popular, the
Canadian code is known as football while American football is known
as Football amricain and association football is known as le soccer.
[101]
Of the 45 national FIFA (Fdration Internationale de Football
Association) affiliates in which English is an official or primary language,
most currently use Football in their organizations' official names; the
FIFA affiliates in Canada and the United States useSoccer in their
names. A few FIFA affiliates have recently "normalized" to using
"Football", including:

Australia's association football governing body changed its name

in 2005 from using "soccer" to "football" [102]

New Zealand's governing body also changed in 2007, saying "the

international game is called football."[103]

Samoa changed from "Samoa Football (Soccer) Federation" to

"Football Federation Samoa" in 2009.[104][105]

Popularity
Several of the football codes are the most popular team sports in the
world.[7] Globally, association football is played by over 250 million
players in over 200 nations,[106] and has the highest television audience
in sport,[107] making it the most popular in the world,[108] American football
is the most popular sport in the United States, [109] with the annual Super
Bowl game accounting for seven of the top eight of the most watched
broadcasts in U.S. television history.[110] Australian rules football has the
highest spectator attendance of all sports in Australia. [111][112] Similarly,
Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match
attendance,[113] and the All-Ireland Football Final is the most watched
event of that nation's sporting year.[114]
Football codes board

Cambridg
e
rules (184
8-1863)

Indoor
Beach (1992-)
Futsal (1930-)

Association Football(1863-)
Paralympic

Footba
ll
Sheffield
rules (185
7-1877)

Street
Rugby
Union with American
minor
football(1869[1
modificatio 15]-)
ns

Flag
football, Are
na
football(198
7-)

Canadian football (1861-)

Flag
football[117]

Rugby sevens (1883-)

Rugby
rules[116]

Nines
Rugby union (1871-)
Rugby
Rugby
league (1895-) league
sevens
Touch
football

Rugby
rules and
other
English
public
school
games[118]

Australian rules (1859-)

Gaelic (1887-)
Football codes development tree
Football codes development tree
Present day codes and families
Association football and descendants

International
rules (1967)

An indoor soccer game at an open-air venue in Mexico. The referee has

just awarded the red team a free kick
Street football, Venice (1960)
These codes have in common the prohibition of the use of hands (by all
players except the goalkeeper), unlike other codes where carrying or
handling the ball is allowed

Association football, also known

as football, soccer, footy and footie

Indoor/basketball court variants:

Five-a-side football played throughout the world under

various rules including:

Futebol de Salo

Futsal the FIFA-approved five-a-side indoor game

Minivoetbal the five-a-side indoor game played in

East and West Flanders where it is extremely popular

Papi fut the five-a-side game played in outdoor

basketball courts (built with goals) in Central America.

Indoor soccer the six-a-side indoor game, the Latin

American variant (ftbol rpido, "fast football") is often played in
open-air venues

Masters Football six-a-side played in Europe by mature

professionals (35 years and older)

Paralympic football modified game for athletes with a disability.

Includes:

[119]

Football 5-a-side for visually impaired athletes

Football 7-a-side for athletes with cerebral palsy

Amputee football for athletes with amputations

Deaf football for athletes with hearing impairments

Powerchair football for athletes in electric wheelchairs

Beach soccer, beach football or sand soccer variant modified for

play on sand

Street football encompasses a number of informal variants

Rush goalie a variation in which the role of the goalkeeper is

more flexible than normal

Headers and Volleys where the aim is to score goals against a

goalkeeper using only headers and volleys

Crab football players stand on their hands and feet and move
around on their backs whilst playing

Swamp soccer the game as played on a swamp or bog field

Jorkyball

Rushball

There are also motorsport variations of the game.

History of Indian football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
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2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The history of Indian football is a long and detailed one, as it was the
national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian
Army. There is evidence for refereed team football games being played
in the Indian Army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the
oldest football clubs in the world and the third world's oldest competition,
the Durand Cup.

19511962: The Golden Era of Indian Football[edit]

The period from 1951 to 1962 is considered the golden era in Indian
football. Under the tutelage of legendary Syed Abdul Rahim India
became the best team in Asia. The Indian team started the 1950s with
victory in the 1951 Asian Games which they hosted. India beat both
Indonesia and Afghanistan 30 to reach the final where they beat Iran 1
0. In 1952, India continued their form by winning the Colombo
Quadrangular Cup held in Sri Lanka. This is called as the Golden time of
Indian football. As four years earlier, many of the team played without
boots but after the result in the Olympics AIFF immediately made it
mandatory to wear boots.
India also won three further editions of the Quadrangular Cup, which
were held in Burma, Calcutta and Dhaka in 1953, 1954 and 1955
respectively. India then went on to finish eighth in the 1954 Asian
Games held in Manila.
At the 1956 Olympics they finished fourth, this is the second time India
made second history in the world of football. India first met hosts
Australia, winning 42 with Neville D'Souzabecoming the first Asian to
score a hatrick in the Olympics and also making India the first Asian
team to reach the Olympic semi-finals. They lost 41 to Yugoslavia, and
lost the third place play-off match 30 to Bulgaria.
India participated in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan where they
finished fourth, and the Merdeka Cup 1959 in Malaysia finishing second.
The side started off 1960 with Asian Cup qualifiers in which they failed to
qualify. India went on to win the 1962 Asian Games where they beat
South Korea 21 in the final, and two years later finished second in
the 1964 Asian Cup which was held in round-robin format. India played
in the Merdeka Cup in 1964, 1965 and 1966 where they finished 2nd,
3rd and 3rd .
19631984: Post-Golden Era[edit]
Rahim's death in early 60s pegged Indian football back after a
successful period. India played in the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok but
were eliminated in first round. India then took third place in the 1970
Asian Games, beating Japan 10 in the third place, play-off. In mid-70s,
Indian youth team jointly won the Youth Asian Cup with Iran. Indian
football would go through a barren phase in 70s, 80s and 90s, gradually
losing its foothold as a top Asian team.
In 1984 India qualified for the 1984 Asian Cup. The team were placed in
Group B but ended in last place after losing all but 1 match (which was a

draw). India also failed to score during the Asian Cup as well which
brought up questions about team selection.
Mohun Bagan AC created history again when they went on to win
the IFA Shield in 1978 after a 22 draw against FC Ararat
Yerevan from Soviet Union. The club became the first Indian side, postindependence, to win the title while competing with a non-Asian side.
East Bengal F.C. club went on to win the 1973 IFA Shield
against Pyongyang City Sports Club of North Korea.
20002010: The rebirth of Indian Football[edit]
2011: The 2011 AFC Asian Cup[edit]
2011: A new beginning[edit]

Football in India
Football in India

Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal

Country

India

Governing
body

All India Football

Federation (AIFF)
(formed in 1937,
joined FIFA in 1948)[1]

National
team

India

Nickname(s) The Blue Tigers

First played

1800s

National competitions
Federation Cup

Santosh Trophy
Club competitions
I-League
Indian Super League
I-League 2nd Division
Calcutta Football League (Regional)
Malabar Premier League (Regional)
Goa Professional League (Regional)
International competitions
List[show]
Audience records
Single match 131,781
(East Bengal 41 Mohun
Bagan atSalt Lake Stadium,
1997)[3]
Season

80,000
(East Bengal 10 Mohun
Bagan atSalt Lake Stadium,
2013)[4]

Football is India's second most popular sport, next to the game

of cricket.[5] Traditionally it has enjoyed popularity in the regions such
as West Bengal, Goa, Kerala, Odisha, and the entire north-eastern India,
especially Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,Mizoram, Nagaland,Tripura and
Sikkim. Tamil Nadu is a recent addition to this list.[2]
India's current top domestic league, I-League, was formed in 2007 in an
attempt to professionalize domestic football and in 2013 the Indian
Super League was formed with 8 teams to promote Indian football to the
country and world.[6] Also contested isSantosh Trophy, a knock-out
competition between states (provinces) and government institutions. The
current captain of theIndian national team is Sunil Chhetri and the team
is coached by Stephen Constantine. India is currently ranked 162 in
theFIFA World Rankings, published in May 2016.[7]
The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup is scheduled to take place in India. By
virtue of being the host country, the Indian team will automatically play in
the tournament. Depending on the performance of the U-17 team, the All
India Football Federation has indicated consideration for an U-20 bid. [8]

History[edit]
The origin of football in India can be traced back to mid-nineteenth
century when the game was introduced by British soldiers. Initially,
games were played between army teams. However, clubs were soon set
up around the country. Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in
1872, though reports suggest that they were initially a rugby club and
switched their attentions to football as late as 1894. Other early clubs
include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club.
[9]
Several other football clubs like Sovabazar, Mohun Bagan and Aryan
Club were established in Calcutta around the 1890s. Calcutta, then
capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football.
Tournaments like Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Cooch Behar Cup
was also started around this time. The Durand Cup and IFA Shield were
both started in late nineteenth century.
The first Indian team to achieve success was Sovabazar Club, which
won the Trades Cup in 1892. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was set up in
what is now West Bengal in 1889. The club became famous in 1911
when it became the first Indian team to lift the IFA Shield, a tournament
previously won only by British teams based in India. It defeated the East
Yorkshire Regiment 21 in the final of the tournament in a victory that is
still regarded by many as the greatest win by an Indian team before
Independence. Later under RTI Act filed with Reg No
PMOIN/R/2015/61395, the Government of India made it clear
that Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is not the "National Club of India".
The Indian Football Association (IFA) was established in Calcutta in
1893, but did not have a single Indian on its board until the 1930s.
The All India Football Federation, which runs the game in India, was
formed in 1937, but took more than a decade to get affiliated with FIFA.
India also insisted on playing barefoot when other nations were putting
their boots on and the game was changing fast. [10]
India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup as a result of the
withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. But lack of foreign
exchange, the prospects of a long sea journey and an insistence on
playing barefoot meant that the team never made it to Brazil. [10]
[11]
Although FIFA imposed a rule banning barefoot play following 1948
Olympicswhere India had played barefoot. The myth that Indians refused
to play because they were not allowed to play barefoot is not entirely
true, according to the then Indian captainShailen Manna, it was just a
story to cover up the disastrous decision of the AIFF. The team has
never since come close to qualifying for the World Cup. [11][12][13][14]

India even picked up the gold in football in the first Asian Games in
1951, beating a "booted" Iran by a solitary goal. In 1956, after having put
on its boots, India reached the semi-final in Melbourne Olympics football,
the first Asian country to do so. It stood fourth in the tournament. In
1962, India again picked up the football gold in the Asian Games.
[10]
19511962 is usually considered as "golden phase" of Indian football.
The National team won numerous titles in this era under the coaching
of Syed Abdul Rahim. Other than success in Asian Games football, India
also won Merdeka Cup and Quadrangular Tournament while East
Bengal garnered rave reviews after its tour of Romania. Rahim's death in
the early 1960s pegged Indian football back after a successful period.
India never qualified for the Olympics after 1960. [10] India did qualify for
its first Asian Cup in 1964 but failed to capture the title. India's last
important performance in an international tournament was in 1970 Asian
Games, when it won the bronze medal by defeating Japan 10. In the
mid-70s, Indian youth team jointly won the Youth Asian Cup with Iran.
24th September, 1977, was a golden day for Indian Club football, when
Mohun Bagan managed to hold on for a memorable 2-2 draw at the
legendary Eden Gardens stadium in Calcutta, against a Pele led New
York Cosmos. Mohun Bagan would have gone on and won the tie, had it
not been for a controversial penalty awarded to the visitors that ensured
the spoils were shared. The next day, the Ananda Bazar Patrika
described Goutam Sarkar as "India's very own Beckenbaur". Indian
football would however go through a barren phase in 70s, 80s and 90s,
gradually losing its foothold as a top Asian team.
In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first
time in its history beating Syria 10.[15] In August the following year, India
defeated Tajikistan 41 to lift theAFC Challenge Cup and in turn qualified
for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. In August 2009, India again won
the Nehru Cup beating Syria in penalty (65).
In January 2011 India played in the 2011 Asian Cup which was the first
time India has played in the Asian Cup for 24 years. India were knocked
out in the group stage which contained South Korea, Australia,
and Bahrain.
Ever since the 2011 Asian Cup the All India Football Federation has
been working very hard on Indian Football. For instance they allowed
former coach Bob Houghton coach the Indian side in the 2012 AFC
Challenge Cup qualifiers. After going first in there AFC Challenge
Cup group Bob Houghton was sacked and replaced by the current
Indian coachWim Koevermans. Meanwhile, the India national under-23
football team won the first round of the 2012 Olympics qualifiers against

Myanmar but were knocked out by Qatar. India played their next official
matches against United Arab Emirates in the 2014 FIFA World
Cup qualifiers which India lost on aggregate 52.
League system[edit]
I-League[edit]
National Football League, established in 1996 by governing body All
India Football Federation (AIFF) was the first "semi-professional" football
league in India. The League was renamed and restructured and the ILeague was founded in 2006 after India's former top league the National
Football League disbanded in a successful effort aimed at increasing the
game in India. Links with clubs that were not in the I-League were
maintained, and each season the bottom two clubs are relegated from
the I-League and replaced by two from the I-League 2nd Division. The ILeague is contested between 14 clubs each season. The Calcutta Derby
in the I League (and other tournaments) played between Mohun Bagan
and East Bengal is one of the most fierce rivalries of the world (featured
in FIFA website) and one of the oldest derbies in the world (90 years). An
average 80, 000 to 100, 000 supporters throng the stadium in this
special fixture.
I-League 2nd Division[edit]
The I-League 2nd Division ranks second in the hierarchy of Indian
football since the disbanding of India's top league in 2005. The I-League
2nd Division has 21 member clubs evenly divided among three divisions.
Promotion and relegation of clubs still takes place between the I-league
and the I-League 2nd Division.
State League football[edit]
State league football is considered the best amateur leagues in India.
Each state has their own league in India. There is no
promotion/relegation between the state leagues and the I-League 2nd
Division[citation needed] but there could be promotion/relegation between
leagues within the state. For example, the Calcutta Football League has
five divisions with promotion/relegation but the winner of the Calcutta
Football League will not get promoted to the I-League 2nd Division.
However, apart from the clubs already featruring in the I League, AIFF
may select the next best achiever of the state league as an entrant to
the I league 2nd Division.[original research?]
Calcutta Football League[edit]
Calcutta Football League (CFL) is the football league system where
several football clubs of the Indian city of Kolkata (Calcutta) participate. It

currently consists of six-tier pyramid system. Indian Football Association

(IFA) conducts the CFL with 157 mostly Kolkata based clubs and units.
Started in 1898, this league is the oldest league in Asia and one of the
oldest in the world. There are about 8500 directly registered players of
IFA who participate in CFL.[citation needed]
Youth leagues[edit]
Right now the official youth league in India is the I-League U18 which
was won by Pune FC in 2012.
Indian Super League[edit]
The Indian Super League was founded in 2013 in an effort to make
football a top sport in India and to make Indian football a major player
worldwide.[16] The league operates along the lines of
the Twenty20 cricket Indian Premier League, and Major League
Soccer of the United States.[17] Unlike the majority of football leagues
around the world, the ISL does not use the promotion and relegation
system. Instead, it uses a franchise system in which eight teams were
created to participate in the league. Each team in the ISL is composed of
players from I league or state league, apart from the foreigners who may
or may not be a part of the I league. It has been conceptualized as a
promotion league and FIFA General Secretary Jeremy Velke has clearly
stated that I League is the only recognized national football league in
India.
Cup competitions[edit]

Federation Cup: The Federation Cup (abbreviated as Fed cup) is

an annual knockout style club football tournament in India. It has
started in 1977. From its inception till I-League has been started in
1997 (then called NFL), it was the most prestigious national level club
football tournament in India. Presently it is the most important club
tournament after I-league. Winning club of Federation cup gets a
chance to compete in the continental level in AFC Cup along with Ileague champion team.

Durand Cup: The Durand Football Tournament was started by

then, India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India, in
1888, initial matches were played in Dagshai. It was basically
initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. The
Durand Cup was twice suspended, during the two world wars. In
1940 the venue was shifted to New Delhi.

Indian Super Cup: The Indian Super Cup is a one-off annual Indian
club association football match contested between the ILeague champions and the Federation Cup winners. If the I-League
champions also won the Federation Cup then the league runners-up
provide the opposition. The winners of the game receive the Shield
as a trophy for the year, while players also receive individual winners
medals.

Santosh Trophy: Santosh Trophy is an annual Indian football

tournament which is contested by states and government institutions.
The first winners were Bengal, who also lead the all-time winners list
with 31 titles till date.

IFA Shield: The IFA Shield is an annual football competition

organized by the Indian Football Association. It is the fourth oldest
club cup competition in the world (Started in 1893) after the English
and Scottish FA cup's and the Durand Cup.

Qualification for Asian competitions[edit]

See also: Indian clubs in the Asian Football
Competition

Who Qualifies

Notes

Champion of ILeague

Qualification to the Group

Stage

Runners-Up of ILeague

Qualification to the Play-off

round

Champion of ILeague

Qualification to the Play-off

round

AFC Cup

AFC Champions
League

National team[edit]
Main article: India national football team
The India national football team is the national football team of India and
is governed by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of
the Asian Football Confederation. Since 1948, the AIFF has been
affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for football. In 1954,
AIFF became one of the founder members of the Asian Football

Confederation (AFC). At the peak of its success during the 1950s and
60s, the team was automatically advanced to play in the 1950 FIFA
World Cup (all the other Asian teams withdrew), but they did not go to
the tournament in Brazil due to the cost of travel, [11] lack of practice time,
team selection issues, their refusal to not play barefoot and valuing
Olympics over FIFA World cup.[18] They won gold medals at two Asian
Games, and held the record for the best performance by an Asian
football team at the Olympics.
There are also a number of other national teams from the Under-23
team to the Under-17 team, the under-23's is considered to be a feeder
team for the national team.
Structure[edit]
For more details on this topic, see All India Football Federation.
The game in India is administered by the All India Football Federation
(AIFF), which is affiliated with the regional Asian Football Confederation,
as well as with the worldwide bodyFIFA. The Indian national team has
entered into the regional Asian Cup but has never competed in
any World Cup. The Indian women's national team has also played in
various competitions; moreover, women's football has its own separate
inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by the
governmental Sports Authority of India.
The standard of Indian football (compared globally) is poor. According to
FIFA rankings, the national team is ranked 165th place in the world as of
April 2011, and is said to struggle to qualify for both the World Cup and
the Asian Cup. Part of this has been put down to the lack of
opportunities for proper training and development of players in the
country.
Women's football[edit]
Main article: Women's football in India
Women's football has not had the relative head start over the rest of the
world that the men's game has had, and also has not had the chance to
spread through the country like its male counterpart. The game was
administerd by the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI) from
1975 until the early 1990s when they were absorbed into the AIFF.
However, there are complaints that women's football is treated as a poor
relation to the men's game leading to (unfulfilled) plans to de-merge the
WFFI.[19]
The women's game, like the men's game, also has its early pioneers in
the state of West Bengal. The large Kolkata teams, East

Bengal and Mohun Bagan, started women's club sides in the 200001
season, and they participate with other teams in the Calcutta Women's
Football League. However, it has been seen recently that players
from Odisha andManipur have made advances in the game. Players
from these two states make up a large part of the India women's national
football team.
The main women's national competition is played on a state vs. state
basis in the India women's football championship.[20] There are also
similar national championships for junior teams like the Junior Girls
National Championship (for under 19s) and the Under-17 Girls National
Championship.
Some female players have become internationally recognised. Among
them are Chitra Gangadharan who was selected to play for the All Asian
Star team. Jaanki Kotecha was selected as captain to the All Asian Star
Team in 20082009, where she led her team to victory. In February
2000, Sujata Kar and Alpana Sil became the first Indian footballers to
sign a contract outside India. They signed with the German team TSV
Crailsheim, but had to return after a month due to problems with the
clearance of their international transfer.
Until 1983, women's football took part in international tournaments like
the AFC Women's Asian Cup. For example, the team won silver in 1980
at Calicut. In later years it had become poor in status just like its male
counterpart. During the 2003 AFC Women's Championship, the Indian
team were embarrassed by a 120 defeat to China.[21]
The poor support of the national team by the AIFF became evident,
when the team's trip to Germany was only made possible by Non
Resident Indians in the country, and by the support of the German
Football Association. Furthermore, championships are held in remote
locations, and national media coverage is said to be restricted to state
and local newspapers.[19]
The women's game reached a new low in June 2009 when FIFA delisted
the side from its world rankings for being out of action for more than 18
months. This comes at a time when the game was gaining in popularity
amongst the younger generation as evident by the local leagues
conducted around the country. The recently concluded Mumbai
Women's Football League 200910 organised by the MDFA (Mumbai
District Football Association) was a major success and featured many
talented players who had played for the national team. Furthermore, the
popularity of the event gave hope that the women's game could rise in
India.[22]

Stadiums in India[edit]
There are many football stadiums in India, however only a few of these
stadiums are of World Standards. These are namely the largest stadium
in India, the Salt Lake Stadium inKolkata with a capacity of
68,000, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi with a capacity of over
60,000 and the Ambedkar Stadium with a capacity of 20,000 (but is
known to have had crowds of 35,000 in the 2009 Nehru Cup). Barabati
Stadium in Cuttack, with seating capacity of over 45,000 and Kalinga
Stadium in Bhubaneswar, with seating capacity approximately 55,000
are two major arenas for football events in Odisha. In Sikkim, the Paljor
Stadium in Gangtok which seats over 25,000 is famous as one of the
most beautiful stadiums in the world as it is situated in the backdrop of
Himalayas. In Shillong the main stadium is the Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium with a capacity of 25,000 standing. Both the Paljor and the JLN
in Shillong have been renovated and now have artificial playing surfaces.
Some other stadiums important stadiums are the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati
Sports Complex inPune, the Barasat Stadium in Barasat,
the Fatorda in Goa, the Kaloor International Stadium in Kochi, Municipal
Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode, the Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium inGuwahati. Apart from the above-mentioned stadiums, there
are hundreds of more stadiums in the country. However, with India likely
to host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup there is definitely going to be
massive renovation of said stadiums around the country.
Major events[edit]
See also: Indian football clubs in Asian competition
Competition

Edition

Winner

India's
position

Venues

Final
venue

Group stage

4 (in 2
cities)

Salt Lake
Stadium

3 (in 2

Ambedkar

Earlier

2006 AFC
AFC U-19
Youth
Championship
orth
Championship
Korea
AFC
Challenge

2008 AFC
Challenge Cup

In Champion

Cup

dia

cities)

Stadium

TBD

2 (in 2
cities)

Ambedkar
Stadium

TBD

6 (in 6
cities)

TBA

This year
2016 AFC UAFC U-16
16
TBD
Championship
Championship
Future
FIFA U-17
World Cup

2017 FIFA U17 World Cup

TBD

Media[edit]
The Indian Super League is officially broadcast on Star Sports network
in India. International coverage is done by Fox Sports.[23]
Ten Sports broadcasts I-League matches.
Seasons in Indian football[edit]
The following articles detail the major results and events in each season
since 2011.
2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
:
12
13
14
15
16
17

2017
18

2018
19

2019
20

History of Football in India

Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in India. The game is
played extensively in the country, with the maximum fan following in
Goa, Kerala, West Bengal, Mizoram, Manipur and Sikkim. In the rest of
the states, it is next to cricket in terms of popularity. All the international
league matches and the soccer World Cup are keenly watched by the
sports enthusiasts in the sub continent. The game holds a rich tradition
in India, its history being something that deserves special mention. Go

through the following lines to get information on the history of football in

India.
Football

Game

In

India

Origin
The history of football in India can be traced back to the pre-independent
period, when the British people brought the game to the sub-continent.
The initial football matches were played between army teams. A number
of football clubs in India were soon created, during the British Empire. In
fact, these clubs pre-date the most renowned clubs and organizations of
football, such as FIFA. In India, the first football game was organized
between 'Calcutta Club of Civilians' and the 'Gentlemen of Barrackpore',
in 1854. The first football club of India, named 'Calcutta FC', was
founded in 1872. Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers
Club
were
also
established
in
the
following
years.
The
First
Tournament
Calcutta (the present day Kolkata) is considered the home of football in
India. This is probably the reason why a number of football clubs
originated from the state, including Mohun Bagan Athletic Club (later
named as the National Club of India), which came into existence in
1889. After a few years, the Indian Football Association (IFA) came into
existence in 1893. In 1898, the oldest football tournament in India, (the
third oldest in the world) was commenced in Shimla. Referred to as the
Durand Cup, the tournament was named after the then Foreign
Secretary of India - Sir Mortimer Durand, who inaugurated it.
The
First
Victory
The first victory of Indian footballers was registered in 1911, when
Mohun Bagan Club won the IFA-Shield Trophy. This victory has secured
a special place in the history of football in India, because the trophy was
previously won by the British teams based in India. Subsequently, the
number of football clubs in India increases, which led to the formation of
the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 1937. In 1948, the AIFF was
affiliated to FIFA, the international governing body for football. In 1954,
AIFF became one of the founder members of the Asian Football
Confederation
(AFC).
Golden
Period
The period stretching from 1951 to 1962 deserves special mention,
because it is the golden era in the history of Indian football. As the Indian
football clubs put up commendable performances year after year, they

qualified for a number of international competitions and competed

overseas. The Indian footballers brought laurels to the homeland, by
winning gold medals in the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games held at New
Delhi and Jakarta, respectively. India registered another record in 1956,
when she became the first Asian nation to make it to the Olympic football
semi-finals
in
the
1956
Melbourne
Olympics.
Present
Day
The Indian football teams have performed reasonably well in the recent
years, though the sport at the domestic level still needs upliftment. Some
of the great performances have been witness at the Nehru Cup, held in
August 2007 and the AFC Challenge Cup held in August 2008, both of
being won by the Indian football team. The national football team has
qualified for 2011 Asian Cup, to be held in Qatar. Although the Indian
football clubs have delivered consistent performances in the near past,
the Indian football still team needs to mark its presence at the important
international
tournaments.
Women's
Football
In
India
Women's football in India was administered by the Women's Football
Federation of India (WFFI) until early 1990s, when the AIFF took over
the administration of women's soccer in the country. Just like the men's
game, the women's game had its early pioneers from the state of West
Bengal. The women's clubs were started by East Bengal and Mohun
Bagan clubs in 2000-01 season. National championships for both senior
and junior girls are also held. The majority of players in the Indian
women's national football team are from Manipur and West Bengal.
However, women's football in India has not gained as much popularity as
the men's teams have.
History of the India national football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of the India national football team dates back to the
1930s. They have never played in the World Cup, although they qualified
for one in 1950, but withdrew later on for certain reasons. They have had
no entries in the tournament from 1950 onwards. India have never won
the final of the Asian Championship but managed their best ever finish
by making it to the final in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.[1] They have only
made three appearances since.
19301970[edit]

Indian teams started touring Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand in

the late 1930s. Soon after the success of several Indian football clubs,
the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was formed in 1937. The 1948
London Olympics was India's first major international tournament, where
a predominately barefooted Indian team lost 21 to France, failing to
convert two penalties. The Indian team was greeted and appreciated by
the crowd for their sporting manner.[2]
India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup finals as a result
of the withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. But the governing
body AIFF decided against going to the World Cup, being unable to
understand the importance of the event at that time. Reasons shown by
the AIFF included the cost of travel (despite the fact that FIFA agreed to
bear a major part of the travel expenses)[3] lack of practice time, team
selection issues and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup. [4]
Although FIFA imposed a rule banning barefoot play following the 1948
Olympics[5][6] where India had played barefoot, the popular belief that the
Indian team refused to play because they were not allowed to play
barefoot is not entirely true, according to the then Indian captain Sailen
Manna, it was just a story to cover up the disastrous decision of the
AIFF.[3] The team has never since come close to qualifying for the World
Cup.[7]
The period from 1951 to 1962 is considered the golden era in Indian
football. Under the tutelage of legendary Syed Abdul Rahim [8] India
became the best team in Asia. The Indian team started the 1950s with
their triumph in the 1951 Asian Games which they hosted. India beat
both Indonesia and Afghanistan 30 to reach the final where they
beat Iran 10.[9][10] In 1952, India continued their form by winning the
Colombo Quadrangular Cup held in Sri Lanka.[11]
Later that year they went on to participate in the 1952 Olympics, but lost
101 to Yugoslavia. As four years earlier, many of the team played
without boots.[12] After the result AIFF immediately made it mandatory to
wear boots.[2]
India also won three further editions of the Quadrangular Cup Colombo
Cup, which were held in Burma, Calcutta and Dhaka in 1953, 1954 and
1955 respectively.[13] India then went on to finish second in the 1954
Asian Games held in Manila.[14]
At the 1956 Olympic Games they finished fourth, which is regarded as
one of finest achievements in Indian football. India first met
hosts Australia, winning 42 with Neville D'Souzabecoming the
first Asian to score a hatrick in the Olympics and also making India the

first Asian team to reach the Olympic semi-finals. They lost 41

to Yugoslavia, and lost the third place play-off match 30 to Bulgaria.[15]
India later participated in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo where they
finished fourth,[16] and the Merdeka Cup 1959 in Malaysia finishing
second.[17]
India started off 1960 with Asian Cup qualifiers in which they failed to
qualify.[18] India went on to win the 1962 Asian Games where they
beat South Korea 21 in the final,[19] and two years later finished second
in the Asian Cup which was held in round-robin format. [20] India played in
the Merdeka Cup in 1964, 1965 and 1966 where they finished 2nd, 3rd
and 3rd respectively.[13]
India later played in the Asian Games in 1966 in Bangkok but were
eliminated in first round.[21] India took third place in the 1970 Asian
Games, beating Japan 10 in the third place, play-off[22] but have since
qualified for other major tournaments, other than as host, only once after
that.
19712000[edit]
Failure in a series of qualification tournaments meant that the next time
India reach a quarter-final stage was as host in the 1982 Asian Games.
[23]

Indian Team during Asian Cup 2007 Qualifiers

In 1984 India qualified for the Asian Cup again, [24] but failed to make any
impact.[25] India won gold medals in the SAF Games of both 1984
(inDhaka) and 1987 (Calcutta). They won the inaugural SAARC Cup in
1993 in Lahore, and finished runner-up in Colombo two years later. By
1997 the competition had been renamed as the SAFF Cup, and India
won it in both 1997 and 1999 edition, when they hosted it in Goa.[13]
20002010[edit]
Although India failed to qualify for the 2004 Asian Cup, the senior team
shone in a silver medal-winning performance in the inaugural Afro Asian
Games, with victories over Rwanda and Zimbabwe (then 85 places
ahead of India in the world rankings) along the way, losing the final by
just 10 to Uzbekistan.[26]
As a result, Indian football has steadily earned greater recognition and
respect, both within the country and abroad. In November 2003,
Stephen was named AFC Manager of the Month. [26]

India could not do much not when they lost to Pakistan and Bangladesh
in the 2003 SAFF Cup and defeats in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers
meant Stephen Constantine was sacked.[26] The LG Cup win in Vietnam
under Stephen Constantine was one of the few bright spots in the early
part of the 2000s. It was India's first victory in a football tournament
outside the subcontinent after 1974. India defeated hosts Vietnam 32 in
the final despite trailing 20 after 30 minutes. [27]
In 2005 Syed Nayeemuddin was appointed as India coach but he was
sacked the following year after heavy defeats in 2007 AFC Asian Cup
qualifiers. Bob Houghton was later appointed coach of team in 2006.
2007 ONGC Nehru Cup India vsSyria
His appointment saw a general progress in Indias performances
crowned by victory in 2007 Nehru Cup in August 2007. Houghton led
India to the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup title as they beat Tajikistan 41 in
August 2008. Winning the AFC challenge cup eventually qualified them
for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since 1984. He also oversaw the
Indian team to its second consecutive Nehru Cup trophy by
winning 2009 Nehru Cup.[28]
2011[edit]
AFC Asian Cup[edit]
In 2011, India started off their campaign by participating in 2011 AFC
Asian Cup for which they qualified after 24 years. They were placed in
strong Group C along with South Korea, Australia and Bahrain.[29] India
lost all three matches but did manage to perform well in patches.
Goalkeeper Subrata Pal won a lot of accolades for his performances.[30]

The dimensions are specified in Law 1 of the official FIFA Laws of the Game.
According to FIFA rules, the standard length of a football pitch should be between
90-120 meters (100-131 yards) while its width is from 45-90 meters (49-100 yards).
Football fields used in international matches have similar measurement to the league
pitches. The minimum dimensions are 100 by 64 meters (110 by 70 yards) while the
maximum dimensions are 110 by 75 meters (120 by 80 yards).
To help you understand better the markings on a football pitch, let us name them one

by one and enumerate their uses.

The touchline
The touchline is the line at the side of the football field, hence, it is also called the
sideline. The length of the touchline is also the length of the football field. If the ball
goes out in this part of the pitch, the game will be restarted with a throw-in.

Goal line
The goal or end line is the line at the end of the pitch, which defines its width. If the
ball goes out of the end line and an attacking player is the last to touch it, the game
will be restarted with a goal kick. If a defending player is the last to touch the ball
before it crosses the goal line, the game with be restarted with a corner kick.

Halfway line
The line that crosses the football field in the middle is called the halfway line. This
has no technical use but only serves to divide the playing field into two equal halves.

Center circle
The center circle is the big, round demarcation on the middle of the playing area. Its
radius measures 9.15 meters or 10 yards. During the kickof, only two players can be
inside this area, the one doing the kickof and the teammate receiving it.

Center spot
Also called center mark, this is the bold line in the middle of the center circle, where
the ball is placed during kickof.

Penalty box
Also called the penalty area or the 18-yard box, this is the big box located at each

end of the playing field. It measures 16.5 by 40.32 meters (18 by 44 yards). A foul
against an attacking player committed inside the penalty box is punishable with
a penalty kick.

Penalty spot
The penalty spot is the bold circle inside the 18-yard box where the ball is placed
during penalty kicks. Its distance from the goal line is 11 meters (12 yards).

Penalty arc
The penalty arc is the half circle on top of the penalty box. During a penalty kick, no
player is allowed to be inside it.

Goal box
The small box inside the penalty area is known as the goal box. Also called the sixyard box, goal kicks are taken from anywhere in this part of the football field.

Corner arc
The semi-circles at each corner of the playing pitch are called corner arc. The ball is
placed anywhere in this area during a corner kick.

Technical area
A box is drawn in front of each teams dugout. It is called the technical area and one
person at a time is allowed to shout instruction from there.

The rules of football are officially referred to as the "Laws of the Game".
The Laws of the Game are described very precisely (approximately 150
pages) on the FIFA websitehere.
There are 17 laws in total, each one briefly summarised below.

Field of Play. The game can be played on either natural or artificial

surfaces, the surface must be green and rectangular in shape. The two
long sides of the rectangle are called touch lines and the two shorter
sides are called goal lines. The field is divided in half by the halfway line.
Ball. Must be spherical, made of leather (or similar) 68-70 cm in
circumference and of a certain pressure.
Number of Players. Two teams of no more than 11 players (one of
which is the goalkeeper). A game cannot start if either team has less
than 7 players.
Equipment. Players must wear a jersey, shorts, stockings, shinguards
and footwear.
Referee. The referee ensures the Laws of the Game are respected and
upheld.
Assistant Referees. There may be at most 2 assistant referees.
Duration of the Match. The game is played in 2 halves consisting of 45
minutes each. The half time interval must not exceed more than 15
minutes. At the discretion of the referee more time is allowed to
compensate for any stoppage during play e.g. Due to substitutions or
care and attention of injured players.
Start and Restart of Play. A kick-of starts play at the start of the match
or after a goal. A kick-of involves one player kicking the ball, from
stationary, forward from the centre spot. All players must be in their own

half prior to kick-of. A coin is tossed pre-game, the team which loses
the toss are awarded the kick-of to start the game whilst the team that
win the toss are allowed to choose which direction they want to play.
After half time the teams switch direction and the other team will kick-of.
After a goal is scored, the team which conceded the goal will kick-of to
restart play.
Ball in and Out of Play. The ball is out of play once a goal has been
scored or when the referee has stopped the game. The ball is in play at
all other times.
Method of Scoring. The ball crosses the goal line inside the goal
mouth.
Offside. It is an ofence for a player to be in contact with the ball when
they are closer to the opponents' goal than both the ball and the secondlast opponent. The ofside rule exists to ensure there are always
opponents (generally the goal keeper and a defender) between a player
receiving the ball and the goal. Without the ofside rule, play can
become boring with repeated long balls being kicked to a player stood
next to the goalkeeper for an easy goal.
Fouls/Misconduct. These are many and varied, broadly speaking it is
an ofence to use excessive force whilst playing the game either
deliberately or undeliberately or to handle the ball (unless you are a goal
keeper). The referee may show the yellow card to caution players for
less serious ofences and the red card for more serious ofences
resulting in the player being sent of. Two yellow cards are equivalent to
one red card.

Free Kicks. Are given by the referee for fouls and misconduct. A free
kick can either be direct or indirect. A goal can be scored directly from a
direct free kick. A goal can only be scored from an indirect free kick if it
touches at least one other player first. The free kick must be taken from
a stationary position with that position varying depending on whether the
free kick was given inside or outside the goal area and whether it's direct
or indirect. The opposing team must be a minimum of 9.15 m from the
ball when the free kick is taken.
Penalty Kicks. Are given against a team when they commit an ofence
which would normally be awarded a direct free kick inside their goal
area. The ball is kicked from stationary from the penalty spot. The
opposing team must be outside of the penalty area and at least 9.15 m
from the ball.
Throw-in. Used to restart play after the whole of the ball has crossed
the touch line.
Goal kick. Used to restart play after a goal has been scored.
Corner Kick. Is given when the whole of the ball crosses the goal line
and was last touched by a member of the defending team (and no goal
was scored). A corner kick is taken from inside the corner arc closest to
the point where the ball crosses the goal line. The defending team must
be at least 9.15 m from the ball when the corner kick is taken.
11. Cristiano Ronaldo
Winger/Striker, Portugal & Man Utd/Real Madrid, 2000s/10s

A modern day great that sits comfortably alongside past legends.

Ronaldo was signed at 18 by Manchester United after impressing in a

pre-season friendly and would go on to inspire the club to three league
titles and a European Cup win in 2008. Always an exciting dribbler gifted
with pace, United transformed him from an out-and-out winger to a more
complete player that drifted infield and scored a phenomenal number
and range of goals. He is also a great free-kick and penalty taker. After
moving to Real Madrid he would continue his astonishing goal record,
despite mostly starting from wide positions, and he continues to perform
with remarkable consistency. Becoming the key player in a great side he
lit up La Liga with a personal rivalry with Lionel Messi, leading his club to
a tenth European Cup win in 2014. It is his misfortunate to share the
stage with the slightly superior Messi but Ronaldo is still one of a select
number of players to win the Ballon d'Or three times (once with
Manchester United). He may be more comfortable in the limelight, and
perhaps driven by egotism, but he has always matched his talent with
great dedication and won the respect and admiration of his teammates.
Now surely Portugals greatest ever player, Ronaldo has played in three
World Cups but unfortunately disappointed in all of them, otherwise he
would have been higher in this list.
Peel 1
Inside Forward, Brazil & Santos, 1950s-70s
Pele is and always will be the greatest footballer ever. It is a role he
wears very comfortably. His play, full of joy and exuberance, seems to
sum up everything that the world loves about the game and as he travels
the globe acting as its greatest ambassador his own legend is
reinforced.
He is fully deserving of this title though. He remains the only player ever
to inspire his country to win the World Cup twice: in 1958 and 1970
(injury ended his 1962 campaign early). His team-mate Garrincha runs
him close but Pele was the clear star of two teams, just eclipsing
Garrincha in 1958. He was only 17 when he was introduced in the 1958
tournament in Sweden, he then scored a hat-trick to help his team reach
the final and scored twice in the final itself. His tears at the final whistle
showed a humanity that endeared the watching world to him from then

on. The following year he was named best player in the 1959 South
American Championship, scoring 8 goals. His participation was limited
by injury in the 1962 World Cup and Brazil were beaten by heavy
tackling in 1966. By 1970 he was coaxed out of his intended retirement
to lead another, wholly different all-star team to glory. He played as a
classic number 10, dropping back and engaging in some impeccable
link-up play and demonstrating great vision - his pass to a seemingly
unseen Carlos Alberto for the fourth goal in the 1970 Final remains the
best lay-off in history. He could also beat players and score gaols in a
great variety of ways, showing that he really was the complete
forward. He remains Brazil's record goalscorer.
He is also separated from other legends by the fact that he has proven
himself equally through his club career. He remained in Brazil, at Santos
throughout his prime years and was the star attraction in a team that
swept all before them. It is true that they played a lot of unimportant
friendly matches, but they also played some very important games. After
winning the Copa Libertadores in both 1962 and 1963, each time they
unequivocally answered any questions of relative worth in comparison
with European football by comprehensively beating that years European
Cup winners: beating Benfica 5-2 away in 1962 and seeing off AC Milan
in 1963, both opponents among the greatest club sides of all time. 650
goals in 694 competitive club games tells its own story (nevermind the
1000+ goals that also included friendlies).
Pele is now a true global icon, one of very few in sport, and is indivisbly
linked to the game in the public imagination. When the world thinks of
football it thinks of Pele, and not just football but el joga bonito (the
'beautiful game') as Pele named it. It is an association that football
benefits from, and that is the best summary of why Pele is number 1.

5. Lionel Messi
Right Winger/Support Striker, Argentina & Barcelona, 2000s/10s

The best player playing today and the star of a remarkable Barcelona

team for almost ten years. Messi is a creative forward that can play from
wide or central positions, drifting from deep, beating players and setting
up and scoring goals seemingly out of nowhere. He has shown
remarkable consistency in La Liga, scoring 278 goals in 309 games, and
scoring more goals than the number of games played in three seasons,
including an astonishing record 73 goals in all competitions 2011/12. He
has won the European Footballer of the Year four times, more than
anyone else ever, and is the all-time leading scorer in the European Cup.

His form for Argentina, while still impressive has generally not matched
his club form and he is not revered in his home country the same way
that Maradona still is. Aged only 18 in the 2006 World Cup he did not
start any games, in 2010 he played very well, despite not scoring but
disappointed in comparison to his ability (he was not named in the team
of the tournament). In the 2014 World Cup he impressed, especially in
the early games, winning more man-of-the-match awards than anyone
else, and taking his team to the Final. He was awarded the Golden Ball
(a choice that many football writers disagreed with). However, the
greatest players are rightly judged on their ability to produce for their
team when it really matters. In the 2014 Final against Germany the
game went into extra time with the score at 0-0. A moment of magic from
Messi, like he had produced many times before, would have won his
country the World Cup but Messi did not rise to the occasion and
Argentina lost. This is what separates Messi from the players above
him. He will be 30 when the next World Cup starts so may yet have
another chance to improve his ranking, though he may not be presented
such a good opportunity again. In the meantime he continues to dazzle
for Barcelona.

End