FOOTBALL - SOCCER
Football refers to a sport that involves kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal.
1. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
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The Ancient Greeks and Romans played many ball games, some involved the use of the
feet. These games were similar to rugby and football.
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The Chinese version describes a practice known as cuju - "kick ball", which was
originally kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a piece of silk cloth which was
fixed on bamboo canes and hung about 9 m above ground.
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popular peasant games
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English public schools 18th, 19th century - influence and power of the British Empire
allowed these rules of football to spread, including the areas and outside the Empire.
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The Football League – in 1888 - was founded in England, became the first of many
professional football competitions.
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FIFA – International Federation of Association Football – national governing body of
association football, futsal and beach soccer
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founded in Paris in 1904
209 national associations
Headquarter – in Zurich, Switzerland
responsible for the organisation of football’s major international tournaments – the World
cup
Fairplay in football
FIFA advocates a Fair Play programme. These rules inform footballers and spectators on proper
behaviour on and off the field:
 Play fair on the field.
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Play to win but accept defeat properly.
Observe the Laws of the Game.
Respect everyone involved in the game.
Promote football’s interests.
Honour those who defend football’s reputation.
Reject any corruption, drugs, racism, violence and other harmful vices.
Help others to do exactly the same.
Denounce any who discredits the integrity of football.
Use football to make a better world.
2. EQUIPMENT
Ball - spherical and made of leather or another suitable material
Goalkeeper Gloves - help goalkeeper to handle the ball
Goal - consists of two upright posts joined at the top by a horizontal crossbar (2.44m by 7.32m –
8yds by 8ft). The goal is placed in the centre of each goal line.
measurement
inch – 2,4 cm
ft – foot – 30,5 cm
yard – 0,9 m
Shin Guards
Uniforms – jersey, shorts and socks are worn in the team colours. Each goalkeeper wears colours
that distinguish him from the other players, the referee and the assistant referees.
Soccer Boots - have studs across the sole
Football / soccer pitch
Football can be played on a natural or artificial surface. However, the shape of the field must be
rectangular, with the dimensions of 90-120 metres long by 45-90 metres wide. The guidelines for
international matches are stricter (100-110 metres x 64-75 metres).
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3. POSITIONS
Goalkeeper
Permitted to handle the ball in his/her team’s penalty area.
Central defender/Centre-half
Starting out on the edge of his/her team’s penalty area, the central defender’s role is to protect the
goalkeeper.
Fullback/Wingback
Hold the same starting position, on the left and right of each central defenders, the difference
between the fullback and the wingback is that the wingback moves forward and supports attacks.
Both positions need strong defensive skills.
Central midfielder
Situated in the most important area of the field, the central midfielder’s task is to provide support to
both defenders and forwards. This post requires unique defensive or offensive responsibilities.
Attacking midfielder/‘Hole’ player
The attacking midfielder is situated in the space between the midfield and the strikers, directly
influencing the attack high up in the field.
Notable attacking midfielders
 Pelé – Edison Arantes do Nascimento (Brazil)
 Kaká – Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Brazil)
Winger
Like their defensive equivalents, there are two wingers in a side, starting on both touchlines
alongside the central midfielders. Wingers have increasingly been called on to score goals, as they
have the chance to run from deep positions and cause problems for defenders.
Notable winger
 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Striker/Central forward
The goal of the striker is exactly that - goals. Forward players start out just behind the opponent’s
penalty area, with the number varying from one to three.
Striker is a forward player with both goalscoring and creative abilities.
4. RULES
Duration of the match
The match officially lasts 90 minutes, split into two 45-minute halves with a half-time interval of no
longer than 15 minutes.
Start of play
A coin toss takes place just before the game starts, the winner gets the choice of choosing which
goal to attack or whether to kick-off.
Fouls and misconduct
A foul can take place anywhere on the pitch, and a free kick is awarded where that foul takes place
(excepting fouls in the penalty area, which result in a penalty kick). The referee decides about the
punishment.
Punishment for offences
 Yellow Card - a ‘caution’ to a player. If two yellow cards are shown to the same player, it
means a red card.
 Red Card - showing a red card to a player means he/she is expelled from the match.
 A straight red card (no previous ‘caution’) can be shown for extreme offences such as
serious foul, violent conduct, spitting, deliberate hand-ball to prevent a goal, a professional
foul and insulting language and/or gestures.
EXPRESSIONS:
Kick-off
Free kick
Penalty kick Throw-in
Goal kick
Corner kick
Exercise:
Fill in these words:
rules
goal
yellow card
passing
kick off
penalty kick
referee
goalkeeper
red card
Football is a team sport where the two opposing teams try to score a goal and prevent their
opponents from doing so. A win is determined by the team which gets the highest number of goals
during the normal playing time of a match. This game is divided into two halves, which are 45
minutes of normal time each. The match is only interrupted when the 1) REFEREE who is helped
by two assistants, called linesmen, blows the whistle.
The referee makes sure that the 2) RULES are adhered to and their decision in the match is
final. The assistants, or linesmen, flag if the ball goes out of play. Their job is also to show which
team has a corner kick, a goal kick, a throw-in, if a player is offside, and regulate the substitutes.
The linesmen should assist the referee with the match and make sure the rules are adhered to. The
oldest known rules in football originate in England in 1862 and evolved as time went by and the
game gained experience.
Each team has a maximum of eleven players on the pitch, and one player has to be
a 3)GOALKEEPER, whose strip must be a different colour from that of his teammates. In a match,
the team nominates seven substitutes of which only three can play. The pitch is in the shape of a
rectangle and its length is 90-120 metres with a width of 45-90 metres. It is divided into two halves
by a half-way line and in the middle of that line is a centre spot and around this centre spot is a
centre circle with a radius of 9.15 metres. The match starts with a 4) KICK-OFF from the centre
spot, as does the second half and the restart after a goal. At the kick off, every player has to be in
their own half and the team who have kick off play the ball forward.
The longer lines marking the length of the pitch are called the side lines, and the shorter
ones marking the end of the pitch are called the goal lines. In the middle of each goal line is
a 5) GOAL, made up of two posts with a crossbar at the top on which a net is fastened, and whose
dimensions are 7.32 x 2.44 metres. In front of each goal, a six-yard box and larger penalty area are
marked as the area where the goal keeper can use their hands. In every penalty area there is a
penalty spot, which is 11 metres from the goal line, from which a 6) PENALTY KICK is taken
when a foul is committed.
After the kick off, the team in possession tries to get to the goal by moving the ball forward,
7) PASSING or kicking the ball around their opponents to create a shot at the goal. A goal is scored
when the entire ball crosses the goal line into the goal. After a stoppage in the game, there is what is
called a set piece. These are kick offs, goal kicks, corner kicks, penalty kicks, throw-ins, direct and
indirect free kicks, and drop-balls. If a player fouls, a free kick is awarded from the place where the
foul was committed. If a player commits a serious enough foul, the referee can give them a warning,
which means he shows them a 8) YELLOW CARD.
For other very serious fouls or unsportsmanlike behaviour, the referee can send a player off,
which means he shows them a 9) RED CARD and the team continues playing with one less player
on the pitch. A common offence in football is offside, where the player is actively in play behind
the defensive line having moved there before the ball is played to them.