Association football
The attacking team attempt to kick the ball past the opposition goalkeeper and between the goalposts to score a goal |
| Highest governing body | FIFA |
| Nickname(s) | Football, soccer, fùtbol, footy/footie, "the beautiful game", "the world game" |
| First played | Mid-19th century England |
| Characteristics |
| Contact | Yes |
| Team members | 11 per side |
| Mixed gender | Yes, separate competitions |
| Categorization | Team sport, ball sport |
| Equipment | Football |
| Venue | Football pitch |
| Olympic | 1900 |
Association football, more commonly known as
football or
soccer, is a
team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical
ball. It is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world.
[1][2][3]
The game is played on a rectangular grass or
artificial turf field, with a
goal in the centre of each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing goal. In general play, the
goalkeepers are the only players allowed to use their hands or arms to propel the ball; the rest of the team usually use their feet to
kick the ball into position, occasionally using their
torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a
draw is declared or the game goes into
extra time and/or a
penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition.
The modern game was codified in
England following the formation of
The Football Association, whose 1863
Laws of the Game created the foundations for the way the sport is played today. Football is governed internationally by the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football), commonly known by the acronym FIFA. The most prestigious international football competition is the
FIFA World Cup, held every four years.
[4]
Gameplay
A goalkeeper saving a close-range shot from inside the penalty area
Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the
Laws of the Game. The game is played using a single spherical ball, known as the
football or
soccer ball. Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a
captain.
The primary law is that players other than
goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they do use their hands during a
throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their bodies other than their hands or arms.
[5] Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an
offside position.
In typical game play, players attempt to create goal scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by
dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the
referee. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.
[6]
A goalkeeper dives to stop the ball from entering his goal
At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the
2005–06 season of the English
Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.
[7] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,
[8] but a number of
specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories:
strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals;
defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and
midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to discern them from the single goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.
[9] The layout of a team's players is known as a
formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's
manager.
[10]
History
Map showing the popularity of football around the world. Countries where football is the most popular sport are coloured green, while countries where it is not are coloured red. The various shades of green and red indicate the number of players per 1,000 inhabitants.
The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England.
The
Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at
Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at
Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from
Eton,
Harrow,
Rugby,
Winchester and
Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the
Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857,
[11] which led to formation of a
Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862,
John Charles Thring of
Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.
[12]
These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of
The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the
Freemasons' Tavern in
Great Queen Street,
London.
[13] The only school to be represented on this occasion was
Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from
Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand; the second for obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other
English rugby football clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, or subsequently left the FA and instead in 1871 formed the
Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of
Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game.
[13] These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to
Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.
The laws of the game are currently determined by the
International Football Association Board (IFAB). The Board was formed in 1886
[14] after a meeting in
Manchester of The Football Association, the
Scottish Football Association, the
Football Association of Wales, and the
Irish Football Association. The world's oldest football competition is the
FA Cup, which was founded by
C. W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The
first official international football match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England in
Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is home to the world's first
football league, which was founded in
Birmingham in 1888 by
Aston Villa director
William McGregor.
[15] The original format contained 12 clubs from the
Midlands and the
North of England. The
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international football body, was formed in
Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to Laws of the Game of the Football Association.
[16] The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the
International Football Association Board in 1913. The board currently consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.
Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams,
[17] while billions more watch the game on television.
[18] A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football.
[19] While football has the highest global television audience in sport,
[20] its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements have no doubt aided its spread and growth in terms of participation.
In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual
fans, local communities, and even nations.
ESPN has spread the claim that the
Côte d'Ivoire national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2005. By contrast, football is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the
Football War in June 1969 between
El Salvador and
Honduras.
[21] The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the
Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between
Dinamo Zagreb and
Red Star Belgrade devolved into rioting in March 1990.
[22]
Laws
There are seventeen laws in the official
Laws of the Game. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors, women and the physically challenged are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the
International Football Association Board, not FIFA itself.
[23] The most complex of the laws is
offside. The offside law limits the ability of attacking players to remain forward (i.e. closer to the opponent's goal line) of the ball, the second-to-last defending player (which can include the goalkeeper), and the half-way line.
[24]
Players, equipment and officials
Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding
substitutes), one of whom must be the
goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team; this is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the
penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are a variety of
positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws.
[8]
The basic equipment or
kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate
shin guards.
Headgear is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials.
[25]
A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is three, though the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches. Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or
timewasting at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match.
[26]
A game is officiated by a
referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two
assistant referees. In many high-level games there is also a
fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.
[27]
Pitch
As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within
IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in
imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate
metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though popular use tends to continue to use traditional units in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of
metrication, such as Britain.
[28]
The length of the pitch for international adult matches is in the range 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 91–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–91 m (50–101 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB set a fixed size of 105 m long and 68 m wide as a standard pitch dimension for A international matches.
[29]
The longer boundary lines are
touchlines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are
goal lines. A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line.
[30] The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws.
[31]
In front of each goal is an area known as the
penalty area. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a
penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at
kick-offs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.
[32]
Duration and tie-breaking methods
A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.
The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is commonly referred to as
stoppage time or
injury time, and is at the sole discretion of the referee. The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, toward the end of the half the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time he intends to add. The fourth official then informs the players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee.
[33] Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between
Stoke and
Aston Villa. Trailing 1–0 and with just two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty. Villa's goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the ground, and by the time the ball had been recovered, the 90 minutes had elapsed and the game was over.
[34]
In league competitions, games may end in a draw, but in some knockout competitions if a game is tied at the end of regulation time it may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of
penalty shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament. Goals scored during extra time periods count toward the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored in a penalty shootout not making up part of the final score).
In competitions using
two-legged matches, each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from the two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the
away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg played away from home. If the result is still equal, kicks from the penalty mark are usually required, though some competitions may require a tied game to be replayed.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the
IFAB experimented with ways of creating a winner without requiring a penalty shootout, which was often seen as an undesirable way to end a match. These involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the first goal in extra time was scored (
golden goal), or if one team held a lead at the end of the first period of extra time (
silver goal). Golden goal was used at the World Cup in
1998 and
2002. The first World Cup game decided by a golden goal was
France's victory over
Paraguay in 1998.
Germany was the first nation to score a golden goal in a major competition, beating
Czech Republic in the final of
Euro 1996. Silver goal was used in
Euro 2004. Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB.
[35]
Ball in and out of play
Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are
ball in play and
ball out of play. From the beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play:
A player about to take a free kick
- Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of play.[6]
- Throw-in: when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline; awarded to opposing team to that which last touched the ball.[36]
- Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the attacking team; awarded to defending team.[37]
- Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the defending team; awarded to attacking team.[38]
- Indirect free kick: awarded to the opposing team following "non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or when play is stopped to caution or send-off an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. A goal may not be scored directly from an indirect free kick.[39]
- Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed "penal" fouls.[39]
- Penalty kick: awarded to the fouled team following a foul usually punishable by a direct free kick but that has occurred within their opponent's penalty area.[40]
- Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason, such as a serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball becoming defective. This restart is uncommon in adult games.[6]
Misconduct
 |
|  |
Players are cautioned with a yellow card, and sent off with a red card. These colours were first introduced at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and used consistently since. |
A
foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a
direct free kick or
penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an
indirect free kick.
[5]
The referee may punish a player or substitute's
misconduct by a caution (
yellow card) or sending-off (
red card). A second yellow card at the same game leads to a red card, and therefore to a sending-off. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in his official notebook.
A player scores a penalty kick given after an offence is committed inside the penalty area
If a player has been sent off, no substitute can be brought on in their place. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute or substituted player. Non-players such as managers and support staff cannot be shown the yellow or red card, but may be expelled from the technical area if they fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner.
[5]
Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage". The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within a short period, typically taken to be four to five seconds. Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.
Governing bodies
The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as
futsal and
beach soccer) is the
Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in
Zürich.
Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:
National associations oversee football within individual countries. These are generally synonymous with
sovereign states, (for example: the
Fédération Camerounaise de Football in
Cameroon) but also include a smaller number of associations responsible for sub-national entities or autonomous regions (for example the
Scottish Football Association in
Scotland) . 208 national associations are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations; an additional 13 are affiliated to continental confederations but not to FIFA.
Some of the football associations not recognised by FIFA are affiliated to the
Nouvelle Fédération-Board (NF-Board).
International competitions
A minute's silence before an international match
The major international competition in football is the
World Cup, organised by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four-year period. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period.
[41] The
2006 FIFA World Cup took place in Germany; in 2010 it will be held in
South Africa.
[42]
There has been a
football tournament at every
Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in
Los Angeles. Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only,
[16] however, since the
1984 Summer Olympics professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team;
[43] but that practice ceased in the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic competition is not generally considered to carry the same international significance and prestige as the World Cup. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women’s Olympic tournament. It thus carries international prestige considered comparable to that of the
FIFA Women's World Cup.
After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the
European Championship (UEFA), the
Copa América (CONMEBOL),
African Cup of Nations (CAF), the
Asian Cup (AFC), the
CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the
OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The
FIFA Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all 6 continental championships, the current
FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example the
UEFA Champions League in Europe and the
Copa Libertadores de América in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the
FIFA Club World Cup.
[44]
