-
The
game
of
football
is
the
number
one
sport
in
the
world,
with
an
estimated
viewing audience exceeding more than 2
billion. Since its inception by
the
English in the 1960's, football has grown in leaps
and bounds, with
the
Federation
of
International
Football
(FIFA)
World
Cup
being
the
climax
of
the
football
year
for
both
players
and
countries
affiliated
to
the
World
Football governing body.
The
game of football can be so intense that emotions
may spill over like
it occurred in the
2006 FIFA World Cup final held in Germany when
French
star Zinedine
Zidane
head-butted Marco
Matarazzi
of
Italy in
a moment
of
rage. He was instantly
shown the red card and his exit paved the way for
the eventual triumph of Italy.
The
game
is
played
by
eleven
players
from
two
teams
and
each
team
is
usually
allowed
to
have
substitutes
players
who
are
expected
to
sit
at
the
reserve
bench
together with the team officials. Three
substitutes are normally
allowed in an
organized game of football including the
goalkeeper.
A
game
of
football
can
either
end
in
a
win
or
a
scoreless/score
draw.
The
center
referee, assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2
and the fourth
referee are usually in
charge of officiating in the round leather game
from the start to the end of the game.
In some countries like the United
States of America and Canada, the game
is referred to as Soccer, while it is
popularly called Football in the
rest
part of the
world. This
popular
sport
consists
of four
departments-
goalkeeping,
defence,
midfield
and
attack.
The
ability
to
coordinate
all
four departments will determine the
success or failure of a team.
The
English
Premier
League
is
presently
the
most
glamorous
and
lucrative
football
league
in
the
world
while
the
Brazilian
national
football
team-
The Samba boys, are the most successful
football nation in the history
of the
game.
Some common features that must be
present in a standard field of play
include:
the
center
circle,
the
goal
post,
the
corner
flag
post,
the
corner
arc, the half way line, the penalty
area and the penalty arc. These
important features are usually marked
with white paint to ensure that
players
see them properly in the course of a match.
Some popular football leagues in the
world include the Spanish La Liga,
the
German Bundesliga, the French Ligue 1, the Italian
Serie A and the
Portuguese Liga. Some
notable football players include:
?
Edson Arantes
do Nascimento (Pele)