ABOUT FOOTBALL:

Modern football originated in Britain in

the 19th century. Since
before medieval times, “folk football”
games had been played in towns and
villages according to local customs and
with a minimum of
rules. Industrialization and urbanization,
which reduced the amount of leisure time
and space available to the working class,
combined with a history of legal
prohibitions against particularly violent
and destructive forms of folk football to
undermine the game’s status from the
early 19th century onward. However,
football was taken up as a winter game
between residence houses at public
(independent) schools such as
Winchester, Charterhouse, and Eton.
Each school had its own rules; some
allowed limited handling of the ball and
others did not. The variance in rules
made it difficult for public schoolboys
entering university to continue playing
except with former schoolmates. As early
as 1843 an attempt to standardize
and codify the rules of play was made at
the University of Cambridge, whose
students joined most public schools in
1848 in adopting these “Cambridge
rules,” which were further spread by
Cambridge graduates who formed
football clubs.

By the early 20th century, football had

spread across Europe, but it was in need
of international organization. A solution
was found in 1904, when representatives
from the football associations
of Belgium, Denmark, France, the
Netherlands, Spain, Sweden,
and Switzerland founded the Fédération
Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA).
PLAY OF THE MATCH:
The object of football is to maneuver the ball
into the opposing team’s goal, using any part
of the body except the hands and arms. The
side scoring more goals wins. The ball is
round, covered with leather or some other
suitable material, and inflated; it must be 27–
27.5 inches (68–70 cm) in circumference and
14.5–16 ounces (410–450 grams) in weight. A
game lasts 90 minutes and is divided into
halves; the halftime interval lasts 15 minutes,
during which the teams change ends.
Additional time may be added by the referee
to compensate for stoppages in play (for
example, player injuries). If neither side wins,
and if a victor must be established, “extra-
time” is played, and then, if required, a series
of penalty kicks may be taken.
The penalty area, a rectangular area in front
of the goal, is 44 yards (40.2 metres) wide
and extends 18 yards (16.5 metres) into the
field. The goal is a frame, backed by a net,
measuring 8 yards (7.3 metres) wide and 8
feet (2.4 metres) high. The
playing field (pitch) should be 100–130 yards
(90–120 metres) long and 50–100 yards (45–
90 metres) wide; for international matches, it
must be 110–120 yards long and 70–80 yards
wide. Women, children, and mature players
may play a shorter game on a smaller field.
The game is controlled by a referee, who is
also the timekeeper, and two assistants who
patrol the touchlines, or sidelines, signaling
when the ball goes out of play and when
players are offside.
Players wear jerseys with numbers, shorts,
and socks that designate the team for whom
they are playing. Shoes and shin guards must
be worn. The two teams must wear
identifiably different uniforms,
and goalkeepers must be distinguishable
from all players and match officials

RULES:

here were few major alterations to football’s

laws through the 20th century. Indeed, until
the changes of the 1990s, the most
significant amendment to the rules came in
1925, when the offside rule was rewritten.
Previously, an attacking player (i.e., one in
the opponent’s half of the playing field) was
offside if, when the ball was “played” to him,
fewer than three opposing players were
between him and the goal. The rule change,
which reduced the required number of
intervening players to two, was effective in
promoting more goals. In response, new
defensive tactics and team formations
emerged. Player substitutions were
introduced in 1965; teams have been allowed
to field three substitutes since 1995.
More recent rule changes have helped
increase the tempo, attacking incidents, and
amount of effective play in games. The pass-
back rule now prohibits goalkeepers from
handling the ball after it is kicked to them by
a teammate. “Professional fouls,” which are
deliberately committed to prevent opponents
from scoring, are punished by red cards, as is
tackling (taking the ball away from a player
by kicking or stopping it with one’s feet) from
behind. Players are cautioned for “diving”
(feigning being fouled) to win free kicks or
penalties. Time wasting has been addressed
by forcing goalkeepers to clear the ball from
hand within six seconds and by having
injured players removed by stretcher from
the pitch. Finally, the offside rule was
adjusted to allow attackers who are level with
the penultimate defender to be onside.
Interpretation of football’s rules is influenced
heavily by cultural and tournament contexts.
Lifting one’s feet over waist level to play the
ball is less likely to be penalized as
dangerous play in Britain than in southern
Europe. The British game can be
similarly lenient in punishing the tackle from
behind, in contrast to the trend in
recent World Cup matches. FIFA insists that
“the referee’s decision is final,” and it is
reluctant to break the flow of games to allow
for video assessment on marginal decisions.
However, the most significant
future amendments or reinterpretations of
football’s rules may deploy more efficient
technology to assist match officials. Post-
match video evidence is used now by
football’s disciplinary committees,
particularly to adjudicate violent play or to
evaluate performances by match officials.
STRATEGY AND TACTICS
Use of the feet and (to a lesser extent) the
legs to control and pass the ball is football’s
most basic skill. Heading the ball is
particularly prominent when receiving long
aerial passes. Since the game’s origins,
players have displayed their individual skills
by going on “solo runs” or dribbling the ball
past outwitted opponents. But football is
essentially a team game based on passing
between teamT members. The basic playing
styles and skills of individual players reflect
their respective playing positions.
Goalkeepers require agility and height to
reach and block the ball when opponents
shoot at goal. Central defenders have to
challenge the direct attacking play of
opponents; called upon to win tackles and to
head the ball away from danger such as when
defending corner kicks, they are usually big
and strong. Fullbacks are typically smaller
but quicker, qualities required to match
speedy wing-forwards. Midfield players (also
called halfs or halfbacks) operate across the
middle of the field and may have a range of
qualities: powerful “ball-winners” need to be
“good in the tackle” in terms of winning or
protecting the ball and energetic runners;
creative “playmakers” develop scoring
chances through their talent at holding the
ball and through accurate passing. Wingers
tend to have good speed, some dribbling
skills, and the ability to make crossing passes
that travel across the front of goal and
provide scoring opportunities for forwards.
Forwards can be powerful in the air or small
and penetrative with quick footwork;
essentially, they should be adept at scoring
goals from any angle.
Tactics reflect the importance of planning for
matches. Tactics create a playing system that
links a team’s formation to a particular style
of play (such as attacking or
counterattacking, slow or quick tempo, short
or long passing, teamwork or individualistic
play). Team formations do not count the
goalkeeper and enumerate the deployment of
players by position, listing defenders first,
then midfielders, and finally attackers (for
example, 4-4-2 or 2-3-5). The earliest teams
played in attack-oriented formations (such as
1-1-8 or 1-2-7) with strong emphasis on
individual dribbling skills. In the late 19th
century, the Scots introduced the passing
game, and Preston North End created the
more cautious 2-3-5 system. Although the
English were associated with a cruder kick-
and-rush style, teamwork and deliberate
passing were evidently the more farsighted
aspects of an effective playing system as
playing skills and tactical acumen increased.
Between the wars, Herbert Chapman,
the astute manager of London’s Arsenal club,
created the WM formation, featuring five
defenders and five attackers: three backs and
two halves in defensive roles, and two inside
forwards assisting the three attacking
forwards. Chapman’s system withdrew the
midfield centre-half into defense in response
to the 1925 offside rule change and often
involved effective counterattacking, which
exploited the creative genius of withdrawn
forward Alex James as well as Cliff Bastin’s
goal-scoring prowess. Some teams outside
Britain also withdrew their centre-half, but
others (such as Italy at the 1934 World Cup,
and many South American sides) retained the
original 2-3-5 formation. By the outbreak
of World War II, many clubs, countries, and
regions had developed distinctive playing
styles—such as the powerful combative play
of the English, the technical short-passing
skills of the Danubian School, and the criollo
artistry and dribbling of Argentinians.
After the war, numerous tactical variations
arose. Hungary introduced the deep-lying
centre-forward to confuse opposing
defenders, who could not decide whether to
mark the player in midfield or let him roam
freely behind the forwards. The complex
Swiss verrou system, perfected by Karl
Rappan, saw players switch positions and
duties depending on the game’s pattern. It
was the first system to play four players in
defense and to use one of them as a “security
bolt” behind the other three.
Counterattacking football was adopted by top
Italian clubs, notably Internazionale of Milan.
Subsequently, the catenaccio system
developed by Helenio Herrera at
Internazionale copied the verrou system,
playing a libero (free man) in defense. The
system was highly effective but made for
highly tactical football centred on defense
that was often tedious to watch.
ABOUT CRISTIANO RONALDO:
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos
Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese
pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaldu]; born 5
February 1985) is a Portuguese
professional footballer who plays as
a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro
League club Al Nassr and the Portugal
national team. Widely regarded as one of the
greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won
five Ballon d'Or awards,[note 3] a record
three UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards,
and four European Golden Shoes, the most by
a European player. He has won 34 trophies in
his career, including seven league titles,
five UEFA Champions Leagues, the UEFA
European Championship and the UEFA Nations
League. Ronaldo holds the records for
most appearances (183), goals (140)
and assists (42) in the Champions League,
goals in the European Championship
(14), international goals (128)
and international appearances (205). He is
one of the few players to have made
over 1,200 professional career appearances,
the most by an outfield player, and has scored
over 850 official senior career goals for club
and country, making him the top goalscorer of
all time.