The History of Football, Football, soccer, whatever you may prefer to call it, is a passionate game in which two teams of 11 players try to drive the ball using any part of their bodies except their hands and arm into the opposing team's goal. only the goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball within the penalty area encircling the goal post and the team that scores the most goals wins the match. But unlike the beautiful game we know today, its history is as tough as a rock, considering the possibility of it originating from a game played with a ball made of actual rock. Yes, around 2,000 years ago, Mesoamerican people called 'the Aztecs' played a game called 'Tchatali' where the aim was to get the ball through a stone hoop without using their hands. If the solid ball doesn't sound tough enough for you, then you'll be shocked to know that the losing team's captain would often be sacrificed to the deity. And around 206 BC, the Chinese played a similar version of the game called 'cuju' that involved kicking a leather ball stuffed with fur or feathers to keep their military in shape.
At the same time, many other ancient cultures like Greek, Roman and Aboriginal Australian were known to play games that involved kicking and passing the ball. Then in the 12th century in England, a game called folk football was played by the local people that not only involved kicking, but also punching the ball with the fist. But this game was very rough and violent in nature, leading to injuries and damage to properties, due to a lack of rules and governing body to look over it. So, considering the danger involved in it, the authority decided to officially ban the game that stayed intact for several centuries. Only to return in the 17th century. Soon, it became part of many public schools, which had their own set of rules and confusion, as some schools allowed handling the ball while others didn't. So, fair enough due to these confusions, a few undergraduate students from full public schools came together in Cambridge in 1848 and drafted a set of 11 rules that everyone could follow and nailed it to a tree on campus. These 11 laws famously came to be known as the Cambridge Rules. One significant rule was that handling the ball was strictly disallowed and they also finalized the shape and size of the ball itself. These rules are likely what started the separation of soccer and rugby, which eventually became different sports. After this, many more rules were made and soccer started to gain popularity, especially among the working class, who looked at it as a good source of entertainment after a week of hard work. And when the British expanded their empire to other parts of the world, they took the game with them, leading to its increased popularity. Soon, various domestic and international official clubs were formed and in 1872, the first international match between England and Scotland was played, which ended up in a draw. Then,12 years later, in 1883, the first international tournament took place and included four national teams. England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Then in 1904, FIFA was founded, and the rest is modern history.
Did you know the first FIFA World Cup was held in Uruguay from 13 to 30 July 1930? Yes, and the host Uruguay was crowned as the first World Cup champions.
Also read: The Goat of Football | The Amazing Story of Leo Messi
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