Most times it seems like everyone watches the game but very few people love the game.The game of soccer comes with a lot of rules and also a very catching history behind it. The sport has drastically evolved from the ball kicking rudimentary sport to the world cup sport it is today.
HISTORY.
Although the game claimed to have started in Ancient China, Greece, Rome. It was England that transition soccer. The English are known to have recorded the very first uniform rules of the game which include catching of the balls with the hands and forbidding tripping of opponent players.
Modern development of the game sprung forth with set of rules called the Cambridge rules.
The game was segregated into two that involved the * RUGBY * that allowed shin kicking and carrying the ball. Modern day history of soccer was finally established in 1863, eleven representatives from the London clubs met and set up rules that led to the formation of the Football Association.
RULES OF THE GAME.
- The game is played by two teams which allows no more than eleven players on the field at a time. This includes the goal keeper.
- The time range is 45 minutes for each half, and the game consists of two halves.
- The toss of a coin begins the game, in which the winning captain decides which goal to defend or to take the first kick off.
- All players must use their feet, head or chest to play the game. Only the goal keeper is allowed to use hands and within their designated goal area.
FOULS AND MISCONDUCTS.
A player is awarded a direct free kick when ;
- Kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
- Trips or attempts to trip an opponent
- Deliberately handles the ball
- Charges an opponent
- Strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
- Pushes or tackles an opponent
- Holds or spits at an opponent
+Jumps on an opponent
Yellow cards are awarded as a caution or warning to a player for the following reasons ;
- Misconduct or insurbodination
- Dissent by word or action
- Persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game
- Delaying the restart of play
- Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick,free kick, or throw-in
- Entering, re-entering or deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission
Red cards are used to send a player off the field, and can be issued for the following offenses:
- Serious foul play and violence
- Spitting at an opponent or any other person and using offensive or abusive words.
- Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (the goalkeeper being an exception)
- Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
- Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the same match
SOCCER CLUBS
These are just a few clubs from the long list
- Chelsea
- Barcelona
- Arsenal
- Manchester United
- Manchester city
- Liverpool
- Real Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
- Totenham hotspur
- Bayern Munich
- Sevilla
FAVORITES.
Personally my favorite club is CHELSEA. Founded on the 10th March,1905. Their logo of a lion holding a staff symbolizes the Earl of Cadogan's coat of arms. Having won the league title 5 times.
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Andres Iniesta, a Spanish footballer from the Barcelona academy is my favorite player. With 33 awards, he has been decorated the best Spanish player and is an integral part of Barcelona's sides that won two historic trebles in 2009 and 2015. His quick feets and unbelievable eye for a pass has earned him so many awards and above all, his personal best...:
The world Cup Winning Goal in 2012
His titles and awards include;
- Best EUFA player in Europe (1)
- World cup winner (1)
- Champions league winner (4)
- European Champion (2)
- Spanish cup winner (5)
- Spanish champion (8)
- Fifa club world cup winner (3)
- Spanish super club winner (6)
- European under -19 champion(1)
- European under -17 champion (1)
- Footballer of the year(1)
- Player of the year (1)
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WORLD'S STADIUM
The world's largest stadium is the North Korean Rungrado May Day Stadium with a seating capacity of 150,000.
Aside from the rules and players, the passion makes it more fun. My most passionate march was the 2008 UEFA Champions league final. t took place on Wednesday, 21 May 2008, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. The game involved Manchester united and my very own Chelsea making it an all English club final for the first time. It was also the third time that two clubs from the same country were competing against each other, the previous times were in 2000 and 2003. Chelsea lost sadly, after a 1-1 draw following extra time as Christiano Ronaldo opened the Scoring for Manchester in the 26th minute with a header. Frank Lampard equalized few minutes before halftime. The second-half was more like a pass-by and then extra time came. It was boring too until four minutes to the end when Drogba was sent off for slapping Vidic, at this point, I started losing hope because one of the best players was off the field. It was then time for the shoot-out, Ronaldo missed Manchester United's third kick, giving John Terry the chance to win the game for Chelsea, only for him to slip and hit the post. Edwin van der Sar then saved Nicolas Anelka's effort from Chelsea's seventh kick to give Manchester United their third European Cup title.
it's a match I can never forget, I still remember seeing John Terry's eye bags from the Tv.
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I BELIEVE MY PASSION FOR SOCCER HAS BECOME A LIFESTYLE.