What is Football?
Football, commonly known as association football or soccer, is a sport in which two teams of 11 players attempt to advance the ball into the goal of the other team by using any part of their body other than their hands and arms. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands or arms to advance the ball. Towards the end of the game, the team with the most goals scored wins. Depending on the competition’s rules, if the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or extra time is allowed.
football is the most watched sport in the world. This sport may be played practically everywhere, from official football playing fields (pitches) to gymnasiums, streets, school playgrounds, parks, or beaches, because of its basic rules and necessary equipment. A combined television audience of more than 26 billion people watched football’s premier competition, the quadrennial month-long World Cup finals, in 2010. According to FIFA, there were approximately 250 million football players and over 1.3 billion interested in the sport at the turn of the twenty-first century.
LAWS OF THE GAME
Overview of Laws
The official Laws of the Game contain seventeen laws. The laws are the same for all divisions of football, however, exceptions are allowed for particular categories, such as juniors, seniors, or women. The laws are frequently written in general terms, allowing for flexibility in how they are applied based on the specifics of the game. Many IFAB decisions and other directives, in addition to the seventeen laws, help to regulate football. On the official FIFA website, you can find the laws.
The field of play
The playing surface must be entirely natural, except where competition rules permit an integrated combination of artificial and natural materials, Artificial surfaces must be green in colour.
The two longer boundary lines are touchlines. The two shorter lines are goal lines. The field of play is divided into two halves by a halfway line, which joins the midpoints of the two touchlines.
The Ball
Specification of football :
- spherical
- between 410 g (14 oz) and 450 g (16 oz) in weight at the start of the match
- of a circumference of between 68 cm (27 ins) and 70 cm (28 ins)
- of pressure equal to 0.6–1.1 atmosphere (600 –1,100 g/cm²) at sea level (8.5lbs/sq in–15.6 lbs/sq in)
The Players
Each team can have a maximum of eleven players in a game, one of them must be the goalkeeper. If either team has less than seven players, no team may begin or continue the game.
The match must not continue after the ball has left play if a team does not have the required seven players because one or more players have purposefully departed the field of play. The referee is not required to stop play if a side is down to less than seven players because the advantage may be played.
The number of substitutes, up to a maximum of five, which may be used in any match played in an official competition will be determined by FIFA.
Any player may switch spots with the keeper in the following situations:
- Before any changes are made, the referee is notified.
- The adjustment is made during a break in play.
If an identified player is replaced by a named substitute at the beginning of a game without the referee being made aware of the substitution:
- The referee permits the designated replacement to continue playing.
- The named substitute is immune from disciplinary action.
- No fewer substitutes are made overall.
- The referee notifies the proper authorities of the occurrence.
Without the referee’s approval, if a player switches positions with the goalkeeper, the referee:
- Permits play to continue
- when the ball is about to leave play, warns both players, but not if the change took place during halftime (including extra time’s halftime), the interval between the end of regulation and the start of extra time, or kicks from the penalty spot.
The team captain is somewhat in charge of the squad’s conduct but does not have any unique rights or advantages.
A player’s required belonging is made up of the following different items:
- a shirt with sleeves
- shorts
- socks – tape or any material applied or worn externally must be the same colour as that part of the sock it is applied to or covers
- shinguards – these must be made of a suitable material to provide reasonable protection and covered by the socks
- footwear
Goalkeepers may wear tracksuit bottoms.
The two sides must wear colours that set them out from one another and the officials overseeing the game.
Colour of the t-shirts :
- The two sides must wear colours that set them out from one another and the officials overseeing the game.
- Goalkeepers must wear different colours that set them apart from other players and match officials.
- The referee permits the game to proceed if both goalkeepers’ shirts are the same color and neither has an additional shirt.
Assistant referee signals
A match consists of two equal halves that are each 45 minutes long. The length of the match may only be shortened with the consent of both sides and the referee prior to the contest and in line with the competition rules.
Players are allowed a break at halftime that lasts no longer than 15 minutes, and at the halftime of extra time, they are also allowed a brief drink break that lasts no longer than one minute. The length of the half-time break must be specified in the competition rules, and it may only be changed with the referee’s approval.
The referee makes an allowance for any playing time missed in each half due to:
- substitutions
- assessment and/or removal of injured players
- wasting time
- disciplinary sanctions
- medical stoppages permitted by competition rules e.g. ‘drinks’ breaks (which should not exceed one minute) and ‘cooling’ breaks (ninety seconds to three minutes)
- delays relating to VAR ‘checks’ and ‘reviews’
- any other cause, including any significant delay to a restart (e.g. goal celebrations)
If a penalty kick has to be taken or retaken, the half is extended until the penalty kick is completed.
An abandoned match is replayed unless the competition rules or organisers determine otherwise.
Free Kick
A player, substitute, substituted or sent-off player, or team official guilty of an offence is given direct and indirect free kicks by the opposing team.
The referee signals an indirect free kick by raising his arm above his head; he continues to do so until the kick is made and the ball has been touched by another player, has left the field of play, or it is clear that a direct goal cannot be scored.
If the referee fails to indicate that a free kick is indirect and the ball is struck directly into the goal, the free kick must be retaken.
A goal is scored if a direct free kick is made directly into the goal of the opposition.
A goal kick is given if an indirect free kick is made directly into the goal of the opposition.
A corner kick is given if a direct or indirect free kick is made directly into the other team’s goal.
The ball must be stationary and the kicker must not touch the ball again until it has touched another player.
The Penalty Kick
In accordance with Laws 12 and 13, a player who commits a direct free kick offence within their penalty area or off the field during play is given a penalty kick.
A goal may be scored directly from a penalty kick.
The Goal Kick
A goal kick is awarded when the entire ball crosses the goal line, whether it is in the air or on the ground, having last touched a player on the attacking side and no goal is scored.
Only the other side may score directly from a goal kick, if the ball enters the kicker’s goal first, the opponents are given a corner kick.
A member of the opposing team must kick the stationary ball from any location inside the goal area.
The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves.
The ball enters play before that, and opponents must remain beyond the penalty area.
The Corner Kick
A corner kick is considered when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the defending team, and a goal is not scored.
Only the opposite side may score directly from a corner kick, if the ball enters the kicker’s goal directly, the opponents are given a corner kick.
The ball must be placed in the corner area nearest to the point where the ball passed over the goal line.
The ball must be stationary and is kicked by a player of the attacking team.
The ball is in play when it is kicked and clearly moves; it does not need to leave the corner area.
The corner flagpost must not be moved.
Opponents must remain at least 9.15 m (10 yds) from the corner arc until the ball is in play.
Top Football sports club in the World
| Rank | Team | League | Trophies | League Titles |
| 1 | Real Madrid FC | La Liga | 119 | 35 |
| 2 | FC Barcelona | La Liga | 129 | 26 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | Premier League | 68 | 19 |
| 4 | Manchester United FC | Premier League | 66 | 20 |
| 5 | Bayern Munich FC | Bundesliga | 80 | 32 |
| 6 | Chelsea FC | Premier League | 34 | 6 |
| 7 | Manchester City FC | Premier League | 29 | 8 |
| 8 | Paris Saint Germain FC | Ligue One | 44 | 10 |
| 9 | Juventus FC | Serie A | 70 | 36 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | Premier League | 48 | 13 |
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