The World Cup (The Golden Nike) was founded in 1930 by Frenchman Jules Rimet, the creator of the world championship games. The cup was designed and made by a French sculptor, Abel Lafleur. 30 cm in height, weighing 1,82 kg and made of pure gold, the sculpture depicted Nike of Samothrace (Winged Victory). In 1950 the statuette was named the Jules Rimet Cup after its founder. It was a trophy passed on to each winner and the team to win the tournament three times got to keep it (Brazil achieved this in 1970). In 1983 the Cup was stolen and it has never been found. The tournament using Jules Rimet Cup was organized for a total of 9 times from 1930 to 1970. The tournament is being organized once in every four years.

1st. World Cup (Uruguay, 1930) : At the 1929 FIFA congress, Uruguay was chosen to arrange the first ever World Cup to honor its achievements in sports. Uruguay, the reigning Olympic Champions, was chosen ahead of a quartet of European countries including Italy and Spain. Even though Uruguay offers to pay all team expenses, only four European countries makes the three week trip to South America. The hosts builds a fantastic stadium in Montevideo that can hold 95,000. The Stadium is finished five days after the World Cup has started! The World Cup Champions were to receive what today is known as “The Jules Rimet trophy”.

2nd. World Cup (Italy, 1934) : Italy was the hosts for the 1934 World-Cup. Uruguay, who won the previous tournament in 1930, surprisingly did not participate. So immediately one of the main attractions was missing. This was the first and last time the previous winners did not show up for the next championships. There was 16 teams took part in the tournament. Argentina and Brazil took part, but booth with average teams. Therefore the Europeans and especially were favorites for the title. With the fascist dictator Mussolini behind his team, everything was set up for Italy. Players such as Orsi, Monti, and De Maria from Argentina were drafted into the Italian squad after it was found they had double nationalities. The championships was no victory for football, but Mussolini and the Italians were pleased with the outcome.

3rd. World Cup (France, 1938) : The World-Cup grew more and more, and in the third championships, there were 36 nations involved. Norway reached the finals for the first time. The last championships were won by the hosts, but that was to change. Again were Italy the winners. This tournament the football was played in a more mature and collective way, with more speed and technical play. Three players stood out above others, Meazza, Ferrari and Fiola. The draw for the first round was done in Paris on March 5. 1938.

4th. World Cup (Brazil, 1950) : European teams from countries most affected by World War II (among others the Polish team) didn’t enter the qualifiers. The silver medalists of the last championships, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Argentina didn’t participate either. Most countries in the world used the years 1945-50 to rebuild their countries. As Usual, Brazil was the biggest favorite of the tournament. Uruguay could not be written off, they had won three championships in a row (OL-24, OL-28, VC-30), and had since not participated in following tournaments. The final between Brazil and Uruguay was played in front of amazing 203 000 people. Brazil had impressed everyone in the early stages and took the lead 1-0. Uruguay could hardly get out of their own half, but still managed to score 2 goals. One of the biggest upsets in football history.

5th. World Cup (Switzerland, 1954) : Wankdorf stadium in Bern, 4. July 1954: Hungarys magical “Magyars”, who were undefeated in 31 games over 4 years, met West-Germany in the final of the 5th World-Cup. Just two weeks ago, Hungary had defeated West-Germany by 8-3 in a group game. Unluckily, this time they lost 3-2 to the confusion of all football lovers. This legendary team who many regard as one of the best ever never would become world champions. After the World-Cup they continued to win and win until thousands of Russian tanks rolled into Budapest in November 1956. The end of an era.

6th. World Cup (Sweden, 1958) : Garrincha, Didi, Gilmar, Zito and Pele were just some of Brazils stars in 1958, who rewrote the history books. Hundreds of Swedish flooded to the Brazilian training ground to catch a glimpse of their ball control and tecnique. This championship would be the breakthrough for a 17 year old boy from Sao-Paulo, Pele. This young man amazed the world with his skills and goals. In the final against the hosts, Brazil won 5-2 with Pele scoring 2 of the goals. The semi final and final together he scored 5 goals! Arguably footballs biggest star was born.

7th. World Cup (Chile, 1962) : It was expected that Peles Brazil would defend their title. They did, but to the most without Pele. After scoring in the opening match, he was injured and did not play the rest of the tournament. Brazil met Czechoslovakia in the final and won easily. Even without Pele, Brazil was too strong for the rest of the football world. Teams such as England and West-Germany were in the process of building new teams. Whereas Argentina, Italy and Uruguay were mostly keen on fighting than playing football.

8th. World Cup (England, 1966) : England will win the World-Cup on home soil, said the English manager Alf Ramsey. The games founders had been in 4 previous tournaments, but with disappointment. In 66 they started slowly with a draw against Uruguay, but slowly found form as the tournament went on. At last in this tournament, they stood as winners, and Ramsey a national hero. The victory was not only popular and deserved, but also controversial. The scoring that decided the final is still discussed to this day!!!

9th. World Cup (Mexico, 1970) : Many believe that the 1970 World-Cup was the best ever played, and inspired millions of kids to start playing. It was a championship where different styles came against each other. As proved in the final where the passing and skillful Brazilians met the tactical and physical Italians. Football won that day as Brazil won 4-1 playing some of the best football ever seen. Again Pele was inspirational along with Jairzinho, Gerson, Felix and Carlos Alberto. They showed the world how football should be played. 1970 proved to be the farewell to who many regard as the greatest, Pele.

The FIFA World Cup was founded in 1971. It was designed by Silvio Gazzanigi of Italy. Made of 18-carat gold and malachite, the cup is 36 cm tall and weighs 5 kg. The sculpture depicts two triumphant football players holding a globe in their raised hands. The trophy is passed on to each winning team that gets to keep an identical (but gold-plated) replica. The making of the statue cost about $50,000, today its value is estimated to over $10,000,000. The World Cup trophy that being used today has been staged for 8 times from 1974 until 2002.

10th. World Cup (Germany, 1974) : In 1974 the world first met the Dutch “total football” side. A side brimming with players of great skill, none more than Johan Cruyff. In the final they met the host nation with their own superstar, Franz Beckenbauer. Germany ran out winners, but the Dutch side won many fans with their brand of passing football. The World-Cup in 74 was known as the rock and roll football, a lot of the players were having long hair and beard. They were rebellious and seemed laid back.

11th. World Cup (Argentina, 1978) : FIFA wanted to continue with alternating The World-Cup between Europe and South-America, but that proved difficult as fewer countries in South-America were equipped to host such a big arrangement. The choice of Argentina was a crisis solution. They had the capacities to be hosts, but the economical and political situations were problems. Because of these issues it was important that this arrangement went well for Argentina. The tournament itself was not of high standard as stars as Beckenbauer had retired and Cruyff did not show up. England had not qualified and Brazil was rebuilding their side. Argentina won the championship as hosts.

12th. World Cup (Spain, 1982) : The World-Cup in 82 was remarkable in many ways. It seemed like the Spanish team suffered under the pressure of playing on home ground. And the two teams who ended up in the final, was the teams who suffered the hardest critics in the early rounds. In this World-Cup the discipline prevailed and Italy and West-Germany met in the final. Italy won the final 3-1, while the rest of the world cried for France and Brazil.

13th. World Cup (Mexico, 1986) : Diego Armando Maradona is the name everybody remembers after Mexico 86. He stunned the world, after he almost on his own won the championships for Argentina. They beat Federeal Republic of Germany 3-2 in the final, and never before had one player had such influence in a victory. He scored five incredible goals and had a lot of assists. Maybe the greatest footballer of all time.

14th. World Cup (Italy, 1990) : It was 56 years since Italy last hosted the World-Cup. Italy, with their “Squadra Azzura” and their famous “tifosi” was the natural favourites. Argentina, East-Germany and Brazil were also hungry for a gold medal. Italys dream ended when Maradona sent them out in the semi finals. Argentina met West-Germany and lost 1-0.

15th. World Cup (USA, 1994) : In many ways the World-Cup in USA represented something new. For the first time it was hosted in another place than Europe and South-America and also the first time in a country were the interest was rather small. And Norway was qualified for the first time in modern time. Brazil and Italy clashed together in the final. Italy, led by Roberto Baggio struggled through after beating Bulgaria in the semi finals. Brazil, led by striker Romario and Bebeto sent Sweden out in the semi. For the first time the final ended 0-0, and a penalty shootout had to decide a winner. Brazil won for the fourth time with Roberto Baggio missing one of them.

16th. World Cup (France, 1998) : France is one of football world powers even though their national league is rather poor. FIFA was created in an alley in Paris in 1904, UEFA was created by Frenchmen. Because of that France was chosen as World-Cup hosts. This World-Cup should be the big breakthrough for the French playmaker Zinedine Zidane (Zizou). Norway shocked the world by beating Brazil in the first round. Even though Brazil passed through and made it to the final. They faced a strong French side and lost 3-0 after two goals by Zidane.

17th. World Cup (Japan and South Korea, 2002) : For the very first time the World-Cup went in Asia. And for the very first time it was split between two nations, Co-host Japan and South-Korea. Argentina was the big favorite, followed by the title holders France, and as always Brazil. But this tournament turned up to be a big failure to the big team. The title holder, France were defeated by Senegal by a solitary goal in the opening match. Both France and Argentina failed to qualify through the first rounds. And an incredible comeback of Ronaldo helped Brazil to the final. In the final Brazil faced Germany and won 2-0 after two goals by Ronaldo.

18th. World Cup (Germany, 2006) : The FIFA World Cup was last held in Germany in 1974. Italy win the tournament on penalties against 10-man France – who had Zinedine Zidane sent off for a headbutt in extra-time. The Italian won for a record of fourth time in their history one fewer than Brazil, and it was the first time they managed to win a World Cup match on penalties after three failed attempts.

With such great talent on the pitch came a similar talent for attracting trouble to himself off of it. His sublime second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico is often overlooked seeing as it followed his infamous “Hand of God” opener where Maradona blatantly punched the ball past Peter Shilton in the England goal and helped Argentina to a 2-1 victory on their way to winning the tournament.

A 15 month suspension from football in 1992 for cocaine led to his departure from his beloved Napoli and two years later he was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in the USA having tested positive in a drugs test for ephedrine doping. Diego claimed that he has been given the backing of FIFA to take the drug for weight loss purposes so that the World Cup wouldn’t lose appeal without him in it only to see them renege on their promise and have him sent home in further disgrace. This claim has obviously been vigorously denied by FIFA.

Scandal continues to follow him in Naples where he was embroiled in an illegitimate child row where he refused DNA tests to ascertain paternity and further questions were asked about his friendships with members of the Naples mafia. Whether it’s opening fire on waiting journalists with an airgun or gaining copious amounts of weight and then having radical gastric bypass surgery to lose it again or having a heart attack following a cocaine overdose, Diego Maradona maintains his position as one of world football’s most brilliant and troubled enigmas.

Club Career Appearances and Goals:

1976-1981 Argentinos Juniors – 166 appearances, 116 goals
1981-1982 Boca Juniors – 42 appearances, 28 goals
1982-1984 FC Barcelona – 58 appearances, 38 goals
1984-1991 SSC Napoli – 259 appearances, 115 goals
1992-1993 Sevilla FC – 29 appearances, 7 goals
1993 Newell’s Old Boys – 5 appearances, 0 goals
1995-1997 Boca Juniors – 29 appearances, 7 goals
1976-1997 TOTAL: 588 appearances, 311 goals

Club Honours:

1981 Argentine league (Boca Juniors)
1983 Copa del Rey (FC Barcelona)
1987 Serie A champions (SSC Napoli)
1987 Italian Cup (SSC Napoli)
1988 Italian top-scorer (SSC Napoli)
1989 UEFA Cup (SSC Napoli)
1990 Serie A champions (SSC Napoli)
1991 Italian Super Cup (SSC Napoli)

International Honours:

1979 FIFA World Youth Championship: Winner
1982 FIFA World Cup: Second round (11th place)
1986 FIFA World Cup: Winner
1990 FIFA World Cup: Runner-up
1993 Artemio Franchi Trophy: Winner
1994 FIFA World Cup: Second round (10th place)

Personal Honours – during his career:

1979–1981, 1986 Argentine Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year
1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992 South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas)
1986 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Year
1986 Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup
1986–1987 Best Footballer in the World (Once)
1986 World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine)

Personal Honours – after his retirement:

1996 Golden Ball for services to football (France Football)
1999 Argentine Sports Writers’ Sportsman of the Century
2000 “FIFA best football player of the century”, people’s choice.
2002 “FIFA Goal of the Century” (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal)
2005 Argentine Senate “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” recognition for lifetime achievement.

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Guillermo Stábile of Argentina. The first World Cup topscorer. He scored 8 goals in this World Cup.

Guillermo Stábile (January 17, 1905 – December 27, 1966) born in Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires was a Argentine footballer and coach. Stábile is remembered as a prominent figure in football history and one of the first goalscoring heroes. Stábile played for several clubs during his career; one in South America, three in Europe. He was, however most notable for being the top scorer in the first Football World Cup. His coaching career was also a success, leading Argentina to six Copa América titles.

After capturing the world’s attention with his impressive feats in the First World Cup, he was signed by Italy‘s oldest football club; Genoa Cricket and Football Club. He instantly became a fan favorite at Genoa, chalking up a hat-trick on his debut against rivals Bologna. He stayed with the Genoan club for a spell of five years, playing 41 games and scoring 13 goals. During the 1935-36 season, he moved to S.S.C. Napoli with Antonio Vojak transferring the other way to Genoa. This was during the era where another South American legend played for Napoli; Attila Sallustro. The club finished 8th in the league with Guillermo scoring 3 goals in 20 games.

As a last act of his playing career, Stábile moved to Red Star Paris. Ironically, the club was founded by Jules Rimet the man who had set up the first World Cup back in 1930. He stayed with the club until 1939 with the last honour of his playing career being helping the club achieve promotion, from Ligue 2 back into Ligue 1. Stábile had received his first taste of coaching, way back in the 1931-32 season at Genoa, long before he retired from playing. Here he spent the aforementioned season as a co-manager alongside Luigi Burlando.

After a year at Red Star Paris, he became player-manager for the club; this included the season in which they were promoted from Ligue 2. Stábile left the French club, to coach the Argentine national team; He began his spell in 1939. Stábile coached Argentina to six South American Championship trophies: in 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1955 and 1957. With the Argentine national side, as a coach (just as he had as a player) Stábile, set records; he coached the club for 123 official matches gaining 83 victories, making him one of the few coaches with more than 100 international matches in charge. While managing the national side, he also had spells coaching three other clubs, first the club where he began his career; Huracán and then later Ferro Carril Oeste and Racing Club. Stábile retired from management in 1960 and died six years later.

Oldest Soccerball

Through out history, humans have enjoyed kicking a ball or something like a ball. South American Indians were known to use a light elasticized ball. However; rubber was not to be practically manufactured until a few thousand years later.

According to historical references and legend, early balls ranged from human heads, stitched up cloth, animal and human skulls to pig or cow bladders. During the Ts’in and Han Dynasties (255 BC-220 AD), the Chinese played ‘tsu chu’, in which animal-skin balls were dribbled through gaps in a net stretched between two poles. Certain ancient Egyptian rites are said by historians to have similarities with football, and both the ancient

Greeks and Romans also played a game that entailed carrying and kicking a ball. According to pre-medieval legend, an entire village would kick a skull along a path to a nearby village square. The opposing village would in turn attempt to kick the skull to the first village’s square. Wow, that probably caused more riots than in modern soccer games.

A Medieval custom was to take pig bladders used from live stock killed in preparation for winter sustenance and inflate them. They would play a game using their feet and hands to keep the “ball” in the air. Sounds like hacky sack to me.

FA Cup Ball (1893)

The animal bladder balls were eventually covered with leather for better shape. Balls in 1800′s In 1836 Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber. Prior to this, balls were dependant on the size and shape of the pig’s bladder. The more irregular the bladder, the more unpredictable the behavior of the ball was when kicked. However; it would not be until the twentieth century until most balls were made with rubber bladders.

In 1855, Charles Goodyear designed and built the first vulcanized rubber soccer balls (footballs). The following picture shows the Charles Goodyear ball that is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame which is located in Oneonta, NY, USA.

Uruguay National Team (1930)

13 countries participated in the first ever World Cup in Uruguay. It was no qualification at that time, the hosts invited teams to the cup. Because of the distance, only four European countries decided to take part in the cup. Most countries rejected to spend several weeks on a ship to cross the Atlantic ocean. In Montevideo the hosts had built a beautiful stadium that could hold 95.000. The work had been delayed because of heavy rain, so the stadium wasn’t completed until 5 days into the tournament. It was appropriate, for several reasons, that Uruguay should be chosen to host the first tournament. They were the holders of the Olympic title, good enough credentials in its own right. Furthermore, in July 1930 the country was celebrating the centenary of its independence. It was certainly going to be carnival time in Montevideo during the two weeks of the World Cup, because the entire tournament would be held in the capital of Uruguay.

Only four teams from Europe participated in this first World Cup, and none of them were expected to win the cup. Powerful nations like Italy, Germany, Holland, England and Spain stayed home. One of the entrants, Romania, even had their team picked by his Royal Highness King Carol himself! However, he would have little to celebrate for in this tournament.

France and Mexico played in the first ever World Cup game, and the French won 4-1 with Lucien Laurent of France scoring the first ever World Cup goal. But the two teams who dominated this tournament were Argentina and Uruguay. They both topped their groups easily. Stábile was this tournament’s best player, originally a substitute, he came into the side and scored a hat-trick against Mexico. The semifinals saw Argentina trash the United States by 6-1, and Uruguay won by the same score versus Yugoslavia. There was no bronzematch at that time, so both USA and Yugoslavia shared the third place. In the final Argentina looked like the better side in the first half, but the hosts came back in the second half to win the title 4-2. Read more about this final by clicking on the “Final” link in the left column.

TOPSCORERS
Guillermo Stábile (ARG) 8 goals
Pedro Cea (URU) 5 goals
Guillermo Subiabre (CHI) 4 goals
Bert Patenaude (USA) 4 goals

Jules Rimet (left) was president of the French football federation and FIFA at the time of the first World Cup. The original World Cup trophy was named in his honor. The trophy itself had a rocky history: During World War II, Ottorino Barassi, an official of the Italian football association, hid it in a shoe-box under his bed. Later, it was stolen during a public exhibition just before the 1966 World Cup Final, then recovered and stolen again, seventeen years later in Brazil. It hasn’t been found seen since and many speculate that it may have been melted.

The contemporary history of football spans more than 100 years. It all began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on their different courses and the world’s first football association was founded – The Football Association in England. Both forms of football stemmed from a common root and both have a long and intricately branched ancestral tree. Their early history reveals at least half a dozen different games, varying to different degrees and to which the historical development of football is related and has actually been traced back. Whether this can be justified in some instances is disputable. Nevertheless, the fact remains that playing a ball with the feet has been going on for thousands of years and there is absolutely no reason to believe that it is an aberration of the more “natural” form of playing a ball with the hands.

On the contrary, apart from the absolute necessity to employ the legs and feet in such a tough bodily tussle for the ball, often without any laws for protection, it was no doubt recognised right at the outset that the art of controlling the ball with the feet was extremely difficult and, as such, it required special technique and talent. The very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise of precisely this skilful technique dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. in China. A military manual dating from the period of the Han Dynasty includes among the physical education exercises, the “Tsu’Chu”. This consisted of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening, measuring only 30 – 40 cm in width, into a small net fixed onto long bamboo canes – a feat which obviously demanded great skill and excellent technique. A variation of this exercise also existed, whereby the player was not permitted to aim at his target unimpeded, but had to use his feet, chest, back and shoulders whilst trying to withstand the attacks of his opponents. Use of the hands was not permitted. The ball artistry of today’s top players is therefore not quite as new as some people may assume.

Another form of the game, also originating from the Far East, was the Japanese Kemari, which dates from about 500 to 600 years later and is still played today. This is a type of circular football game, far less spectacular, but, for that reason, a ‘more dignified and ceremonious experience, requiring certain skills, but not competitive ‘ in the way the Chinese game was, nor is there the slightest sign of struggle for possession of the ball. The players had to pass the ball to each other, in a relatively small space, trying not to let it touch the ground.

The Greek game “episkyros”, relatively little of which has been handed down, was much livelier, as was the Roman game “Harpastum”. The latter was played with a smaller ball with two teams contesting the game on a rectangular field marked by boundary lines and a centre-line. The object was to get the ball over the opponents’ boundary lines. The ball was passed between players and trickery was the order of the day. Each team member had his own specific tactical assignment and the spectators took a vociferous interest in the proceedings and the score. The role of the feet in this game was so small as scarcely to be of consequence. This game remained popular for 700 or 800 years, but, although the Romans took it to England with them, it is doubtful whether it can be considered as a forerunner of contemporary football. The same applies for hurling, a popular game with the Celtic population, which is played to this very day in Cornwall and Ireland. lt is possible that influences were asserted, but it is certain that the decisive development of the game of football with which we are now familiar took place in England and Scotland.

The game that flourished in the British Isles from the 8th to the 19th centuries had a considerable variety of local and regional versions – which were subsequently smoothed down and smartened up to form the present day sports of association football and rugby football. – They were substantially different from all the previously known forms – more disorganised, more violent, more spontaneous and usually played by an indefinite number of players. Frequently, the games took the form of a heated contest between whole village communities or townships – through streets, village squares, across fields, hedges, fences and streams. Kicking was allowed, as in fact was almost everything else. However, in some of these games kicking was out of the question due to the size and weight of the ball being used. In such cases, kicking was instead employed to fell opponents. Incidentally, it was not until nine years after the football rules had been established for the first time in 1863 that the size and weight of the ball were finally standardised. Up to that time, agreement on this point had usually been reached by the parties concerned when they were arranging the match, as was the case for the game between London and Sheffield in 1866. This match was also the first where the duration of the game was prearranged for one and a half hours.

Shrovetide football, as it was called, belonged in the “mob football” category, where the number of players was unlimited and the rules were fairly vague (for example, according to an ancient handbook from Workington in England, any means could be employed to get the ball to its target with the exception of murder and manslaughter). Shrovetide football is still played today on Shrove Tuesday in some areas, for example, Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Needless to say, it is no longer so riotous as it used to be, nor are such extensive casualties suffered as was probably the case centuries ago.

This game is reputedly Anglo-Saxon in origin and there are many legends concerning its first appearance. For example, in both Kingston-on-Thames and Chester, the story goes that the game was played for the very first time with the severed head of a vanquished Danish prince. In Derby, it is said to have originated far earlier, in the 3rd century, during the victory celebrations that followed a battle against the Romans.

Despite the legends of Kingston and Chester, certain facts appear to contradict the Anglo-Saxon theory. Namely that there is no evidence of it having been played at this time in Saxon areas or on the continent, nor is the game mentioned in early Anglo-Saxon literature. Prior to the Norman Conquest, the only trace found of any such ball game comes from a Celtic source.

One other possible theory regarding its origin is that when the aforementioned “mob football” was being played in the British Isles in the early centuries A.D., a very similar game was thriving in France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. So it is quite feasible that the Normans brought this form of the game to England with them.

All these theories produce a picture quite bewildering in its complexity – far more complex than the simple rules that governed this form of the game, if we dare even to call them rules.

Quite apart from man’s natural impulse to demonstrate his strength and skill, even in this chaotic and turbulent fashion, it is certain that in many cases, pagan customs, especially fertility rites, played a major role. The ball symbolised the sun, which had to be conquered in order to secure a bountiful harvest. The ball had to be propelled around, or across, a field so that the crops would flourish and the attacks of the opponents had to be warded off.

A similar significance was attached to the games between married men and bachelors that prevailed for centuries in some parts of England, and, likewise, to the famous game between married and unmarried women in the Scottish town of Inveresk at the end of the 17th century which, perhaps by design, was regularly won by the married women. Women’s football is obviously not so new as some people think.

Scholars might have conflicting views on the origins of the game and the influences that certain cults may have had on its evolution, but one thing is incontestable: football has flourished for over a thousand years in diverse rudimentary forms, in the very region which we describe as its home, England and the British Isles. The chain of prohibitions and censures, sometimes harsh, sometimes mild, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt what tremendous enthusiasm there was for football, even though it was so often frowned upon by the authorities. The repeated unsuccessful intervention of the authorities and high offices of the land shows how powerless they were to restrict it, in spite of their condemnation and threats of severe punishment.

As long ago as 1314 the Lord Mayor of London saw fit to issue a proclamation forbidding football within the city due to the rumpus it usually caused. Infringement of this law meant imprisonment. King Edward III passed extremely harsh measures in 1331 to suppress football, which was regarded as a public nuisance. At the same time, similar measures were also introduced in France.

During the 100 years’ war between England and France from 1338 to 1453 the court was also unfavourably disposed towards football, albeit for different reasons. Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V made football punishable by law because the well-loved recreation prevented their subjects from practising more useful military disciplines, particularly archery, which played an important and valuable role in the English army at that time.

All the Scottish kings of the 15th Century also deemed it necessary to censure and prohibit football. Particularly famous amongst these was the decree proclaimed by the Parliament convened by James I in 1424: “That na man play at the Fute-ball”. None of these efforts had much effect. The popularity of the game amongst the people and their obvious delight in the rough and tumble for the ball went far too deep to be uprooted.

The passion for football was particularly exuberant in Elizabethan times. An influence that most likely played a part in intensifying the native popularity for the game came from Renaissance Italy, particularly from Florence, but also from Venice and other cities that had produced their own brand of football known as “Calcio”. lt was certainly more organised than the English equivalent and was played by teams dressed in coloured livery at the important gala events held on certain holidays in Florence. It was a truly splendid spectacle. In England the game was still as rough and ungracious and lacking in refinement as ever, but it did at this time find a prominent supporter who commended if for other reasons when he saw the simple joy of the players romping after the ball. This supporter was Richard Mulcaster, the great pedagogue, head of the famous schools of Merchant Taylor’s and St. Paul’s. He pointed out that the game had positive educational value and it promoted health and strength. He claimed that all that was needed was to refine it a little and give it better manners. His notion was that the game would benefit most if the number of participants in each team were limited and, more importantly, there were a stricter referee.

Resentment of football up to this time had been mainly for practical reasons. The game had been regarded as a public disturbance that resulted in damage to property, for example, in Manchester in 1608, football was banned again because so many windows had been smashed.

In the course of the 16th century a quite new type of attack was launched against football. With the spread of Puritanism, the cry went up against “frivolous” amusements, and sport happened to be classified as such, football in particular. The main objection was that it supposedly constituted a violation of peace on the Sabbath. Similar attacks were made against the theatre, which strait-laced Puritans regarded as a source of idleness and iniquity. This laid the foundations for the entertainment ban on English Sundays, which would later become a permanent feature during the Commonwealth and Puritanical eras (even though it is said that Oliver Cromwell himself was a keen footballer in his youth). From then on football on Sundays was taboo. It remained so for some 30 years, until the ban was lifted once again, at first unofficially and ultimately with the formal consent of The Football Association, albeit on a rather small scale.

However, none of these obstacles could eradicate football. Take Derby as an example. Between 1731 and 1841, the town’s authorities made continual attempts to ban football from the streets. In the end, they had to resort to riot laws before there was any effect at all.

All told there was scarcely any progress at all in the development of football for hundreds of years. But, although the game was persistently forbidden for 500 years, it was never completely suppressed. As a consequence, it remained essentially rough, violent and disorganised. A change did not come about until the beginning of the 19th century when school football became the custom, particularly in the famous public schools. This was the turning point. In this new environment, it was possible to make innovations and refinements to the game.

The rules were still relatively free and easy as there was still no standard, organised form of the game. Each school in fact developed its own adaptation and, at times, these varied considerably. The traditional aspects of the game remained but innovations depended for the most part on the playing ground available. If use had to be made of a paved school playground, surrounded by a brick wall, then there was simply not enough space for the old hurly-burly mob football. Circumstances such as these made schools like Charterhouse, Westminster, Eton and Harrow give birth to the type of game in which more depended on the players’ dribbling virtuosity than the robust energy required in a scrum. On the other hand, schools such as Cheltenham and Rugby were more inclined towards the more rugged game in which the ball could be touched with the hands or even carried. All these early styles were given a great boost when it was recognised in educational circles that football was not merely an excuse to indulge in a childish romp, but could actually be beneficial educationally. What is more it was accepted that it also constituted a useful distraction from less desirable occupations, such as heavy drinking and gambling. A new attitude began to permeate the game, eventually leading to a “games cult” in public schools. This materialised when it was observed how well the team game served to encourage such fine qualities as loyalty, selflessness, cooperation, subordination and deference to the team spirit. Games became an integral part of the school curriculum and participation in football became compulsory. Dr. Thomas Arnold, the head of Rugby school, made further advances in this direction, when in 1846 in Rugby the first truly standardised rules for an organised game were laid down. These were in any event quite rough enough, for example, they permitted kicking an opponent’s legs below the knees, with the reserve that he should not be held still whilst his shins were being worked on. Handling the ball was also allowed and ever since the memorable occasion in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, to the amazement of his own team and his opponents, made a run with the ball tucked under his arm, carrying the ball has been permitted. Many schools followed suit and adopted the rules laid down in Rugby, others, such as Eton, Harrow and Winchester, rejected this form of football, and gave preference to kicking the ball and carrying it was forbidden. Charterhouse and Westminster were also against handling the ball. However, they did not isolate their style as some schools did, instead they formed a nucleus from which this style of game began to spread.

Finally, in 1863, developments reached a climax. At Cambridge University, where in 1848 attempts had already been made by former pupils from the various schools to find a common denominator for all the different adaptations of the game, a fresh initiative began to establish some uniform standards and rules that would be accepted by everyone. It was at this point that the majority spoke out against such rough customs as tripping, shin-kicking and so on. As it happened, the majority also expressed disapproval at carrying the ball. It was this that caused the Rugby group to withdraw. They would probably have agreed to refrain from shin-kicking, which was in fact later banned in the Rugby regulations, but they were reluctant to relinquish carrying the ball.

This Cambridge action was an endeavour to sort out the utter confusion surrounding the rules. The decisive initiative, however, was taken after to a series of meetings organised at the end of the same year (1863) in London. On 26 October 1963, eleven London clubs and schools sent their representatives to the Freemason’s Tavern. These representatives were intent on clarifying the muddle by establishing a set of fundamental rules, acceptable to all parties, to govern the matches played amongst them. This meeting marked the birth of The Football Association. The eternal dispute concerning shin-kicking, tripping and carrying the ball was discussed thoroughly at this and consecutive meetings until eventually on 8 December the die-hard exponents of the Rugby style took their final leave. They were in the minority anyway. They wanted no part in a game that forbade tripping, shin-kicking and carrying the ball. A stage had been reached where the ideals were no longer compatible. On 8 December 1863, football and rugby finally split. Their separation became totally irreconcilable six years hence when a provision was included in the football rules forbidding any handling of the ball (not only carrying it).

Only eight years after its foundation, The Football Association already had 50 member clubs. The first football competition in the world was started in the same year – the FA Cup, which preceded the League Championship by 17 years.

International matches were being staged in Great Britain before football had hardly been heard of in Europe. The first was played in 1872 and was contested by England and Scotland. This sudden boom of organised football accompanied by staggering crowds of spectators brought with it certain problems with which other countries were not confronted until much later on. Professionalism was one of them. The first moves in this direction came in 1879, when Darwin, a small Lancashire club, twice managed to draw against the supposedly invincible Old Etonians in the FA Cup, before the famous team of London amateurs finally scraped through to win at the third attempt. Two Darwin players, the Scots John Love and Fergus Suter, are reported as being the first players ever to receive remuneration for their football talent. This practice grew rapidly and the Football Association found itself obliged to legalise professionalism as early as 1885. This development predated the formation of any national association outside of Great Britain (namely, in the Netherlands and Denmark) by exactly four years.

After the English Football Association, the next oldest are the Scottish FA (1873), the FA of Wales (1875) and the Irish FA (1880). Strictly speaking, at the time of the first international match, England had no other partner association against which to play. When Scotland played England in Glasgow on 30 November 1872, the Scottish FA did not even exist – it was not founded for another three months. The team England played that day was actually the oldest Scottish club team, Queen’s Park.

The spread of football outside of Great Britain, mainly due to the British influence abroad, started slow, but it soon gathered momentum and spread rapidly to all parts of the world. The next countries to form football associations after the Netherlands and Denmark in 1889 were New Zealand (1891), Argentina (1893), Chile (1895), Switzerland, Belgium (1895), Italy (1898), Germany, Uruguay (both in 1900), Hungary (1901) and Finland (1907). When FIFA was founded in Paris in May 1904 it had seven founder members: France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by the Madrid FC), Sweden and Switzerland. The German Football Federation cabled its intention to join on the same day.

This international football community grew steadily, although it sometimes met with obstacles and setbacks. In 1912, 21 national associations were already affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). By 1925, the number had increased to 36, in 1930 – the year of the first World Cup – it was 41, in 1938, 51 and in 1950, after the interval caused by the Second World War, the number had reached 73. At present, after the 2000 Ordinary FIFA Congress, FIFA has 204 members in every part of the world.