|
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) may
possess a proud reputation as having preserved the
foundations of the game as it enters a third century,
but there are still a few things about the way football
was once played that might raise a few eyebrows...
1. During
the very first international football match between Scotland
and England in 1872, players not only wore “knickerbockers”
or long pants but bobble hats or caps too. The head dresses
were a normal part of the footballing attire at the time and
lasted well into the 20th century.
2. Balls
were not exactly round when the first club and country
matches took place. A pig’s bladder was blown up like a
balloon, tied at the ends and placed inside a leather case,
affording it an egg shape. The discovery of Indian rubber in
the 1860s gave the ball greater roundness.
3. While
it is true footballs of yesteryear gained weight in wet
conditions, they were in fact lighter than today’s ball. In
1889, the spherical object used had to be between 12-15
ounces (340 – 425 grams) but this increased to 14-16 ounces
(397 -454 grams) in 1937.
4. In the
FA rules of 1863, there was no mention of a crossbar. As in
rugby today, a goal could be scored at any height as long as
the ball went between the sticks or posts. A tape was used
to close the goal during the first internationals before a
crossbar replaced it in 1875.
5. Mob football, a
descendant of the modern game, stormed into England
around the 12th Century and caught on to such an extent
it was banned by Royal decree by many kings and queens.
It was a violent game in which “murder and manslaughter”
were allegedly the only barriers to transporting the
ball to village ends. King Henry VIII, however, is
believed to have been a keen player.
6.
Contrary to some beliefs, football was very much an upper
class sport in England during its infancy. The rules of the
game were largely drafted by students belonging to public
schools and universities. The working class adopted the
sport during the late 19th Century.
7. The
first meeting of the Football Association on 26 October 1863
in London did not end in total agreement among the 12
attendees. One club walked out, refusing to accept the
non-inclusion of hacking (kicking below the knee) among the
original rules.
8. Early
football tactics resembled those of today’s rugby. Teams
were top-heavy with forwards and because of the offside law,
which prevented advanced players touching the ball,
attacking often meant players grouping or scrummaging
together around the ball to move it towards goal.
9. Penalties or
referees found no place in the original rules of the
game. Gentlemen would never intentionally foul, it was
assumed. In fact debating techniques were almost as
important as ball skills in those days as players could
appeal against decisions first to captains and then to
umpires before referees, named so because they had
originally been referred to by umpires, found their
place on the pitch in 1891.
10. It
was only in the 20th Century that the penalty spot was
introduced. In the decade before penalties, originally
called the kick of death, could be taken anywhere along a
line 12-yards from goal.
11. The
word soccer does not come from the United States but was a
term used by public school and university students, most
notably at Oxford, in the 19th Century to shorten the new
game “Association Football”. The predilection to shorten
words with “er” extended to Rugby too, known as rugger.
12. Many
of football’s terms and expressions are of military origin:
defence, back line, offside, winger, forward, attack, etc
13. The FA’s 1863
rules of the game permitted the use of handling.
Although a player could not handle the ball if it was on
the ground, he was able to catch it in the air and make
a mark to gain a “free” kick, which opposing players
were not allowed to charge down.
14. There
were no David Beckhams or Roberto Carlos’ before 1927 as
goals could not be scored from direct free kicks.
15.
Goalkeepers, in their own half, could handle the ball both
inside and outside the penalty area before 1912.
16.
London’s Kensington High Street traffic lights are the
inspiration for the red and yellow cards used in today’s
game. English referee and then FIFA’s Head of Refereeing Ken
Aston was driving through central London thinking of ways to
better illustrate a caution or sending off when the change
of green to yellow to red of the lights gave him the idea.
17.
Before 1913 when a corner was taken, instead of deciding on
an inswinger, outswinger or taking a short one, there was
nothing to stop a player dribbling the ball by himself. The
rules were changed after several players teed themselves up
before scoring.
18. Not
surprisingly with hacking only a thing of the recent past,
shin pads or guards were first permitted in the rules as
early as 1874. They first appeared as a cut down version of
the cricket pad.
19. The
first act of a goalkeeper on a Saturday morning was not
always to throw open the doors of his wardrobe before
selecting his mood colour that day. Back in 1909, he was
given a choice of royal blue, white or scarlet. If a
goalkeeper became his country’s number 1 in 1921, he wore
yellow.
20.
Referees attempted to catch up with play around the turn of
the century decked in black trousers, blazer and bow tie!
Adapted from the
FIFA
Web
Site
- June 2004
   |
