The origin of football?

In July 1958, when Dr. Havelange, the current president of FIFA, came to China, he said: Football originated in China.

Football has a long history. As early as ancient Greece, there was a game similar to today's handball. Later, the Romans developed on this basis. As the Romans conquered Europe for hundreds of years, this sport spread widely in the British Isles. At that time there were games between the Romans on one side and the British natives on the other. It is said that the balls used at that time were the heads of prisoners of war. Later, the bladders of livestock were used to inflate the balls. This kind of ball has a certain elasticity and can be shot and kicked. Often many people swarm up and kick it towards a certain target. At that time, the action of the game was rough and sometimes participants were seriously injured, so it was banned. However, as time goes by, football has become more common, and there are various rules across the UK. Although it has become a fact, generations of British kings still banned football for fear that young people would not concentrate on practicing martial arts and be invaded by foreign countries.

In the later years of Queen Elizabeth's reign, football matches could be played in every room. Spectacular competitions are often held during festivals to entertain people. In 1602, a large-scale competition was held in Cornwall. The goals were three or four miles apart. The parishes competed against each other and swept the entire region.

In the next 200 years, various forms of competitions were held in the British Isles, and the rules were also different. At that time, no one had planned to unify the rules or organize local teams. The game at that time was quite rough and fierce. Some players deliberately kicked each other's shins instead of kicking the ball. It was no different from a fight.

On November 21, 1823, a historic event occurred that changed the face of football in the entire world. On this day, a group of students were playing football on the playground. A 15-year-old boy named William Weibu Ellis ran with the ball during the game. This simple and ordinary action actually divided the football world into two parts: those who are allowed to walk with the ball become rugby, and those who are allowed to use What's kicked with the feet and topped with the head becomes a football. After this, some people who were enthusiastic about football held a meeting in a London hotel to draft the charter of the Football Association, which included a clear provision that it was prohibited to walk with the ball in hand. The Rugby Football Union, which allowed walking with the ball, was not established until 1871.

On October 26, 1863, the British Football Association held a very important meeting in the history of modern football in England. The return schedule was drafted, but some provisions were far from today's rules. For example, there was a rule at that time: When the ball enters between the goal posts or passes over the space above, regardless of the height, as long as it is not thrown, hit, or carried by hand, it will be counted as a win. The positions and formations of players at that time were also different from today: each team had one goalkeeper, one defender, one forward and eight forwards. Shortly after the rules were established, the formation changed: one goalkeeper, two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards. Throw-ins originally only used one hand, but some players could skillfully throw the ball into the goal from four or fifty yards away, so the rules were changed and two-handed throw-ins were required. The earliest goals were also different from today. In 1883, the crossbar of the goal still had a rope. Because the rope was thinner, it was difficult to judge whether some balls passed from above or from below. It was not until 1890 that a net was installed. As for the size of the stadium, it is also different from today. In 1890, the area of ??the stadium was 200 yards The current site regulations are: the maximum allowed length is 130 yards, the minimum length is 100 yards, and the width is 100 yards to 50 yards. At that time, each team had a deputy referee and a chief referee serving as "law enforcement officers" in the game. It was not until 1891 that there were neutral referees in the current sense - one referee and two linesmen. The early teams were all composed of amateur players, but modern football has professional players, athletes who play football as a profession.

Football in ancient my country was called "Cuju" or "Taju". "Cu" and "Ta" both mean kicking, and "Ju" is the name of the ball.

The word "Cuju" was first recorded in "Historical Records Bandai Zhangqi Shu". It was recorded in "Bielu" by Liu Xiang of the Han Dynasty and "Hanshu. Meisheng Biography" by Yan Shizeng of the Tang Dynasty.

By the Tang and Song Dynasties, the "Cuju" activity had become very popular and became an elegant activity in the court. In July 1958, when Dr. Havelange, the current president of FIFA, came to China, he said: Football originated in China.

Of course, due to the limitations of feudal society, the ancient Chinese Cuju activity did not eventually develop into the modern football movement based on the principle of "fair competition". This qualitative leap was accomplished in capitalist Britain.