Association football

An attacking player (No. 10) attempts to kick the ball past the opposing team's goalkeeper and between the goalposts to score a goal.
Highest governing body	FIFA
Nickname(s)	Football, soccer, footy/footie, "The Beautiful Game", "the world game"
First played	Mid-19th century Great Britain, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield.
Characteristics
Contact	Yes
Team members	11 per side
Mixed gender	Yes, separate competitions
Categorization	Team sport, ball sport
Equipment	Football (or soccer ball)
Venue	Football pitch (or soccer field)
Olympic	Part of the Summer Olympic programme from 1900 to 1928 Returned to the Summer Olympic programme in 1936 to today
Paralympic	No
Country or region	Worldwide

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. At the turn of the 21st century, the game was played by over 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport.^[1][2][3][4] The game is played on a rectangular field of grass or green artificial turf, with a goal in the middle of each of the short ends. The object of the game is to score by driving the ball into the opposing goal.

In general play, the goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms (unless the ball is carried out of play, where the field players are required to re-start by a throw-in of the game ball), while the field players typically use their feet to kick the ball into position, occasionally using their torso or head to intercept a ball in midair. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is tied at the end of the game, either a draw is declared or the game goes into extra time and/or a penalty shootout, depending on the format of the competition. The Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by the Football Association in 1863 and have evolved since then. Association football is governed internationally by FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association (English: International Federation of Association Football), which organises the FIFA World Cup every four years.^[5]

Etymology and names[link]

The rules of football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863 and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby football. The term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford "-er" abbreviation of the word "association".^[6]

Within the English-speaking world, association football is usually called football (colloquially footy) or occasionally soccer in the United Kingdom, and mainly soccer in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Other countries may use either or both terms, and may also have local names for the sport.

Gameplay[link]

A goalkeeper saving a close-range shot from inside the penalty area

Association football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a spherical ball (of 71 cm (28 in) circumference in FIFA play), known as the football (or soccer ball). Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by the Laws of the Game: to be involved in the coin toss prior to kick-off or penalty kicks.^[7]

The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they do use their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their body (notably, "heading" with the forehead)^[8] other than their hands or arms.^[9] Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though the ball cannot be received in an offside position.^[10]

In typical game play, players attempt to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a team-mate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee for an infringement of the rules. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.^[11]

A goalkeeper dives to stop the ball from entering his goal

At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.^[12] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,^[13] but a number of specialised roles have evolved. Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball in order to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, in order to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends most time. For example, there are central defenders, and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.^[14] The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.^[15]

History[link]

England playing Scotland in the first-ever international football game (The Oval, 1872)

The Royal Engineers team who reached the first FA Cup final in 1872

Games revolving around the kicking of a ball have been played in many countries throughout history. According to FIFA, the "very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise from a military manual dating back to the second and third centuries BC in China", which was known as cuju.^[16] The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played at the public schools of England. The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century.^[17]

The Cambridge Rules, first drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge Rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world, to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857,^[18] which led to formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.^[19]

These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London.^[20] The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemason's Tavern was the setting for five more meetings between October and December, which eventually produced the first comprehensive set of rules. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath, withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand; the second for obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby football clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, or subsequently left the FA and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game.^[20] These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.^[21]

The laws of the game are currently determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).^[22] The Board was formed in 1886^[23] after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by C. W. Alcock and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match took place in 1872 between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of C. W. Alcock. England is home to the world's first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor.^[24] The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and the North of England. FIFA, the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to Laws of the Game of the Football Association.^[25] The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the International Football Association Board in 1913. The board currently consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.^[26]

Today, football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams,^[27] while billions more watch the game on television or on the internet.^[28] A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football.^[29] Football has the highest global television audience in sport.^[30]

In many parts of the world football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations. R. Kapuscinski says that people who are polite, modest or even humble in Europe fall easily into rage with playing or watching soccer games.^[31] The Côte d'Ivoire national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2006^[32] and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké, an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time.^[33] By contrast, football is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras.^[34] The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade degenerated into rioting in May 1990.^[35]

Laws[link]

There are 17 laws in the official Laws of the Game, each containing a collection of stipulation and guidelines. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors, women and people with physical disabilities are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).^[36] In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football.

Players, equipment, and officials[link]

Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are a variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws.^[13]

The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards. Headgear is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury. Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials.^[37]

A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is three, though the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches. Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match.^[38] IFAB recommends that "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team." Any decision regarding points awarded for abandoned games is left to the individual football associations.^[39]

A game is officiated by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees. In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.^[40]

Pitch[link]

Standard pitch measurements (See Imperial version)

As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though popular use tends to continue to use traditional units in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of metrication (or only partial metrication), such as Britain.^[41]

The length of the pitch for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. Although in 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (344 ft) long and 68 m (223 ft) wide as a standard pitch dimension for A international matches,^[42] this decision was later put on hold and was never actually implemented.^[43]

The longer boundary lines are touchlines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines. A rectangular goal is positioned at the middle of each goal line.^[44] The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (8 yd) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws.^[45]

In front of each goal is an area known as the penalty area. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.^[46]

Duration and tie-breaking methods[link]

A standard adult football match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.^[47] The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is most commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time, while loss time can also be used as a synonym. The duration of stoppage time is at the sole discretion of the referee. The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, toward the end of the half the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time he intends to add. The fourth official then informs the players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee.^[47] Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa. Trailing 1–0 and with just two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty. Villa's goalkeeper kicked the ball out of the ground, and by the time the ball had been recovered, the 90 minutes had elapsed and the game was over.^[48] The same law also stands that the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed, thus no game shall end with a penalty to be taken.^[49]

In league competitions, games may end in a draw. In knockout competitions where a winner is required various methods may be employed to break such a deadlock, some competitions may invoke replays.^[50] A game tied at the end of regulation time may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament. Goals scored during extra time periods count toward the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament (with goals scored in a penalty shootout not making up part of the final score).^[7]

In competitions using two-legged matches, each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from the two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg they played away from home. If the result is still equal, extra time and potentially a penalty shootout are required.^[7]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the IFAB experimented with ways of creating a winner without requiring a penalty shootout, which was often seen as an undesirable way to end a match. These involved rules ending a game in extra time early, either when the first goal in extra time was scored (golden goal), or if one team held a lead at the end of the first period of extra time (silver goal). Golden goal was used at the World Cup in 1998 and 2002. The first World Cup game decided by a golden goal was France's victory over Paraguay in 1998. Germany was the first nation to score a golden goal in a major competition, beating Czech Republic in the final of Euro 1996. Silver goal was used in Euro 2004. Both these experiments have been discontinued by IFAB.^[51]

Ball in and out of play[link]

Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play. From the beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play:

A player takes a free kick, while the opposition form a "wall" to try to block the ball

• Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of play.^[11]
• Throw-in: when the ball has crossed the touchline; awarded to opposing team to that which last touched the ball.^[52]
• Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the attacking team; awarded to defending team.^[53]
• Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the defending team; awarded to attacking team.^[54]
• Indirect free kick: awarded to the opposing team following "non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or when play is stopped to caution or send-off an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. A goal may not be scored directly (without the ball first touching another player) from an indirect free kick.^[55]
• Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed "penal" fouls.^[55] A goal may be scored directly from a direct free kick.
• Penalty kick: awarded to the fouled team following a foul usually punishable by a direct free kick but that has occurred within their opponent's penalty area.^[56]
• Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason, such as a serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball becoming defective.^[11]

Misconduct[link]

On-field[link]

Players are cautioned with a yellow card, and sent off with a red card. These colours were first introduced at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and used consistently since.

A player scores a penalty kick given after an offence is committed inside the penalty area

A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick.^[9] The referee may punish a player or substitute's misconduct by a caution (yellow card) or sending-off (red card). A second yellow card at the same game leads to a red card, and therefore to a sending-off. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in his official notebook. If a player has been sent off, no substitute can be brought on in their place. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute or substituted player. Non-players such as managers and support staff cannot be shown the yellow or red card, but may be expelled from the technical area if they fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner.^[9]

Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage".^[57] The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.^[58]

The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final^[59]. The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect.

Off-field[link]

Along with the general administration of the sport, football associations and competition organisers also enforce good conduct in wider aspects of the game, dealing with issues such as comments to the press, clubs' financial management, doping, age fraud and match fixing. Some on-field incidents, if considered very serious (such as allegations of racial abuse), may result in further action than that which is in power of an on-field referee.^[60] Some associations allow for appeals against player suspensions incurred on-field if clubs feel a referee was incorrect or unduly harsh.

Sanctions for such infractions may be levied on individuals or on to clubs as a whole. Penalties may range from fines, points deductions (in league competitions) to expulsion from competitions. For example, the English and Scottish leagues will often deduct 10 points from a team that enters financial administration.

Governing bodies[link]

The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer) is the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The FIFA headquarters are located in Zurich. Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:^[61]

• Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
• Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)
• Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
• North/Central America & Caribbean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)
• Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)
• South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol/Confederação Sul-americana de Futebol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL)

National associations oversee football within individual countries. These are generally synonymous with sovereign states, (for example: the Fédération Camerounaise de Football in Cameroon) but also include a smaller number of associations responsible for sub-national entities or autonomous regions (for example the Scottish Football Association in Scotland). 208 national associations are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations.^[61]

While FIFA is responsible for arranging competitions and most rules related to international competition, the actual Laws of the Game are set by the International Football Association Board, where each of the UK Associations has one vote, while FIFA collectively has four votes.^[26]

International competitions[link]

A minute's silence before an international match

The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organised by FIFA. This competition takes place over a four-year period. More than 190 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, which is held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period.^[62] The most recent tournament, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, was held in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July.^[63]

There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles.^[64] Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only,^[25] however, since the 1984 Summer Olympics professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. Currently, the Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team;^[65] but that practice ceased in the 2008 Olympics. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women's Olympic tournament.^[66]

After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA Confederations Cup is contested by the winners of all 6 continental championships, the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which is hosting the Confederations Cup. This is generally regarded as a warm-up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and does not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores de América in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.^[67]

Domestic competitions[link]

The governing bodies in each country operate league systems in a domestic season, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team plays every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament. At the end of a season, the top team is declared the champion. The top few teams may be promoted to a higher division, and one or more of the teams finishing at the bottom are relegated to a lower division.^[68] The teams finishing at the top of a country's league may be eligible also to play in international club competitions in the following season. The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura (Spanish for Opening and Closing), awarding a champion for each.^[69] The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more "cup" competitions organised on a knock-out basis.

Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star players; in smaller countries and lower divisions, players may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs. The five top European leagues – the Premier League (England),^[70] La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany) and Ligue 1 (France) – attract most of the world's best players and each of the leagues has a total wage cost in excess of £600 million/€763 million/US$1.185 billion.^[71]

Women's association football[link]

Two players trying to win the ball

Women have been playing association football since the first recorded women's game in 1895 in North London. It has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom.^[72] This perception began to change in the 1970s with the breakthrough of organised women's association football. Association football is the most prominent team sport for women in several countries, and one of the few women's team sports with professional leagues.

The growth in women's football has seen major competitions being launched at both national and international level mirroring the male competitions. Women's football faced many struggles throughout its fight for right. It had a "golden age" in the United Kingdom in the early 1920s when crowds reached 50,000 at some matches;^[73] this was stopped on 5 December 1921 when England's Football Association voted to ban the game from grounds used by its member clubs. The FA's ban was rescinded in December 1969 with UEFA voting to officially recognise women's football in 1971.^[72] The FIFA Women's World Cup was inaugurated in 1991 and has been held every four years since.^[74]

Variants and casual play[link]

Variants of football have been codified for reduced-sized teams (i.e. Five-a-side football) play in non-field environments (i.e. Beach soccer, Indoor soccer & Futsal) and for teams with disabilities (i.e. Paralympic association football).

One of the attractions of association football is that a casual game can be played with only minimal equipment – a basic game can be played on almost any open area of reasonable size with just a ball and items to mark the positions of two sets of goalposts. Such games can often have team sizes that vary considerably from 11-a-side, use a limited and/or modified subset of the official rules, and are likely to be self-officiated by the players.

See also[link]

Association football portal

• Association football culture
• Association football tactics and skills
• List of association football clubs
• List of women's association football clubs
• List of men's national association football teams
• List of top association football goal scorers
• List of top association football goal scorers by country
• Lists of association football players
• Paralympic association football
• Variants of association football

References[link]

External links[link]

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Harry Enfield
Harry Enfield at the 2009 BAFTA Television Awards in London
Born	(1961-05-30) 30 May 1961 (age 51) Horsham, West Sussex, England
Medium	Television, Film, Stand up
Nationality	British
Years active	1984–present
Genres	Sketch shows, Character comedy, Satire
Influences	Dick Emery, Ben Elton
Influenced	Kathy Burke, Paul Whitehouse

Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield (born 30 May 1961)^[1] is a BAFTA-winning English comedian, actor, writer and director.

Early life[link]

Born in Horsham, West Sussex, he is the oldest of three children, the son of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield. He has two sisters, Elizabeth (born 1966) and Lucy Katherine (born 1969). He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and read politics. He worked for a while as a milkman.

Career[link]

Enfield first came to public attention when appearing on Channel 4's Saturday Live as several different characters created with Paul Whitehouse. These quickly entered the national consciousness. Among these characters were Stavros, a Greek restaurant owner with fractured English; and Loadsamoney, an obnoxious character who constantly boasted about how much money he earned. Loadsamoney spawned a hit single in 1988 and a sell-out live tour. As a foil to Loadsamoney Enfield and Whitehouse created the Geordie "Bugger-All-Money" and in 1988 Enfield appeared as both characters during the Nelson Mandela Birthday Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In time Whitehouse and Enfield became disturbed that Loadsamoney was being seen in a positive light, rather than as a satirical figure, and they had him run over during a Comic Relief Red Nose Day show while leaving the studio after presenting host Lenny Henry with "the biggest cheque of the night"—a physically huge cheque for ten pence.^[2]

In 1989 Enfield realised a personal project, Norbert Smith - a Life, a spoof on British theatrical knights slumming in the film industry. He also provided voices for the British satirical puppet show Spitting Image, and starred as Dirk Gently in the BBC Radio adaptations of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul.

TV series[link]

Enfield in 1998

In 1990 Enfield developed his BBC sketch show, Harry Enfield's Television Programme, later called Harry Enfield and Chums, with Whitehouse and Kathy Burke. Eschewing the alternative comedy style prevalent at the time, both versions of the show were indebted to early '70s comedians such as Dick Emery and Morecambe and Wise. Enfield and his co-performers created another group of nationally recognised characters for these shows, such as Stan and Pam Herbert, who use the catchphrase "We are considerably richer than you" (in an exaggerated West-Midlands accent), Tim Nice-But-Dim, The Scousers, Smashie and Nicey, Wayne and Waynetta Slob, Annoying Kid Brother, who grew into Kevin the Teenager, and two old-fashioned BBC presenters, Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson.

In 1991, Enfield played Dermot in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly along with Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash, originally on Thames Television. Enfield left after the first series, and was replaced in the second series by Neil Morrissey as Tony. Enfield is a professed fan of opera and fronted a Channel 4 documentary series on the subject. In 1991 Harry also starred in the series Gone to the Dogs (TV series) as Little Jim.

After a short break from television Enfield signed a new contract with BSkyB, but produced only one series, Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show. In 2002 Enfield returned to the BBC with Celeb, a new series based on the comic strip of the same title in Private Eye, as the ageing rockstar Gary Bloke.

In 2002 Enfield was the first guest on the revamped version of BBC's Top Gear and also appeared on the show on 23 November 2008. Enfield has also narrated various TV documentaries such as the Discovery Wings channel "Classic British Aircraft".

In 2007, he played Jim Stonem in the Channel 4 series Skins. He reprised this role in the second series in 2008, and the third series in 2009.

He appears often on mainstream television shows. His current comedy series Harry & Paul (originally titled Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul) started in 2008.

Films[link]

In 2000 Enfield appeared in his first leading film role playing Kevin alongside Kathy Burke, who played the character's (male) friend Perry—roles originally created for Enfield's television series—in Kevin & Perry Go Large. The film charted the pair's attempt to become professional DJs by travelling to the nightclubs of Ibiza and pestering their idol, the DJ Eyeball Paul, played by Rhys Ifans, while gaining love and losing their virginity. Enfield also appeared as King George VI in Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004), a satire on Hollywood's tendency to change elements of history. In 2012 he starred with Simon Callow in the film " Acts of Gordfrey" which opened in UK cinemas on 27 January.

Commercials[link]

Enfield appeared in some television commercials before becoming famous, including one made in 1987 for Heineken. Enfield's commercials include a series made in 1996 for Dime Bar. One commercial in this series had Enfield as a yokel refusing a Dime bar—smooth on the outside, crunchy on the inside—because he preferred armadillos—smooth on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Later Enfield, with Paul Whitehouse, starred in a series of commercials for Hula Hoops as The Self-Righteous Brothers, characters from Enfield's television show . In 2004 Enfield starred in a series of commercials for Burger King in the United States as Dr. Angus, a character intended to promote the company's newest hamburger. Two more characters from Enfield's TV series, Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson, also appeared in commercials, for Mercury Communications.^[3] Also in 2004 Enfield provided the voice of "The Roaming Gnome" character used in Travelocity's U.S. advertising campaign.

Personal life[link]

For several years, Enfield was in a relationship with Alison Owen, the mother of Alfie and Lily Allen. They lived together for three years and he helped look after the children. They intended to get married but separated in 1995.^[4] He previously dated producer Debbie Vertue (daughter of Beryl Vertue and sister of Sue Vertue).^[5]

In 1997 Enfield married Lucy Lyster and they have one son, Archie Edward (born 1997) and two daughters, Poppy Sophia (born 1999) and Nell Florence (born 2003).

Enfield went to school with Simon Nye, who later wrote Men Behaving Badly.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Harry Enfield at the Internet Movie Database

Fabrice Muamba

Muamba with Birmingham City in 2007
Personal information
Full name	Fabrice Ndala Muamba[1]
Date of birth	(1988-04-06) 6 April 1988 (age 24)[1]
Place of birth	Kinshasa, Zaire
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Playing position	Central midfielder
Club information
Current club	Bolton Wanderers
Number	6
Youth career
2002–2005	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2005–2007	Arsenal	0	(0)
2006–2007	→ Birmingham City (loan)	34	(0)
2007–2008	Birmingham City	37	(2)
2008–	Bolton Wanderers	130	(3)
National team‡
2002–2003	England U16	7	(0)
2004–2005	England U17	7	(0)
2005–2006	England U18	2	(0)
2006–2007	England U19	8	(0)
2007–2011	England U21	33	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:45, 17 March 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 June 2011

Fabrice Ndala Muamba (born 6 April 1988) is a footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers as a midfielder. He previously played for Arsenal and Birmingham City. Though born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Muamba has represented England at under-21 level.

Muamba began his career in 2002, joining Arsenal's youth academy. After three years, he turned professional in 2005. He made his debut for Arsenal in the League Cup, but played only one other professional match for the club. Following a loan spell with Birmingham City, he made the move permanent in 2007. He stayed with Birmingham for one additional year, and left after making more than 70 appearances and making his England under-21 debut while with the team. He joined his present club Bolton Wanderers in 2008, where he has played almost 150 times.

Early life[link]

Muamba was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).^[1] His father fled the country in 1994, because of his political views and arrived in the United Kingdom seeking asylum. In 1999, he was granted indefinite leave to remain, at which time he was joined by the rest of the family.^[3] They settled in east London, where Muamba attended Kelmscott School in Walthamstow.^[4] Despite having arrived in Britain aged 11, unable to speak English,^[5] he went on to achieve 10 GCSEs and A-levels in English, French and Mathematics.^[6]

Club career[link]

Arsenal[link]

Muamba was associated with Arsenal's youth system as a schoolboy from 2002, joining their Academy as a first-year scholar in August 2004. He signed his first professional contract in October 2005 and made his first team debut on 25 October in a League Cup tie against Sunderland, in front of a 47,000 crowd at the Stadium of Light.^[7] He made his second and final first team appearance for Arsenal in the next round against Reading, where he helped towards a 3–0 victory.^[8]

Birmingham City[link]

In August 2006, Muamba joined Championship side Birmingham City on a season-long loan.^[9] After a slow start, his energetic style of play, which has been likened to that of his hero Patrick Vieira,^[7] established him as a regular starter in central midfield. The fans were equally impressed, voting him their Young Player of the Season.^[10]

On 11 May 2007 Muamba made his move to Birmingham City permanent,^[11] signing a three-year contract for a fee reported by the club of £4 million.^[12] He scored his first goal for the club, a close-range volley from a corner, on 12 March 2008 in a 4–2 defeat at Portsmouth.^[13] He made 37 appearances as Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League after one season back in the top tier.

Bolton Wanderers[link]

Muamba warming up before a Bolton Wanderers game in 2011

On 16 June 2008, Muamba joined Premier League Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £5 million, with add-ons worth a further £750,000, on a four-year contract.^[14] He scored his first goal for the club against Wigan Athletic on 13 March 2010.^[15] In recognition of his impressive 2009–10 season at Bolton, he was named as The Bolton News Player of the Season in May 2010.^[16] On 7 August 2010, Muamba signed a new four-year contract with Bolton Wanderers.^[17]

Muamba scored on the opening day of the 2011–12 league season, in Bolton's 4–0 away win against Queens Park Rangers. He then scored his first ever goal in the League Cup, against his old club Arsenal in a 2–1 defeat.^[18]

Cardiac arrest on the pitch[link]

On 17 March 2012, Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest^[19] and collapsed during the first half of an FA Cup quarter-final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. After receiving lengthy attention on the pitch from medical personnel including a consultant cardiologist who was at the game as a fan, Muamba was taken to the specialist coronary care unit at the London Chest Hospital.^[20] Bolton manager Owen Coyle and club captain Kevin Davies accompanied Muamba in the ambulance.^[21] The match was abandoned by referee Howard Webb, and Bolton's next game, against Aston Villa, due to be played three days later, was postponed at the club's request.^[22]

Bolton fans show their support for Muamba at their next match.^[23]

Bolton's club doctor later confirmed that Muamba had received numerous defibrillator shocks both on the pitch and in the ambulance, but his heart had stopped for 78 minutes.^[24] The player was initially kept under anaesthetic in intensive care.^[25] By 19 March, his heart was beating without medication and he was able to move his limbs,^[26] and later that day his condition was described as "serious" rather than "critical" and he was able to recognise family members and respond appropriately to questions.^[27] By 21 March, his consultant suggested that Muamba's progress had "exceeded our expectations" and that although he faced a "lengthy recovery period", "normal life is within the spectrum of possibility".^[24] Two weeks after the incident, a photograph was released of Muamba sitting up in his hospital bed and smiling,^[28] and on 16 April, he was discharged from hospital.^[29] Muamba attended Bolton's home match against Tottenham Hotspur on 2 May, where he expressed his gratitude for the support he had received.^[30]

Club career statistics[link]

As of 10 March 2012.

International career[link]

As a naturalised British citizen, Muamba is eligible to play for any of the Home Nations in which he has received three years of full time education before the age of 18 or lived in for five years. In Muamba's case, this is currently just England, who he has represented at all youth levels,^[38] and captained the U-19 team.^[5] He received his first call-up for England U-21 for the friendly against Romania U-21 on 21 August 2007 at Ashton Gate, Bristol,^[39] and made his debut as a second-half substitute.^[40]

Muamba had also been called up to the DR Congo squad in May 2007, but declined so as to remain eligible for England.^[41]

Personal life[link]

Muamba became engaged to Shauna Magunda on 14 February 2012. The pair met while he was playing for Birmingham City and she was studying for a master's degree at Birmingham City University. They have a son, Joshua Jeremiah.^[6][42][43] Muamba has been described as "deeply religious"^[44] and claimed he would have sought a career in accountancy had he not become a professional footballer.^[45]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fabrice Muamba

• Fabrice Muamba career stats at Soccerbase

England squads v t e England squad – 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship 1 Button 2 Omozusi 3 Golbourne 4 McGugan 5 Mills 6 Mancienne 7 Walcott 8 Davies 9 Garner 10 Ephraim 11 Weston 12 Gooding 13 Gamble 14 Muamba 15 Phelan 16 Knights 17 Vaughan 18 Tomkins Coach: Peacock v t e England squad – 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship 1 Hart 2 Cranie 3 Taylor 4 Cattermole 5 Stearman 6 Onuoha 7 Milner 8 Gardner 9 Agbonlahor 10 Noble 11 Johnson 12 Muamba 13 Lewis 14 Walcott 15 Rodwell 16 Tomkins 17 Richards 18 Mancienne 19 Gibbs 20 Driver 21 Campbell 22 Loach 23 Rose Coach: Pearce v t e England squad – 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship 1 Fielding 2 Mancienne 3 Bertrand 4 Muamba 5 Smalling 6 Jones 7 Albrighton 8 Henderson 9 Welbeck 10 Sturridge 11 Sinclair 12 Gibbs 13 McCarthy 14 Walker 15 Tomkins 16 Cork 17 Cleverley 18 Lansbury 19 Rodwell 20 Rose 21 Delfouneso 22 Wickham 23 Steele Coach: Pearce