Football – The Game You Would Have Seen on TV

Association football, more recently known as just football, is an organized team sport usually played between two groups of eleven players. It is played by about 250 million players worldwide in more than 200 different countries and dependencies, which make it the most popular sport in the world. There are many different types of football such as American football, Australian football, European football, Japanese football and South African rugby league. Football can be played in any country that has a league system and is regularly played as a national game by fans of the game. The game is very popular not only in the United Kingdom but also in other countries around the world including Australia, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Portugal, South Africa, Canada, United States, England and Zambia.

As football is commonly played by men, women have taken up the sport to play alongside men. However, in many countries men play special teams while women play in the general teams. In countries where there is no special female football league, women play with the same standard as men.

A goal cannot be scored in football unless the ball touches the ground either by landing on it, touching an object outside it or being touched by a body part of the competing team before it passes to be scored. If the ball goes beyond the goal line either by blocking the opponent’s field or penetrating the opponent field through the skillful handling of the ball, the goal cannot be scored. Touching the ball is considered a foul during the game. Fouls are mostly yellow and can lead to penalties for the player, a fine or a suspension from the further matches. Sometimes a red or even a three-match suspension is given if a player is found guilty of a foul during the course of a match.