Ancient Japan col kemari and l "ancient China with the tsu-chu boast the earliest precedents of the game of football (local traditions speak of a thousand years before Christ, but other sources place the tsu-chu much further back, around 2600 BC). Common to the two sports was the use of feet, the presence of a rudimentary "door" (defined by two bamboo trees or rods) and the use of a ball. The term chu in fact it indicates a leather ball made with the bladder of an animal inflated, or filled with female hair. In the sixteenth century c. B.C. the tsu-chu it was part of the military training programs of the army and was therefore aimed, like many other exercises, at the physical efficiency of the soldiers.
On October 26, 1863, the centuries-old development of the game was fixed in an official act: eleven managers of London clubs and schools, gathered in the Free Masons Tavern on Great Queen Street, founded the Football Association.
Since its inception, football had a great success, both for the simplicity of the rules and for the dynamism inherent in the game itself.
Another important step towards professionalism was taken in 1897, when the first association of British players was established in London, which would later develop into the powerful PFA (Professional footballer "s association).
With the birth of the English federation, a series of rules were established with the aim of bringing order and bringing loyalty among the players. To prevent some players from stationing far from the ball, the "offside" rule was introduced which will be decisive for the evolution of the game: all those who were in front of the ball line throughout the field were in an irregular position. rule was further modified: the player was in a regular position, when he had at least three players between him and the opponent's goal on the whole field. This modification was implemented because it notified the birth of football tactics, the first attempt to organize a team game to exploit the movement of the attackers. In fact, the introduction of this rule led to the birth of various "systems" of play, characterized by the disposition of the players on the field and the tasks assigned to them. The first lines, with the introduction of the goalkeeper, were 1 - 10 or 1-1-9; later, in 1980, Nottingham Forest launched the famous pyramid system: 1 - 2 - 3 - 5.
In 1871 the goalkeeper was first allowed to catch the ball with his hands. But as early as 1862, the date of separation of football from rugby, no player could touch the ball with his hands, except to resume the game from the lineout.
In 1875 the dimensions of the gates were defined: 7.32 meters wide and 2.44 meters high and subsequently the weight and dimensions of the ball were also defined: it had to be made of leather (or other approved material), with a circumference maximum of 70 cm and minimum of 68, the maximum weight was 450 grams (the minimum of 410). The pressure inside the balloon had to be between 0.6 and 1.1 atmospheres. In the same period the dimensions of the field were established: the minimum length was set at 90 meters, the maximum at 120; the minimum width was 45 meters, the maximum 90. However, there were many rules implemented in this period in England, even if throughout Europe a different game of football was taking place depending on the country of origin.
In 1904, thanks to the representatives of seven different national associations (France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Spain), the FIFA "Federation Internazionale de Football Association" was born in Paris, ie the most important football league in the world. With the constitution of this federation, they wanted to make football unique, through the same regulation. The same F.I.F.A. becomes the only body capable of modifying the rules of the game, giving considerable credibility and impetus to the growth of football.
From the date of FIFA's birth, it was possible to organize matches between teams and representatives of different nations. First only friendly matches were played, then competitions of great interest, with the public and sponsors to follow, reaching the current World Championships, which are played every four years.
Currently, FIFA has a different appendix on each continent that regulates the continental leagues by nations and by clubs. For Europe, the organization based in Nyon in Switzerland is the U.E.F.A.
In Italy, football is managed by the F.I.G.C. (Italian football federation), whose headquarters are located in Rome.
In 1907, to avoid the obstructive action determined by the systematic advancement of the defenders, a further modification was made to the offside rule. This change, with the introduction of the passage in depth and the beginning of the triangulations between the various departments, leads to a greater breath of the offensive game.
In 1925, on the proposal of the Scottish Federation, the International Board, the number of players useful for triggering the offside rule was increased from 3 to 2. The advantage in the offensive phase led to the birth of new game systems, including , the most famous is the W M. Other famous systems were the 1 - 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 of the great Hungary of Puskas and the 1 - 4 - 2 - 4 of the South American national teams, especially that of the brothers' Brazil. Santos, Garrincha and Pelé, who won the World Championships in 1958 and also dominated in the following years.
The prevalence of defenses and the offside rule have led to the technical-tactical improvement of the attack and defense.
The WM system was put in crisis by the introduction of the two fixed attackers: to reinforce the defense, the defensive structure of the VM was modified through a game system that entrusted the "free" with the task of covering his defense companions in difficulty.
In 1963 Helenio Herrera lined up with the number 6 shirt the free, while the other defenders marked man, with the only full-back who could push in attack to finish at goal.
In the 70s there was the advent of the so-called "total football" of the Dutch national team: there were no longer any limits to the movements of the players and through the interchangeability of roles each player could fit into the empty spaces. Spectacular was the application of the offside tactic adopted by the orange during the tournament. This tactic ended up nipping in the bud much of the attacking actions of the opposing team: with remarkable speed and synchronism, the Dutch defenders suddenly sprinted, converging towards the " opponent in possession of the ball; the unfortunate man on duty then tried to get rid of the sphere, serving it forward to his companions, who however came to find themselves macroscopically in an irregular position. When this tactic did not work perfectly, Jongbloed's speed and timing skills came to light, certainly not an irresistible goalkeeper between the posts, but always ready to leave his own penalty area to become a perfect free, thus unraveling dangerous situations for his door.
The "innovation of total football has led to the birth of the" zone "defense, but this is history of our days.
See also: History of the Olympics
History of cycling
