SportsFootball

What is Football?• It is a sport, played between two teams. • Each team has 11 players on the field. One of these players is

the goalkeeper, and the other ten are known as "outfield players." • The game is played by kicking a ball into the opponent's goal. A

match has 90 minutes of play, with a break of 15 minutes in the middle. The 90 minutes of play also includes injury time. The break in the middle is called half-time.

Competitions

• Groups such as UEFA and FIFA organise international competitions between clubs and countries. Clubs play in competitions such as UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League, and countries play for the World Cup or a continental trophy such as the UEFA European Football Championship.

• The FIFA World Cup takes place every four years between national teams, and is the world's most popular sporting event, even more popular than the Olympic Games. In football, there are two main types of competitions. In a "league", all of the teams play the same number of games, but in a "cup", teams leave the competition when they lose, until the last two teams play each other to decide the winner.

National teams and Clubs

• Examples of national teams are Italy, England, Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil.

• Examples of clubs are Manchester United, F.C. Barcelona, Real Madrid C.F, F.C. Internazionale Milano, FC Bayern Munich, Liverpool.

Football players

• Lionel Messi

• Cristiano Ronaldo

• Neymar

• Paul Pogba

• Wayne Rooney

• Bastian Schweinsteiger

Football rules

• The game begins with the toss of a coin, and the winning captain decides which goal to defend or to take the first kick off.

• All players must use their feet head or chest to play the ball. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to use their hands, and only within their designated goal area.

• The aim of the game is to score a goal, which is achieved by kicking or heading the ball into the opposition team's goal.

• If the ball touches or crosses the side line, it is thrown back in by the team that was not the last to touch the ball

• The game is controlled by a central referee, and two linesmen. They award free kicks and penalties when rules are broken. For continual breaking of rules or for a bad foul, the player may be sent off.