Origin and Development

Football is an ancient sports activity with a long history. It originated from a ball game "Cuju" in ancient my country. It was later spread to Europe through the Arabs and developed into modern football. Therefore, the hometown of football is China. It is said that the Greeks and Romans had already been engaged in a football game before the Middle Ages. They put the ball on the white line in the middle on a rectangular field, and kicked the ball to the opponent's field with their feet. This game was called "Habastom" at the time. By the beginning of the 19th century, football had become quite popular in some countries in Europe and Latin America, especially in capitalist Britain. It was not until 1848 that the first written rules of football, the Cambridge Rules, were born.

The so-called "Cambridge Rules" are some rules formulated during competitions between Oxford and Cambridge in London, England, in the early 19th century. At that time, there were 11 people in each team competing. Because there were ten students and one teacher living in each dormitory in the school at that time, they played dormitory-to-dormitory competitions with 11 people per side. The current 11-a-side football game started from that time. 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 midfielder and eight forwards. Shortly after the rules were established, the formation changed: one goalkeeper, two defenders, three midfielders and five forwards. So the number of players in the game is eleven.

However, numerous data show that ancient Chinese football appeared earlier than Europe and has a longer history. 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 Zhang Qi Shu", and was recorded in "Bie Lu" by Liu Xiang of the Han Dynasty and "Han Shu·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 game based on the principle of "fair competition". This qualitative leap was accomplished in capitalist Britain.

Cuju in Han Dynasty

The Han and Tang dynasties were the most prosperous period of football development in ancient China, and it developed into a direct confrontation competition. In the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the leather ball used in Cuju was changed from being filled with hair to being blown by people's mouth. At the same time, two goals were used instead of the "ju room". By the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), Cuju had developed double-goal and single-goal competitions. There were also ball club organizations called Qiyun Society or Yuan Society, and the balls used were played by mouth. Blowing has developed into using a pump to pump air, which is getting closer and closer to modern football.

Cuju in the Han Dynasty was a means of training soldiers, and a relatively complete system was developed. If a court is specially set up, it is rectangular in the east-west direction, with six symmetrical "Ju areas" also called "Ju rooms" at each end, each guarded by one person. The site is surrounded by a fence. The game is divided into two teams, with each other's offense and defense, and the outcome is determined by the number of kicks into the opponent's room.

After its initial popularity in the Han Dynasty, Cuju activities reached a climax in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and even a kicking method based on division of labor on the field appeared. There were many ways to play Cuju in the Tang Dynasty, including "Daju" where a number of goals were scored in the game, "Baiju" where a net was hung in the middle of the field, similar to net football, "Yueju" where multiple people participated in the fight, and In this game, each team has a certain number of players and a fixed position. It is stipulated that the players can only play in their own positions and cannot move.

In early 2004, FIFA confirmed that football originated in China, and "Cuju" was the earliest football activity recorded in historical materials.

"Warring States Policy" and "Historical Records" are the earliest documents and classics to record Cuju. The former describes the popular Cuju activity in Linzi, the capital of Qi (now Zibo, Shandong) during the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,300 years ago. The latter records that Cuju was used to train soldiers at that time. A way to examine the physique of soldiers and generals ("Cuju is the strength of the army, so training warriors will reveal their talents")

A brief introduction to Cuju before the Song Dynasty

The word "Cuju" was the earliest According to "Historical Records·Biography of Su Qin", Su Qin described Linmiao when he lobbied King Xuan of Qi: "Linmiao is very rich and practical, and its people all play poles, drums, harps, and play ju. "Ta" means "cu", which means to kick. "Ju" means football in ancient times. There are records about Cuju in the Han Dynasty's "Xijing Miscellanies", "Cuju New Book" and "Liu Xiangbie Lu". The custom of Cuju is still popular. In the Tang Dynasty, Cuju was still a very common sport. Du Fu once said in a poem: "The customs of Cuju will be the same for thousands of miles." There are three:

(1) There is an inflated ball: "Song Dynasty Fact Garden" contains: "Yan Shigu's ancient note on Huo Qubing's Yayu Ki Ju says: 'The ju is made of skin, and the material is made of hair. Cui Ta and play. ’ Yan said that Ju was like this, but it was different in the late Tang Dynasty. "Xu Jian's "Beginner's Notes": "Today's Cuju is called Xihu. In ancient times, hair fibers were used to tie it, but today it is made of skin. "

(2) The goal was set up: "Tongkao of Documents" "The kickball cover began in the Tang Dynasty. Two bamboos were planted, several feet high, and a net was placed on top to measure the ball; the ball was about two points. Friends, winning or losing with horns, isn't it the change of time? ”

(3) Various kicking methods: double-goal kicking: recorded in "Qiao Fu" by Zhong Wuyan of the Tang Dynasty. Single-goal kicking: can be seen from "Cuju Atlas". No-goal kicking Method: One or several people kicking alone is called Daju; two people kicking against each other is called Baida; three or more people kicking together is called a field household, such as a three-person field household and a four-person field household.

The first recorded fan

Xiang Chu during the Western Han Dynasty was the first recorded fan, but his experience was unfortunate. "Historical Records: Biography of Bian Quecang Gong" records: the famous doctor. Chunyu Yi went to see a doctor for Xiang Chu and told him not to overwork himself, but Xiang Chu didn't listen and still went out to play football. As a result, he vomited blood and died. This also made Xiang Chu the first fanatic "fan" in the world's history. /p>

The first starting list in history

The Southern Song Dynasty's "Wulin News" once listed the rosters and positions of the two teams during the "Thirty-Two Players" competition: "Zuojun Ten Six people: Zhang Jun, the ball leader, Wang Lian, the rocker, Zhu Xuan, the head coach, Shi Ze, the head coach, Ding Quan, the left pole net, Zhang Lin, the right pole net, Hu Chun, etc.; 16 people from the right army: the ball leader Li Zheng, shuttlecock Zhu Zhen, main coach Zhu Xuan, deputy coach Zhang Ning, left pole net Xu Bin, right pole net Wang Yong, Sanli Chen Jun, etc." This is probably the first football "starting list" in history ”.

The history of football

In 307 BC, which was the Warring States period, King Wuling of Zhao reformed and implemented "Hufu riding and archery". The people of Zhao learned how to ride horses and archery. The king often rode out of the city with his cronies, so he was very impressive. One day, he came to a forest and saw several hares in the forest. The king opened his mouth and "caught them alive", so he divided his troops into four groups. They caught them together. In the fright, the hares ran wildly and fled through the gaps between the horses. They all shook their heads and sighed. Suddenly, a counselor's eyes lit up and he stepped forward to offer a plan. "Your Majesty, this kind of siege." Pigs are very interesting. We might as well use balls instead of rabbits and play with them every day without leaving the palace. "What a great idea." King Zhao praised him highly, "I'll leave this matter to you." Thus, football was born in China. But at that time, it was still a horse-riding sport, which was called "Cuju".

In the Han Dynasty, there was a football field specially used for competitions, which was called "Jucheng". The Jucheng was rectangular, with 6 Jucha chambers at each end, in the shape of a moon cave, symmetrical to each other, and surrounded by Wall. The Tang Dynasty was a prosperous period for Cuju activities. During this period, not only did it develop greatly, but football also began to be exported to the United Kingdom, where it first landed.

Cuju was originally exported as a complete product. However, due to the underdeveloped transportation at that time, the means of transportation were very backward. After several months of long journey, when Cuju arrived in the UK, the horses were exhausted and only There is only one ball left. But even such a ball is still regarded as a treasure by the British. It is only an exclusive activity for the royal family and prohibits the public from enjoying this kind of entertainment.

In the 11th century, the Danes invaded England. One day, when the English were digging the battlefield, they accidentally dug up several Danish skulls. Thinking of the evil of the Danish invasion, these English people were extremely angry. They raised their feet and kicked hard at the skull. In addition to relieving their anger, they also felt the fun of playing football. As a result, more and more English people who dug the battlefield joined the ranks of playing "ball". This patriotic behavior impressed the British King. In order to reward the people, the British King ordered the royal football to be open to the public. Soon, football spread among the people and became a popular sports and entertainment activity.

At the beginning of the 12th century, football games began to be played in England. The competition is a recreational event held twice a year, usually between two cities. The host throws the ball into the air and the game begins. The two sides will pile up, shouting, kicking and hugging each other. Whichever side can kick the ball into the other side's downtown area will win. If the ball enters a residential house on the way, the players will rush in and kick it around, often smashing things in the house to pieces, and the homeowner has to lament his own misfortune. Pedestrians on the road will suffer a sudden disaster if they encounter a rolling ball. Therefore, at that time, when the football game came, people had to avoid disasters and close their homes until the game was over before returning to normal. Such football matches were strongly opposed by the citizens, and the British government issued a ban: football matches must be played on open spaces, and those who entered the downtown area were severely punished, so special football fields appeared.

On October 26, 1863, the world's first football organization, the English Football Association, was established in London, and the rules were unified, and modern football was officially established.

In ancient China, kicking the ball was called "Cuju". As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period more than 2,000 years ago, the Cuju game existed. In the Western Han Dynasty, "Jucheng" was built specifically for competitions. The Tang Dynasty was a prosperous period for Cuju activities. Balls filled with air replaced the balls filled with hair in the past, called "air blankets", and the goal replaced the Juju room. In the West, after the 10th century AD, some countries such as France, Italy, and the United Kingdom had football games. By the end of the 15th century, it was known as "football" and gradually developed into the modern football game. On October 26, 1863, the British established the world's first football organization, the British Football Association, in London, and unified the rules of football. People call this day the birth day of modern football. There are 14 football rules formulated this time, which are the basis of today's football rules. Starting from the 2nd Olympic Games in 1900, football was listed as an official Olympic event, but it did not allow professional athletes to participate. On May 21, 1904, FIFA was established in Paris. Since 1930, the World Football Championship (also known as the World Cup) has been held every four years, and restrictions on professional athletes have been lifted. Since then, modern football has developed day by day.

Legend has it that in the 11th century, there was a war between England and Denmark. After the war, the British found the skull of a Danish invader while cleaning up the ruins of the war. Out of resentment, they used their feet to When they kicked the skull, a group of children also kicked it. However, they found that the skull hurt their feet when they kicked it, so they replaced it with cow bladder blows. This was the birth of modern football.

In medieval England, football became an activity that many young people were passionate about. They chased the ball through the narrow streets, often kicking it into the windows of homes on the street. So the King of England had to ban football. From the 12th to the 16th century, the British king issued "football bans" four times. However, due to the special charm of football, the ban failed to kill it.

In 1835, the world's first football club was established in Sheffield, England. In 1863, the first football association was established in the UK. From then on, organized football under certain rules began to spread from the UK to Europe and the world. At the end of the 19th century, football was quite popular in Western European countries. In the first Olympic Games in 1896, football was included as one of the events. As a result, the Danish team defeated the Greek team 9:0 and became the first Olympic football champion.

In 1904, the football associations of seven countries, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, established the International Football Federation in France and elected the Frenchman Guélain as the first international football president. Joint Chairman.