A Brief History

There are a number of conflicting beliefs concerning the question of who invented football.Known as soccer in the USA，it is undeniable that this is one of the most popular sports today.Actually，football games have been documented in the writings of the Chinese as early as 80 B.C.From the introduction of Tsu Chu1 onwards，football-like games spread throughout the world.Many cultures had activities that centered on the use of their feet，including Japan's Kemari which is still played today.The game was often banned in England for its violence，aswhole towns in the Middle Ages occasionally went at itwith a large ball.But itwas in the 1860s in England that the“kicking game”was separated from the“game with hands，”with rugby and football emerging from the same egg.

5-2　Tsu Chu in Ancient China

The Football Association2 was formed in England in 1863（the word“soccer”comes from an abbreviation for“association”）and codified the rules of the game，thus beginning themodern era of football.British sailors，merchants，factory workers，and schoolboys subsequently carried football to other nations as the Empire expanded，although it did not catch on in major English territories such as Canada，Australia，and India.

It did not take long for other European countries to adopt the British love for football.Leagues began popping up throughout the world：the Netherlands and Denmark in 1889，Argentina in 1893，Chile in 1895，Switzerland and Belgium in 1895，Italy in 1898，Germany and Uruguay in 1900，Hungary in 1901，and Finland in 1907.Itwas notuntil1903 that France formed their league，even though they had adopted the British sport long before.

5-3　The History of Soccer

The International Federation of Association Football（FIFA）3 was formed in Paris in 1904 with seven members：Belgium，Denmark，France，the Netherlands，Spain，Sweden，and Switzerland.There were 41 members of FIFA in 1930，the year that the first FIFA World Cup4 is held in Uruguay，and it has remained the pinnacle of the football world ever since.Today it boasts over 200 members and the World Cup is one of the biggest events of the year.