Football stands out as one of the most popular sports in the world. This exciting game, in which two teams of eleven players compete with a special ball, is played by more than 250 million people in more than 200 countries today. In short, football has become a global passion.
The ground for the game is a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The main aim of the players is to score goals by sending the ball to the opponent's goal without using their hands and arms, that is, with other parts of their bodies, especially their feet. The only exception to this rule is goalkeepers. Goalkeepers have the right to handle the ball within the penalty area allocated to them.
If the ball goes out of the field of play, play restarts with a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick. Matches last a total of 90 minutes in two 45-minute halves. The team that scores the most goals wins the match; In case of equality, the match ends in a draw. In some special cases, matches whose regular time ends in a tie may go to extra time and, if necessary, the winner will be determined by penalties.
The origins of football go back to ancient times. The 'cuju' game, played in China between 300-200 BC and similar to today's football, is considered the oldest known precursor. Although similar games have been played in different geographies throughout history, modern football rules were first compiled by the Football Association in England in 1863 and developed over time. Today, the international umbrella organization of football is FIFA.
The origin of the word "football" in Turkish is "football", which is a combination of the English words "foot" meaning "foot" and "ball" meaning "ball". When "football" is mentioned in English, this game may not be the only game that comes to mind, as there are also different types. Therefore, to distinguish modern football from others, it is also called "association football", inspired by the name of the institution that first determined the rules.
In fact, the word "soccer", derived from the shortening of the word "association" in the 1880s, is used especially in some English-speaking countries. The expression "ball of foot" in our language has exactly this meaning.
