Soccer as well as football is the world's most popular sport. More than 240 million people over 200 countries play soccer. As a result, soccer has been world's beautiful global sport. It has ancient origin, history and heritage:
China
Football is a gift from the ancient Chinese people. The kicking game called Tsu Chu in China was developed as early as 2500 BC.
The word Tsu denotes "to kick the ball with feet," and the word Chu means "a stuffed ball made of leather."
Tsu Chu used to be played on emperor's birthday. It became the first exhibition match in ancient China.
During the Tsin Dynasty (255 BC-206 BC), Tsu Chu was a part of physical education programme to train soldiers.
During the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), Tsu Chu was extensively played.
Japan
A Japanese game called Kemari, similar to Tsu Chu, was played in the same era. A match between Chinese Tsu Chu players and Japanese Kemari players was played in approximately 50 AD. Perhaps it was the first international football match.
Marco Polo (1254-1324), the celebrated Italian trader and traveller, brought Kemari to Europe, which already had its football.
Egypt
A football-like game existed in ancient Egypt around 2500 BC. A linen ball, found in an ancient Egyptian tomb, testifies to it. Many artefacts found in Egyptian tombs also provide evidence.
The Greeks
The Greeks developed a kicking and throwing game which was known as Episkyros around 2000 BC. Later, the Romans adopted, renamed and transformed it into Harpastum, which means "the small ball game."
The Romans
Harpastum, the rugby style-football, was played by Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC), the Roman emperor and his generals. It was a physical fitness programme for the Roman army.
The Romans, when they had a growing empire, took Harpastum to the British Isles. History says that Harpastum matches were played between the Romans and the British natives. Later, the English developed soccer.
England
In 217 AD, football was played in England on a Shrove Tuesday to honour British warriors, who defeated a Roman military unit.
Shrove Tuesday means the day before the beginning of Lent. In the Christian religion, Lent means an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter.
Beginning in 1175, London school boys played football each year on Shrove Tuesday.
Later, football, along with other sports, was banned by the rulers several times to encourage people to archery, to develop military might of England.
In 1314, King Edward II (1307-1327) banned football for the first time. He said: "For as much as there is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls, from which many evils may arise, which God forbid, we command and forbid on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city future."
Despite the ban, football remained very popular in England.
In 1603, when King James I (1603-1625) ascended the throne, people were urged to play football. The King declared the sport legal. Then onwards, football spread throughout the British Isles.
In 1815, Eton College introduced the first set of soccer rules, prohibiting the use of hands. The rules required playing soccer with feet.
The rule was broken by William Webb Ellis of Rugby College as he picked up the ball with hands and ran with it in a match in 1823. The result was the emergence of soccer football and rugby football.
Rugby gained popularity in next 40 years (1823-1863). In 1863, London Football Association was formed. It voted to establish the old style of play based entirely on kicking.
And thus, the two different forms of football namely soccer and rugby were born in England. One is called "rugby" in which the players run with the ball, by kicking it, and the other called "association football", based on entirely kicking. The "association football" was finally abbreviated to "soccer football" or "soccer." Thus soccer is commonly known across the world as football.
English sportsman, Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831-1924), is considered the father of association football and modern football. He drafted the first set of rules of the game at his home in Barnes, London, as it is now played all over the world. He was the first secretary (1863-1866) of association football and its second president (1867-1874).
The writer is based in USA.
Email: iftuahmed@sbcglobal.net
