Football Rules
Every sport has to have rules in order for it to work meaningfully as sporting anarchy does not make for pleasant viewing. This need for order is one of the many reasons why we intuitively object to cheats in sporting events as they undermine the whole point of the game.
Football had its origins in the popular mob football in England during the middle ages and although we know little of how it was played there is a clue in the name that there were few football rules at this time. Participants had the chance to let their hair down but the whole thing was very chaotic, leading to attempts to ban it.
During the 19th century, public schools (whose students had the luxury of spare time) developed a set of rules for the game and this led to founding the Football Association in 1863. By the year end, the Association produced a set of rules which triggered arguments about use of the hand to carry the ball and holding back opponents. As a result, the Rugby Union broke away in 1871 and stayed apart ever since.
FIFA, the sport’s international body, emerged in 1904 and adopted the rules of the FA. Since then, the football rules have been amended and adapted but broadly still resemble the original rules of the FA in the 19th century.
There are 17 laws to the game, most being fairly obvious after only a short spell of watching. Handball, for instance, is apparent from the name of the game. Offside remains the one rule that baffles the newcomer, and its difficulty has contributed to calls for video technology to assist match officials.
