football station

Torres targets title push

2009-02-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

: Torres targets title push

Spain international Fernando Torres insists Liverpool can still clinch their first title since 1990.

In-form Manchester United are most peoples' favourites to clinch their third successive Premier League title, but Rafa Benitez's side remain only two points adrift after coming from behind to win 3-2 at Portsmouth on Saturday.

Torres, who scored the dramatic late winner at Fratton Park, told Liverpool's official website: "We began very well and at the moment we're going through a period which isn't the best.

"But we're not bad. Maybe it's just that we're stifled by lesser teams who are happy with a draw. We are better against the big teams and we have to show that against Real Madrid.

"We're getting players back that have been absent with injury like me.

"It all depends on how you look at things. You can be pessimistic and think we have been knocked out of the cup and that it was tough for us to win.

"Or you can think positively, which is what I do, and see that we are fighting for the league, that we're in the last 16 of the Champions League, that on the whole we are better than previous years. "That's what I think."Oleh:football.co.uk

FA Cup Predictions

2009-01-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

Thirty-two clubs remain in this season’s FA Cup and fifteen of them are Premier League sides. The remainder of the clubs consist of thirteen from the Championship, two from league one and two from the Blue Square Premier League (Conference).

For this week’s predictions we’ll have a look at the FA Cup fourth round games that involve Premier League teams:

Saturday 24th January 2009

Chelsea v Ipswich

Chelsea came relatively close to going out of this competition in the third round against Southend. They are unlikely to make similar mistakes again. Despite the gloom and doom surrounding their recent defeat at Old Trafford, that was there only defeat in ten games.

Ipswich are eleventh in the Championship and have disappointed a little as they were many people’s tip for the play-offs. They are on a decent run at the moment being unbeaten in four, but they will need to be at their very best and hope Chelsea aren’t to have any chance of getting anything here.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Doncaster v Aston Villa

Tough game this one for Villa. Martin O’Neill tends to give some of his squad players a chance in the cup competitions although he must have a genuine belief that Villa have a realistic chance of winning this Cup.

Doncaster may be sitting in the Championship relegation zone but they have picked up plaudits all season for the style of their football and they are unbeaten in five in all competitions.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2

Hartlepool v West Ham

There is no doubt that West Ham will not be looking forward to their trip to the North East to take on the Hartlepool side that comfortably despatched Stoke in the last round.

Hartlepool sit in mid-table in League One under a caretaker manager but have lost only three times in their last ten outings.

West Ham are unbeaten in five after recovering from a bad spell under Gianfranco Zola. They will have to be very focussed and ready for a battle to survive this potentially embarrassing trip.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1

Hull v Millwall

This is a really tough game for Phil Brown’s Hull. After such a great start to their first ever season in the top tier, things have turned a little sour for The Tigers. Including their third round cup win at Newcastle, they have only managed to win two of their last fifteen. More crucially, eight of those games have ended in defeat.

Millwall are sitting pretty in the play-off places in League One. Unlike Hull, they have only lost two of their last fifteen games and will going to their Premier League opponents absolutely full of confidence.

If you are looking for a big shock, this could be the one.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-1

Kettering v Fulham

What a great draw this is for Blue Square Premier League side Kettering. They are currently tenth in their league some eighty-four places below Fulham in the league pyramid. With their minds on this game however, Kettering have only managed to win one of their four games since they qualified. That win was a last minute 1-0 against struggling Salisbury City.

Fulham have been on a great run and had been proving very difficult to beat until they were easily turned over last week at West Ham. That defeat and the terrible individual errors that led to it were probably just the kick up the backside they needed to ensure that they don’t become a victim of a giant-killing here.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-2

Manchester United v Tottenham

Both of these teams made it through to the Carling Cup final this week with fairly average displays against Championship opponents. Actually that’s being generous to Tottenham. Manchester United were average in their win over Derby. What Tottenham were for most of their win against Burnley was a very long way short of average.

United will put out a patched up team with Ferdinand, Park, Evans, Evra, Rafael, Anderson, Nani and Rooney all injured. Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has said that he will play a ‘mish-mash’ of a side.

I think that at the moment, even Manchester United reserves would probably be too strong for a Tottenham side that have once again lost their way.

SoccerNews prediction: 3-1

Portsmouth v Swansea

Portsmouth’s replay win at Bristol City in the last round was one of only two wins in their last ten games in all competitions. They got a hard earned point at Tottenham last week but still look a shadow of the side they were under Harry Redknapp.

Swansea earned promotion to the Championship last season and are currently doing very nicely in ninth place only four points outside the play-off places. Under Roberto Martinez they are unbeaten in eleven and have won their last three. Could be another shock on the cards here. I expect Swansea to at least earn a replay.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1

Sunderland v Blackburn

A few weeks ago this would have been a battle between two managerless, relegation doomed looking Premier League teams.

Now we have Sunderland, under Ricky Sbragia, in fifteenth place with only two defeats in seven and Blackburn in seventeenth, unbeaten in five under Sam Allardyce.

Tough one to call.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-1

West Brom v Burnley

Only seven places separate these two teams in the league although they are of course in different divisions. West Brom are rock bottom of the Premier League and Burnley sit just outside the Championship play-offs.

Up until about ten o’clock on Wednesday evening I would have predicted that Burnley would cause a minor shock by winning at the Hawthorns, but when Tottenham scored those two goals in the last two minutes of extra-time in their Carling Cup semi-final to knock them out, I think a great deal of damage may have been done.

West Brom are actually unbeaten in six games at home and are probably in their best form of the season. For those reasons, there won’t be a shock here.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Wolves v Middlesbrough

Top of the Championship Wolves take on Premier League but relegation threatened Middlesbrough. With no wins in their last ten league games and only an unconvincing 2-1 win against non-league Barrow to their name, Middlesbrough can hardly be regarded as favourites for this game.

Having said that, Wolves have hit a slightly sticky patch and have won only one in five.

With a loud and intimidating crowd behind them I expect Wolves to dump more misery on the Teesside club.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-0

Sunday 25th January 2009

Cardiff v Arsenal

These two teams played in one of the most famous FA Cup finals of all time. In 1927 Cardiff beat Arsenal at Wembley on the only occasion the winners of the competition have ever come from outside England. The 1-0 victory came when Arsenal’s Welsh goalkeeper appeared to throw the ball into his own net!

Now, Cardiff, last season’s losing finalists, are sitting in the Championship play-off places and will be confident of giving fifth placed Arsenal a decent game. The Welsh side are unbeaten in ten games and will have vociferous support at their famous old ground.

Arsenal haven’t had the easiest of seasons but they are unbeaten in nine league games and have won their last four in all competitions.

It’ll be tough at times but I don’t expect a shock here.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-3

Liverpool v Everton

Here comes version two of this week’s Merseyside battle. Honours were even in the league game on Tuesday night as a later Tim Cahill header for Everton equalised Steve Gerrard’s earlier strike for the reds.

This one is likely to be a similarly close struggle although it is hard to judge what sort of team both managers may pick. Whilst it is the best chance of silverware for both, it really isn’t obvious how much either manager cares about this competition and therefore how many changes they may make from their preferred line-up (if Rafa has a preferred line-up that is!) Oleh:soccernews

SoccerNews prediction: 0-1

Spain National Football Team

2008-10-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Spain national football team

Spain

Nickname(s)

La Selección (The Selection)
La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)
La Roja (The Red [One])

Association

Real Federación
Española de Fútbol

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Vicente Del Bosque

Captain

Iker Casillas

Most caps

Andoni Zubizarreta (126)

Top scorer

Raúl González (44)

Home stadium

Santiago Bernabeu
Vicente Calderón
Mestalla

FIFA code

ESP

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

1 (July-October 2008)

Lowest FIFA ranking

25 (March 1998)

Elo ranking

Highest Elo ranking

1 (1920, 1921, 1925, 2002, June 2008)

Lowest Elo ranking

20 (June 1969, June 1981)




Home colours




Away colours

First international

Spain 1 - 0 Denmark
(Brussels, Belgium; 28 August 1920)

Biggest win

Spain 13 - 0 Bulgaria
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)

Biggest defeat

Italy 7 - 1 Spain
(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928)
England 7 - 1 Spain
(London, England; 9 December 1931)

World Cup

Appearances

12 (First in 1934)

Best result

Fourth place, 1950

European Championship

Appearances

8 (First in 1964)

Best result

Winners, 1964, 2008

The Spanish National Football Team, commonly referred to as La Roja, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol. They are the current European Champions, having won the 2008 UEFA European Championship. In July 2008, Spain rose to the #1 spot in the FIFA World Ranking for the first time in their history, becoming only the sixth nation (and the first who had never won the World Cup) to top these rankings.

Uniform Kit

Spain's traditional kit is a red jersey with yellow trim with dark blue shorts and socks. Their current away kit is with a gold jersey with white shorts and socks, although the away kit is usually a full white kit with red trim. A third kit is sometimes used and is usually blue with red and yellow trim. Spain's kit is currently designed by Adidas.

History

Soccer originated in 1863 when an Englishman, Cobb Morley, decided that it needed an official set of rules that gave the game a determined structure. Not only did Morley determine the Laws of the Game, but also set up a governing body to preside over domestic leagues in England, the Football Association (FA). Professional leagues, where players got paid to play, did not get organized in the United Kingdom until 1888, but other countries like Italy, France, Germany, and Spain quickly followed suit. Spain created their soccer organization, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF in Spanish) in 1909 and their domestic first division league “La Liga (The League)” in 1928 They were also the winners of the ancient football games held in China. Their fierce bull-warriors struck fear into the hearts of their opponents. This however is not recognized by FIFA as the tournament was held when the sport was played with a 'thief's head'. Sergio Munoz, one of the first Muslims in spain, was the top scorer but it is widely acclaimed he was a rent boy for the referee and was therefore given favouarble treatment. He was outcasted from Islam due to his homosexuality and converted to Judaism.

Early years

Prior to their international debut, Spain's national team had been comprised of semi-professionals and amateur players. These players only played unofficial international matches and scrimmages and was organized by the Spanish Royal Football Federation (RFEF in Spanish). Spain made their international football debut in 1920 at the Olympic Games in Antwerp and won the silver medal. They played their first home international in 1921, beating Belgium 2-0 in Bilbao. They also became the first non-British side to beat England when they won 4-3 in a friendly in Madrid in 1929. Spain, however, did not enter the 1930 World Cup. Four years later, Spain qualified for the second World Cup held in Italy in 1934. The Spanish side progressed to the quarterfinals and drew 1-1 with Italy. Under the rules of the time, the game was settled by a rematch which Italy won 1-0.

The Spanish Civil War and World War II prevented Spain from playing another competitive match until the 1950 World Cup. There they topped their group against England, Chile and the United States to progress to the final round. The cup was decided in games against the other group winners — Brazil, Uruguay, and Sweden. Success in the tournament eluded the Spaniards as they gained only one point by drawing with eventual winners Uruguay, losing to both Brazil and Sweden. Spain placed fourth in the 1950 World Cup (as of 2008, their best performance in the competition) but did not build on their success; failing to qualify for another major tournament until the 1962 World Cup.

Under French-Argentine coach Helenio Herrera, Spain came out of dormancy to qualify for the first European Championship in 1960. Spain beat Poland 7-2 on aggregate to progress to the quarterfinals. However, Spain forfeit its quarterfinal tie with the Soviet Union because of political circumstances between Spain's dictator Franco and the Soviets.

In 1962 José Villalonga was appointed coach of Spain. Under Villalonga, Spain qualified for the 1962 World Cup but exited in the first round in a tough group against Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Mexico. Two years later they hosted the European Championship. With a squad that included Luis Suárez, Francisco Gento, Josep Fusté and José Ángel Iribar, Spain beat Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to move on to the semifinals. There they beat highly-favored Hungary 2-1 in extra time. They went on to face the USSR 2-1 before a crowd of more than 79,000 at the Bernabéu in Madrid. Jesus María Pereda put Spain ahead after just six minutes, but Galimzian Khusainov equalised a few minutes later with a free kick. Marcelino Martínez put in a late header to win Spain's first major international title.

As European Champions, Spain automatically qualified for the 1966 World Cup retaining much of the same squad from 1964 and keeping José Villalonga at the reins. However, they failed to make an impression and exited in the first round, defeating only Switzerland and losing to West Germany and Argentina.

1968 to 1975

The departure of Villalonga put Spain into another period of wilderness with mixed results. After winning their group in the qualifying rounds of the 1968 European Championship, they were knocked out by England in the quarterfinals and did not make it to the final tournament held in Italy. Spain did not qualify for another tournament until Euro 76.

Post-Francoist Spain, Late 70s and Early 80s

Spain came back into contention with an impressive undefeated performance in their Euro 76 qualifying group which featured Romania, Scotland, and Denmark. But Spain's momentum ran out in the quarterfinals, where they lost 3-1 on aggregate to a dominant West German side.

The 1978 World Cup witnessed Spain's first World Cup appearance since 1966. Spain qualified by defeating Yugoslavia home and away and losing only to Romania in Bucharest. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group 3 with Brazil, Austria, and Sweden. Spain started the finals by losing 2-1 to Austria, but kept their hopes alive drawing with Brazil 0-0 and defeating Sweden 1-0. But it was too little too late for Spain and they didn't proceed out of the group.

Euro 80 saw Spain qualify for the first eight-team European championship. After surpassing Romania, Yugoslavia, and Cyprus, Spain was drawn into group B with England, Italy, and Belgium. Spain gained only one point after a draw with Italy and again exited without reaching the quarterfinals.

1982 World Cup in Spain

In 1976 Spain was selected as host of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. This edition of the World Cup featured 24 teams for the first time. Expectations were high for Spain as the host nation under coach José Santamaría. In the group stages, Spain was drawn into Group 5 with Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, and Honduras. Under pressure to perform well, Spain struggled through their group. On their first day of competition, they could only manage a 1-1 draw with unfancied Honduras. They picked up momentum with an impressive 2-1 victory over Yugoslavia but were defeated 1-0 by Northern Ireland. Despite the defeat, Spain progressed to the second round where they were drawn into Group B with West Germany and England. Spain's campaign ended when they were defeated by West Germany 2-1 and drew 0-0 with England, and as disappointment swept the country, Santamaría was sacked.

1984 to 1988

After a disappointing World Cup campaign on home soil, Spain were desperate to regain their credibility on the world footballing stage. Former Real Madrid coach Miguel Muñoz, who had temporarily coached Spain in 1969, returned to the national side. Spain topped Euro 84 qualifying Group 7, which consisted of the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and Malta. Spain passed the qualifying stage unexpectedly, as they had to defeat Malta by at least 11 goals to surpass the Netherlands for the top spot in the group. After going into the half leading Malta 3-1, Spain scored 9 goals in the second half to win by 12-1 and conquer the group. In the final tournament, Spain were dubbed as outsiders by bookmakers despite many talented players and a strong football league. Spain were drawn into group B with West Germany, Portugal, and Romania. In their first game, they drew 1-1 with underdogs Romania. Three days later they drew 1-1 again with Portugal. Spain topped the group with an impressive 1-0 victory over West Germany to avenge their defeat two years earlier. The semifinals saw Spain paired with darkhorses Denmark. With the game ending 1-1 after extra time, Spain defeated Denmark 5-4 on penalties after Preben Elkjær shot over the bar. Going beyond anyone's expectations Spain reached the final to face the hosts and tournament favorites France. Led by captain Michel Platini, France were tipped as heavy favorites and defeated Spain 2-0 after a goalless first half.

To build on their impressive Euro 84 performance, Muñoz helped Spain qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Spain progressed in qualifying having topped Group 7 with Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Muñoz took Spain to Mexico with a mixed squad of new and veteran players. Spain's group in the final tournament consisted of Brazil, Northern Ireland, and Algeria. Spain began the tournament nervously losing to Brazil 1-0. However, they progressed after beating Northern Ireland by 2-1 and Algeria by 3-0. Round 2 paired Spain with Denmark which had swept its group with three victories. In what was one of the strangest World Cup games, Spain defeated Denmark 5-1 with Emilio Butragueño scoring four goals. Spain progressed to the quarterfinals to face a Belgian side fresh off an impressive 4-3 victory over the USSR. The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and — with neither side scoring in extra time — proceeded to penalty kicks. Spain's 1986 campaign ended with Belgium winning 5-4 on penalties. Despite their quarterfinal exit, the squad of 1986 was Spain's highest-scoring national team until 2008.

Muñoz was retained as coach for Euro 88. As in the several previous tournaments Spain qualified impressively in a group with Austria, Romania, and Albania. Spain were drawn into group A with West Germany, Italy, and Denmark. They began their tournament with a 3-2 victory over Denmark. However, their luck ended when they were knocked-out in the group stage after losing 1-0 and 2-0 to Italy and West Germany, respectively.

1990 to 1992

The 90s began with Spain looking to perform well and compensate for poor performances at Euro 88 at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. For 1990, Spain's new coach Luis Suárez selected many new players including Manuel Jiménez, Genar Andrinúa, and Martín Vázquez. Spain qualified from a group consisting of Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Northern Ireland, and Malta. Before the tournament Spain looked impressive by going almost undefeated in their friendly and qualifier games. In the final tournament Spain was in group E with Belgium, Uruguay, and Korea Republic. Spain began with a less than impressive 0-0 draw with Uruguay. They later defeated Korea 3-1 and avenged Belgium 2-1 after 1986. Spain's impressive first round performance was tarnished by a 2-1 defeat to Yugoslavia in the second round. As a result Spain exited earlier than expected having disappointed their fans for not improving on their 1986 campaign.

Further disappointment followed when newly appointed coach Vicente Miera failed to qualify Spain for Euro 92 after finishing third in a group behind France and Czechoslovakia. Vicente Miera did however lead Spain to the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics^[1] in Barcelona.

Clemente's reign, 1992-98

Javier Clemente was appointed as Spain's coach in 1992 in hopes of bringing home a major international trophy. The 1994 World Cup was once again a testing ground for Spain's ability to perform well at the senior level. Spain qualified very impressively with nineteen points from twelve matches, a twenty three goal differential, and ranked as number five in Europe. In the final tournament Spain were drawn in Group C with Germany, Bolivia, and Korea Republic. The Spaniards were expected to easily progress to the second round alongside Germany. In their first game Spain drew with Korea 2-2 having given up a 2-0 lead. Three days later they drew 1-1 with Germany also giving up the lead. Spain qualified for the second round as expected with a 3-1 victory over Bolivia. Spain continued their success in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Switzerland. Their success ended with a controversial 2-1 defeat to Italy in the quarter-finals.Roberto Baggio would scored the game winner for Italy,in the last minutes a nasty and bloody foul committed by Mauro Tassotti towards Luis Enrique left the Spanish midfielder's nose broken in the penalty box, but with no penalty call given. The 1994 campaign was seen as one of Spain's best despite the disappointment. Spain were once again left searching for a performance beyond the quarter-finals.

Clemente was hoping to build on their impressive yet disappointing performance in 1994 to perform well at Euro 96. Spain qualified as expected with impressive results from their group consisting of Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Armenia. The final tournament witnessed Spain in a group with France, Romania, and Bulgaria. Their first game once again proved to be below expectations as they failed to beat Bulgaria and drew 1-1. After Bulgaria, Spain faced what proved to be a very strong French side but fought to sluggish 1-1 draw. Spain confirmed their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over a weak Romanian squad. In their quarter-final match with host England, Spain ran out of luck as they had a pair of goals questionably disallowed and were denied two possible penalties.^[2] Spain eventually fell 4-2 in the shootout.

In his second World Cup as Spain's coach, Clemente put his team through intensive training to try to put themselves as serious contenders to do well at the 1998 World Cup in France after yet another dismal performance at Euro 96. Many new rising stars such as Raúl González and Fernando Morientes were giving Spanish fans hope for the upcoming tournament. Despite falling in the world rankings to a record low before the World Cup, Spain went undefeated in their qualifying group with Yugoslavia and Czech Republic being the other contenders. Spain qualified with fourteen other European sides in the first ever thirty-two team World Cup. Group D consisted of Spain, Bulgaria, Paraguay, and Nigeria. In their first game against African powers Nigeria, Spain led 1-0 and 2-1 in each half with much superiority. However, Nigeria amazingly turned the game around in the last twenty minutes and won 3-2 largely in part by an error made by all-time capped Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. This defeat left Spain's hopeful campaign in ruins and sent Javier Clemente searching for answers. Their second game was a minor improvement, but left Spanish fans disappointed once again as Spain could only manage a 0-0 draw with Paraguay. After only a point from their first two games, Spain needed to rely on Nigeria and Paraguay drawing their match in order to qualify. In their last group game Spain fought valiantly to crush Bulgaria 6-1 hoping that goal differential would send them through. Spain's hopes did not go as planned as Paraguay defeated Nigeria 3-1. Spain were eliminated in the first round with only four points and finished third behind Paraguay and Nigeria. This was by far one of the most disappointing Spanish campaigns in recent times.

Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002

After a 3-2 opening defeat to Cyprus in Euro 2000 qualifying Clemente was sacked and José Antonio Camacho was promptly appointed as coach. Camacho immediately turned Spain's campaign around and Spain won the rest of their games to qualify for Euro 2000, including two 9-0 wins against Austria and San Marino. Once again Spain's hopes rested on a new coach and young players such as Raúl González, Fernando Morientes, Míchel Salgado, and Juan Carlos Valerón. Spain again were going to a major competition as one of the contenders for the title. In the final tournament Spain were in group C with Norway, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia. As always, Spain started their campaign with disappointment, losing 1-0 to the Norwegians. But Spain got back into the tournament with a 2-1 victory over the Slovenians. Their last game proved to be another nerve wreck as they looked to be going out of the tournament. Their last game was against Balkan powerhouse Yugoslavia. Spain started the match nervously by going down 1-0 with a goal from Yugoslav forward Savo Milošević. Alfonso Pérez was able to put a goal back for Spain in the 38th minute ending the first half with a 1-1 score. However, shortly after halftime Spain went down again 2-1 but made it 2-2 on 51 minutes with a goal by Pedro Munitis. Spain went down yet again for the third time, with the score 3-2 at 75 minutes. With only fifteen minutes left Spain desperately searched for an equalizer. After throwing every player forward Spain was still down 3-2, but at the 90th minute another Spanish goal from a late penalty by Gaizka Mendieta and a dramatic second goal by Alfonso Pérez in the dying seconds of stoppage time astonishingly turned the game around making the final score 4-3 for Spain. Spain finished at the top of group C to book a quarterfinal clash with 1998 World Cup Champions, France. After the thrilling clash with Yugoslavia, Spain were confident in shocking the world champions. The game began with a dramatic first half with bombardment of both goals. The half ended 2-1 for the French. However, late in the second half Spain was awarded a penalty. Raúl González took the spot kick but shot over the crossbar. Despite a strong Spanish attack France held on to win and knock Spain out prematurely. Disappointment and sadness swept Spain as the team could not impress their fans and suffered yet another quarterfinal exit.

Spain hoped once again for a good World Cup impression in 2002 in the Far East. Qualifying went as expected for Spain as they topped an easy group consisting of Austria, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. Under Camacho Spain hoped that lessons learned from Euro 2000 would bring them better luck. But for Santiago Cañizares it was bad luck. Right before the competition started, he got injured and couldn't participate as the starting goalkeeper. This gave the 21 year old Iker Casillas the starting position. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group B with Slovenia, Paraguay, and South Africa. This time Spain began the World Cup very strongly with 3-1 victories over Slovenia and Paraguay and a 3-2 victory over South Africa. This was also the first time since the 1950 World Cup that Spain started the competition with a win. A lot of supporters saw this as a sign (since Spain's best ever finish in a world cup was at the 1950 world cup, finishing 4th). Spain topped the group with nine points to face off a second round contest with the Republic of Ireland. An early goal from Spanish striker Fernando Morientes gave hope to the Spaniards. With just stoppage time remaining after the 90th minute, Fernando Hierro brought Robbie Keane down in the penalty box and Ireland was awarded a penalty. The same man who had been fouled pulled the Irish level and the game went to extra-time where, unexpectedly, Spain was left with nine players on the field due to back-to-back injuries and no more sub-ins available. However, Spain were able to hold on and force the penalty shoot-out, where the young Iker Casillas proved himself worthy of the starting goalkeeper spot, stopping three penalties. Spain came out on top with a 3-2 victory. Spain booked a quarterfinal berth with hosts Korea Republic who upset Italy in round two. Spanish fans were confident this was the year Spain was to progress beyond the quarterfinals in any major tournament since Euro 84. After a hard fought 120 minutes and two disallowed goals for the Spaniards (The referee disallowed Fernando Morientes' goal on the ground that the ball had gone out of play. However replays showed that the ball was still in play.), Spain faced another penalty shootout. Spain scored three penalties as did Korea. However, Spain's worst nightmare became reality after Joaquín had his penalty saved. Korea scored their last two penalties through Ahn Jung-Hwan and Hong Myung-Bo to knock Spain out of the 2002 World Cup. Spanish fans were shocked by another successive, and highly controversial, quarterfinal exit.

Euro 2004

At Euro 2004 in Portugal, Spain were drawn into group A with Portugal, Russia and Greece. After coming into second after Greece in qualifying, Spain looked very strong. The Spanish team were touted as heavy favorites for the 2004 crown by the European media. They possessed new and fresh players such as Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso under new coach Iñaki Sáez. Spain were also hoping that the tournaments proximity would contribute to their success. On June 12, Spain expectedly defeated Russia, 1-0, the goal scored by Juan Carlos Valerón just 36 seconds after coming on with various opportunities to increase the victory,^[3] such as a miss kick from Joseba Etxeberría against a virtually open goal,^[3] and a disallowed goal from Xabi Alonso for tapping the ball with his hand after heading it over Sergei Ovchinnikov. Four days later Spain faced Greece. Determined to win, Spain led the match until Greece scored an equalizer and the match ended 1-1. In their last game against Portugal, Spain needed to draw to qualify for the quarterfinals. However, a goal from Nuno Gomes faded Spain's hopes of advancing. The same day Greece were defeated 2-1 by Russia but moved ahead to claim second place on goal difference. As a result Spain were eliminated from Euro 2004 in the first round that consisted of the tournament's eventual finalists in Portugal and Greece. This exit was considered the most disappointing result since the 1998 World Cup. Iñaki Sáez was sacked only weeks later and replaced by Luis Aragonés.

Luis Aragonés era, 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008

Under Luis Aragonés, Spain struggled throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying stage. Spain were in group 7 with Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Lithuania, and San Marino. Despite mixed results including five wins and draws, Spain qualified for a playoff spot with Slovakia. Spain qualified for the final tournament after defeating Slovakia 6-2 on aggregate. Many didn't know what to expect of Spain heading into Germany; despite almost failing to qualify, the Spanish side had many talented players. Spain were drawn into Group H with Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Spain won their opening game over Ukraine in a comfortable 4-0 result, with two goals from David Villa and one each for Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso. The first penalty of the tournament was awarded after Vladislav Vaschuk was sent off for pulling on Torres. Spain won their second game against Tunisia 3-1. A goal in the 8th minute through Jawhar Mnari put Tunisia ahead, but Spain scored through Raúl in the 71st min and Fernando Torres in the 76th min. Fernando Torres scored from the penalty spot in injury time to get his second goal in the game. Spain beat Saudi Arabia by 1-0 in Kaiserslautern on the 23 June. However Spain fell 3-1 in the second round by the more experienced France team, despite having led the game 1-0 after a penalty kick scored by David Villa. Spanish fans once again faced a premature exit and a performance below expectations. Spain and Brazil shared the 2006 FIFA Fair Play Award.

UEFA Euro 2008 match between Sweden and Spain.

Spain qualified for Euro 2008 at the top of Qualifying Group F with 28 points out of a possible 36, and were seeded 12th for the actual competition. They were drawn in Group D, with Sweden, Russia and the reigning champions Greece. Spain won all of their group games and finished top of their group, with David Villa scoring the only hat-trick of the competition in the 4–1 defeat of Russia. Afer beating Sweden 2-1 (with Villa scoring the winner in injury time), the game against Greece became a formality and Spain won 2-1 using their reserves (10 of their starting 11 were not part of the usual first team).

Reigning World Cup holders Italy were the opponents in the quarter final match and held Spain to a finished 0–0 draw resulting in a penalty shoot-out. Iker Casillas saved two penalties as Spain won the shoot-out 4–2. This was the first time that Spain had beaten Italy in a competitive match since 1920, and also broke Spain's record of losing penalty shoot-outs on 22 June - previous losses were against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup, England in Euro '96, and South Korea in the 2002 World Cup.

Spain met Russia again in the semi-final, once again beating them, this time by 3-0. In the final, played in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Spain were up against three-times champions Germany. Spain won 1–0 with a goal scored by Fernando Torres in the 33rd minute. This was Spain's first major title in 44 years since the 1964 European Championship. Spain's total of 12 goals in the tournament made them the top scoring team and striker David Villa finished as the top scorer with four goals. Xavi was awarded the player of the tournament. Nine Spanish players were picked for the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament, goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, defenders Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena, midfielders Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Andrés Iniesta, Marcos Senna and strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres.

Spanish players celebrating their victory in Madrid.

Spain ended the tournament as the only unbeaten team to win since Germany in 1996 and the only group winner to advance beyond the quarterfinals in Euro 2008 as Portugal, Croatia, and the Netherlands were all eliminated at that stage. Also, before Spain in Euro 2008, only France in 1984 had won all their group games and later went on to win the tournament. Due to their highly impressive performance at the tournament, Spain was awarded the first place at the FIFA World rankings for the first time in their history on July 1st, 2008, just two days after being crowned European Champions for the second time. They became only the sixth team to share this privilege along with Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, and Italy and also the first team never to have won a World Cup to achieve this.

Luis Aragonés became the oldest coach to win a European Championship and the second to win one with Spain after José Villalonga won it in 1964 on home soil. 27-year-old Iker Casillas became the first goalkeeper-captain to lift up the trophy. Aragonés also enjoys the distinction of having led Spain to the most victories, a record previously held by Javier Clemente. Aragonés has won 38, drawn 12, and lost only 4 out of 54 matches in charge, compared to 36 victories, 20 draws, and 6 defeats by Clemente.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

On March 11, 2008, Vicente Del Bosque announced that starting June 29, he would replace Luis Aragonés who left the job due that he did not feel the Spanish Football Federation wanted him to continue. ^[4] It took until 15 July 2008 for Del Bosque to be officially comfirmed as the new coach. ^[5] For the friendly against Denmark on 20 August 2008, the Spanish Football Federation asked Del Bosque to call up the same 23 players who were chosen to represent Spain at Euro 2008 as a tribute to their success, however, ^[6] due to injuries suffered by Andrés Palop, Cesc Fàbregas and Carlos Marchena, they could not be selected, Del Bosque chose to bring only two goalkeepers and replaced Marchena with Fernando Amorebieta, Cesc Fàbregas with Diego Capel and also decided to replace Álvaro Arbeloa with Andoni Iraola and Sergio García with Bojan Krkić due to technical reasons. Spain won the match 3-0.

Spain under Del Bosque began their 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification campaign succesfully, they defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 with a goal from David Villa and defeated Armenia 4-0, three days later, with a notable debut from Bojan Krkić coming on as a substitute and defeating rumours that he will swap allegiances to Serbia, and two goals coming from David Villa, and one each from Joan Capdevila and Marcos Senna thus securing the Spaniards a first place spot in their group with 6 points. The next round saw Spain defeat Estonia 3-0 , then, four days later, beat Belgium 2-1 away - an 88th minute strike from David Villa (his fifth of the campaign) earning them the win. This result maintained their 100% start to the campaign; they currently top their group with 12 points from 12. Oleh : wikipedia.com

England Football League System

2008-10-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

English football league system

The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in England (although for historical reasons a small number of Welsh clubs also compete). The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to dream of rising to the very top of the system. There are over 140 leagues, containing over 480 divisions. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 15 clubs per division implies that over 7,000 clubs are members of a league in the English football league system.

About the system

The system consists of a hierarchy of leagues, bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation. Clubs that are successful in their league can rise higher in the pyramid, whilst those that finish at the bottom can find themselves sinking further down. In theory it is possible for a lowly local amateur club to rise to the pinnacle of the English game and become champions of the Premier League. While this may be unlikely in practice (at the very least, not in the short run), there certainly is significant movement within the pyramid. The number of teams promoted between leagues or divisions varies, and promotion is usually contingent on meeting criteria set by the higher league, especially concerning appropriate facilities and finances.

The top five levels contain one division each. Below this, the levels have progressively more parallel leagues, which each cover progressively smaller geographic areas. Many leagues have more than one division. At the lower levels the existence of leagues becomes intermittent, although in some areas there are as many as twenty layers.^[2] There are also leagues in various parts of the country which are not officially part of the system as they do not have formal agreements with other leagues, but are recognised at various levels by county football associations. Clubs from these leagues may, if they feel they meet the appropriate standard of play and have suitable facilities, apply to join a league which does form part of the system.

The seven levels immediately below the Premier League and Football League are known as the National League System and come under the jurisdiction of The Football Association.^[3] Under the direction of The Football Association, the National League System evolved over many years. Recent re-organisation saw the formation of a Conference North and Conference South immediately below the Football Conference, renamed Conference National, forcing the top divisions of the Southern League, Isthmian League and Northern Premier League down one level.

The English football league system does not include the amateur version of the game often called Sunday league football. These leagues are independent entities with no promotion or relegation involving the football pyramid. However, some Sunday League clubs have been known to join pyramid leagues if they desire to progress higher.

Structure

At the top is the single division of the Premier League (which is sometimes referred to as Level 1 of the league 'pyramid'), containing 20 clubs. Below the Premier League is The Football League, which is divided into three divisions of 24 clubs each: The Championship (Level 2), League One (Level 3) and League Two (Level 4). The 92 clubs in the Premier League and Football League are all full-time professional clubs. Confusingly, all are often referred to as 'League' clubs because, before the establishment of the Premier League in 1992, the Football League included all 92 clubs, in four divisions. Clubs outside this group are referred to as 'non-League' clubs, although they too play most of their football in league competitions.

The top tier of non-League football is the Football Conference, which contains a national division of 24 clubs (Level 5), followed by two divisions at Level 6, covering the north (Conference North) and south (Conference South), with 22 clubs each. Some of these clubs are full-time professional and the others are semi-professional. Below the Conference some of the stronger clubs are semi-professional, but continuing down the tiers, soon all the clubs are amateur.

Next down from the Football Conference are three regional leagues, each associated with different geographical areas, although some overlap exists. They are the Northern Premier League (which covers the north of England), Southern League (which covers southern England, the Midlands and parts of Wales) and the Isthmian League (which covers the south east). All of the leagues have a Premier Division (Level 7) with two parallel divisions below (Level 8).

Level 9 contains the top divisions of a large group of sub-regional leagues. Each of these leagues has a different divisional set up, but they all have one thing in common: there are yet more leagues below them, each covering smaller and smaller geographical levels.

Promotion and relegation rules for the top few levels

For example, here are the promotion and relegation rules for the top few levels of the English football league system:

Premier League (level 1, 20 teams): Bottom three teams relegated.
Football League Championship (level 2, 24 teams): Top two automatically promoted; next four compete in the playoffs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. Bottom three relegated.
Football League One (level 3, 24 teams): Top two automatically promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the third promotion spot. Bottom four relegated.
Football League Two (level 4, 24 teams): Top three automatically promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the fourth promotion spot. Bottom two relegated.
Conference National (level 5, 24 teams): Top team promoted; next four compete in playoffs, with the winner gaining the second promotion spot. Bottom four relegated, to either North or South division as appropriate.
Conference North and Conference South (level 6, 22 teams each, running in parallel): Top team in each division automatically promoted; next four teams in each compete in playoffs, with playoff winner in each division getting the second promotion spot. Bottom three in each division relegated, to either Northern Premier League, Southern League, or Isthmian League as appropriate. If, after promotion and relegation, the number of teams in the North and South divisions are not equal, one or more teams are transferred between the two divisions to even them up again.

Cup eligibility

Being members of a league at a particular level also affects eligibility for Cup, or single-elimination, competitions.

FA Cup: All levels (in theory; in practice restricted to Levels 1-11)
Football League Cup: Levels 1-4
Football League Trophy: Levels 3-4 (and some seasons, Level 5)
FA Trophy: Levels 5-8
Conference League Cup: Levels 5-6
FA Vase: Levels 9-11
FA National League System Cup: Level 11 (contested by representative teams from each league)

Beyond Level 11 the pyramid becomes regional and the cups become accordingly regional. Further down the pyramid is split on a county basis, counties having their own cups accordingly.

The system

For details of the changes made for the 2006-07 season, see History of the English football league system.

The table below shows the current structure of the system. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name (which differs from its historic name) and number of clubs is given. At levels 1-8, each division promotes to the division(s) that lie directly above it and relegates to the division(s) that lie directly below it. Below that level, individual league articles detail promotion and relegation arrangements.

The leagues at levels five to eleven comprise the National League System (NLS), and come under the direct jurisdiction of The Football Association. The top level (level 5) of the NLS is known as "Step 1" by the FA, the next (level 6) as "step 2", and so on.

Level	League(s)/Division(s)
1	Premier League (Barclays Premier League) 20 clubs
2	Football League Championship (Coca-Cola Football League Championship) 24 clubs
3	Football League One (Coca-Cola Football League 1) 24 clubs
4	Football League Two (Coca-Cola Football League 2) 24 clubs
5	Conference National (Blue Square Premier) 24 clubs
6	Conference North (Blue Square North) 22 clubs			Conference South (Blue Square South) 22 clubs
7	Northern Premier League Premier Division (UniBond League Premier Division) 22 clubs		Southern Football League Premier Division (British Gas Business Football League Premier Division) 22 clubs		Isthmian League Premier Division (Ryman Football League Premier Division) 22 clubs
8	Northern Premier League Division One North (UniBond League Division One North) 21 clubs	Northern Premier League Division One South (UniBond League Division One South) 20 clubs	Southern Football League Division One Midlands (British Gas Business Football League Division One Midlands) 22 clubs	Southern Football League Division One South & West (British Gas Business Football League Division One South & West) 22 clubs	Isthmian League Division One North (Ryman Football League Division One North) 22 clubs	Isthmian League Division One South (Ryman Football League Division One South) 22 clubs
9	North West Counties Football League Premier Division 22 clubs Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division 20 clubs Northern League Division One (Arngrove Northern League Division One) 22 clubs Western League Premier Division (Toolstation League Premier Division) 21 clubs Wessex League Premier Division (Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division) 22 clubs Sussex County League Division One 20 clubs Hellenic Football League Premier Division (FTB Futbol Hellenic League Premier Division) 22 clubs Midland Football Alliance (Aspire Midland Football Alliance) 23 clubs United Counties Football League Premier Division (Eagle Bitter United Counties League Premier Division) 21 clubs Eastern Counties Football League Premier Division (Ridgeons Football League Premier Division) 22 clubs Kent League Premier Division 17 clubs Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division (Minerva Footballs Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division) 22 clubs Combined Counties League Premier Division (Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Premier Division) 22 clubs Essex Senior Football League 16 clubs (All divisions run in parallel)
10	North West Counties Football League Division Two 18 clubs Northern Counties East Football League Division One 19 clubs East Midlands Counties Football League 18 clubs Northern League Division Two (Arngrove Northern League Division Two) 20 clubs Western League Division One (Toolstation League Division One) 21 clubs South West Peninsula League Premier Division (Carlsberg South West Peninsula Premier Division) 20 clubs Wessex League Division One (Sydenhams Wessex League Division One) 21 clubs Sussex County League Division Two 18 clubs Hellenic Football League Division One West (FTB Futbol Hellenic League Division One West) 17 clubs Hellenic Football League Division One East (FTB Futbol Hellenic League Division One East) 18 clubs United Counties League Division One (Eagle Bitter United Counties League Division One) 16 clubs Eastern Counties Football League First Division (Ridgeons Football League First Division) 20 clubs Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One (Minerva Footballs Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One) 21 clubs Combined Counties League Division One (Cherry Red Records Combined Counties League Division One) 18 clubs West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division (Sport Italia West Midlands League Premier Division) 21 clubs Midland Football Combination Premier Division 21 clubs (All divisions run in parallel)
11	Anglian Combination Premier Division 16 clubs Bedfordshire Football League Premier Division 15 clubs Brighton Hove and District Football League Premier Division 11 clubs Cambridgeshire Football League Premier Division 15 clubs Central Midlands League Supreme Division 18 clubs Cheshire Association Football League Division One 16 clubs Crawley and District Football League Premier Division 9 clubs Dorset Premier Football League 15 clubs East Berkshire Football League Premier Division 12 clubs East Sussex Football League Premier Division 10 clubs Essex and Suffolk Border Football League Premier Division 16 clubs Essex Olympian Football League Division One 14 clubs Gloucestershire County League 17 clubs Hampshire Premier League 18 clubs Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division 16 clubs Kent County League Premier Division 15 clubs Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division 14 clubs Liverpool County Premier League Premier Division 16 clubs Manchester Football League Premier Division 18 clubs Mid-Sussex Football League Premier Division 13 clubs Middlesex County Football League Premier Division 14 clubs Midland Football Combination Division One 16 clubs North Berks Football League Division One 12 clubs			Northamptonshire Combination Premier Division 14 clubs Northampton Town League Premier Division 12 clubs Northern Football Alliance Premier Division 17 clubs Oxfordshire Senior Football League Premier Division12 clubs Peterborough and District League Premier Division 16 clubs Reading Football League Senior Division 12 clubs Somerset County Football League Premier Division 18 clubs South West Peninsula League Division One East 18 clubs South West Peninsula League Division One West 17 clubs Spartan South Midlands League Division Two 18 clubs Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division 18 clubs Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Senior Division 16 clubs Surrey Elite Intermediate League16 clubs Sussex County League Division 3 14 clubs Wearside Football League 20 clubs West Cheshire Amateur League Division One 17 clubs West Lancashire Football League Premier Division 16 clubs West Riding County Amateur Football League Premier Division 14 clubs West Midlands (Regional) League Division One 17 clubs West Sussex Football League Premier Division 10 clubs West Yorkshire Football League Premier Division 16 clubs Wiltshire Football League Premier Division 17 clubs Worthing and District Football League Premier Division 10 clubs
12	Aldershot & District League Senior Division Anglian Combination Division One Bedfordshire Football League Division One Brighton Hove and District Football League Division One Bristol Premier Combination Premier Division Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Premier Division One Cambridgeshire Football League Senior A Division Central Midlands League Premier Division Cheshire Association Football League Division Two 16 clubs Cornwall Combination Crawley and District Football League Division One Devon and Exeter Football League Premier Division Dorset Senior League Senior Division East Berkshire Football League Division One East Cornwall League Premier Division East Sussex Football League Division One Essex and Suffolk Border Football League Division One Essex Olympian Football League Division Two Gloucester Northern Senior League Division One Hampshire League Hertfordshire Senior County League Division One Kent County League Division One East Kent County League Division One West Leicestershire Senior League Division One Liverpool County Premier League Division One Manchester Football League Division One Mid-Sussex Football League Division One			Middlesex County Football League Division One Midland Football Combination Division Two North Berks Football League Division Two North Bucks and District League Premier Division North Devon Football League Premier Division Northamptonshire Football Combination Division One Northampton Town Football League Division One Northern Football Alliance Division One Oxfordshire Senior Football League Division One Peterborough and District Football League Division One Plymouth and West Devon Combination Premier Division Reading Football League Premier Division Somerset County Football League Division One South Devon Football League Premier Division Staffordshire County Senior Football League Division One Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division One Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Premier Division Surrey South Eastern Combination Intermediate Division One Teesside Football League Division One West Cheshire Amateur Football League Division Two West Lancashire Football League Division One West Midlands (Regional) League Division Two West Riding County Amateur Football League Division One West Sussex Football League Division One West Yorkshire Football League Division One Wiltshire Football League Division One Worthing and District Football League Division One
13	Aldershot & District League Division One Andover and District Saturday Football League Anglian Combination Division Two Altrincham and District Amateur Football League Division One Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Premier Division Basingstoke and District Football League Premier Division Bedfordshire Football League Division Two Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division One Brighton Hove and District Football League Division Two Bristol Premier Combination Division One Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Premier Division Two Cambridgeshire Football League Senior B Division Chesterfield and District Amateur League Crawley and District Football League Division Two Devon and Exeter Football League Senior Division One Doncaster and District Senior League Premier Division Dorset Senior League Division One East Berkshire Football League Division Two East Cornwall League Division One East Sussex Football League Division Two Essex and Suffolk Border Football League Division Two Essex Olympian Football League Division Three Falmouth and Helston League Division One Gloucester Northern Senior League Division Two Hertford and District League Premier Division Humber Premier League Premier Division Ilford and District League Premier Division Kent County League Division Two East Kent County League Division Two West Leicester and District League Premier Division Leicester City Football League Division One Liverpool County Premier League Division Two Mid-Essex League Premier Division Mid-Sussex Football League Division Two Middlesex County Football League Division Two Midland Football Combination Division Three Midlands Regional Alliance Premier Division			Mining League Division One North Berks Football League Division Three North Bucks and District League Intermediate Division North Devon Football League Senior Division Northamptonshire Football Combination Division Two North & Mid-Herts Football League Premier Division North Leicestershire League Premier Division Northern Football Alliance Division Two Nottinghamshire Senior League Peterborough and District Football League Division Two Plymouth and West Devon Combination Senior Division Portsmouth Saturday Football League Premier Division Reading Football League Division One Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Premier Division Shropshire County Premier Football League Premier Division Somerset County Football League Division Two East Somerset County Football League Division Two West Southampton Saturday Football League Premier Division South Devon Football League Division One Southend Borough Combination Premier Division Staffordshire County Senior Football League Division Two Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division Two Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) Division One Surrey South Eastern Combination Intermediate Division Two Teesside Football League Division Two West Cheshire Amateur Football League Division Three West Lancashire Football League Division Two West Riding County Amateur Football League Division Two West Sussex Football League Division Two North West Sussex Football League Division Two South West Yorkshire Football League Division Two Wiltshire Football League Division Two Winchester and District Saturday Football League Witney and District League Premier Division Worthing and District Football League Division Two
14	Aldershot & District League Division Two \| Anglian Combination Division Three \| Altrincham and District Amateur Football League Division Two \| Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Division One \| Basingstoke and District Football League Division One \| Bath and District League Division One \| Bedfordshire Football League Division Three \| Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division Two \| Bradford League \| Brighton Hove and District Football League Division Three \| Bristol and District League Senior Division \| Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Division One \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division One A \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division One B \| Cheltenham League Division One \| Cirencester and District League Division One \| Craven and District League Premier Division \| Devon and Exeter Football League Senior Division Two \| Doncaster and District Senior League Division One \| Dorset Senior League Division Two \| Driffield and District League Premier Division \| Duchy League Premier Division \| East Berkshire Football League Division Three \| East Riding Amateur League Premier Division \| East Riding County League Premier Division \| East Sussex Football League Division Three \| Essex and Suffolk Border Football League Division Three \| Essex Business Houses Football League Premier Division \| Falmouth and Helston League Division Two \| Furness Premier League Premier Division \| Guildford and Woking Alliance League Premier Division \| Halifax and District League Premier Division \| Harrogate and District League Premier Division \| Hertford and District League Division One \| Humber Premier League Division One \| Huddersfield and District Association Football League Division One \| Ilford and District League Division One \| Lancashire Amateur League Premier Division \| Leeds Red Triangle Football League Premier Division \| Leicester and District League Division One \| Leicester City Football League Division Two \| Mid-Essex League Division One \| Mid Somerset League Premier Division \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Three \| Middlesex County Football League Division Three East \| Middlesex County Football League Division Three West \| Midlands Regional Alliance Division One \| Mining League Division Two \| Newcastle Corinthians League Division One \| North Berks Football League Division Four \| North Bucks and District League Division One \| North Devon Football League Intermediate Division One \| North Gloucestershire League Premier Division \| North & Mid-Herts Football League Division One Mid \| North & Mid-Herts Football League Division One North \| North Leicestershire League Division One \| North Northumberland League Division One \| Northamptonshire Football Combination Division Three \| Plymouth and West Devon Combination Intermediate Division \| Portsmouth Saturday Football League Division One \| Reading Football League Division Two \| Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Division One \| Shropshire County Premier Football League Division One \| Southampton Saturday Football League Senior Division One \| South Devon Football League Division Two \| Southend Borough Combination Division One \| Spen Valley and District Football League Premier Division \| Stroud and District League Division One \| Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division Three \| Taunton & District Saturday League Division One \| Tyneside Amateur League Division One \| Wakefield and District League Premier Division \| Weston super Mare and District League Division One \| West Sussex Football League Division Three North \| West Sussex Football League Division Three South \| Witney and District League Division One \| Worthing and District Football League Division Three \| Yeovil and District League Premier Division \| York Football League Premier Division \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Senior Division A
15	Aldershot & District League Division Three \| Anglian Combination Division Four \| Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Division Two \| Bath and District League Division Two \| Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division Three \| Brighton Hove and District Football League Division Four \| Bristol and District League Division One \| Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Division Two \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Two A \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Two B \| Cheltenham League Division Two \| Cirencester and District League Division Two \| Colchester and East Essex Football League Premier Division \| Craven and District League Division One \| Devon and Exeter Football League Senior Division Three \| Dorset Senior League Division Three \| Driffield and District League Division One \| Duchy League Division One \| East Berkshire League Division Four \| East Riding Amateur League Division One \| East Riding County League Division One \| East Sussex Football League Division Four \| Essex Business Houses Football League Division One \| Falmouth and Helston League Division Three \| Furness Premier League Division One \| Guildford and Woking Alliance League Division One \| Halifax and District League Division One \| Harrogate and District League Division One \| Hertford and District League Division Two \| Huddersfield and District Association Football League Division Two \| Ilford and District League Division Two \| Isle of Wight Saturday Football League Division One \| Lancashire Amateur League Division One \| Leeds Red Triangle Football League Division One \| Leicester and District League Division Two \| Mid-Essex League Division Two \| Mid Somerset League Division One \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Four \| Midlands Regional Alliance Division Two \| Mining League Division Three \| Newcastle Corinthians League Division Two \| North Berks Football League Division Five \| North Bucks and District League Division Two \| North Devon Football League Intermediate Division Two \| North Gloucestershire League Division One \| North Leicestershire League Division Two \| North Northumberland League Division Two \| Northamptonshire Football Combination Division Four \| Portsmouth Saturday Football League Division Two \| Reading Football League Division Three \| Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Division Two \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division One \| South Devon Football League Division Three \| Southend Borough Combination Division Two \| Spen Valley and District Football League Division One \| Stroud and District League Division Two \| Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division Four \| Taunton & District Saturday League Division Two \| Tyneside Amateur League Division Two \| Wakefield and District League Division One \| West Sussex Football League Division Four North \| West Sussex Football League Division Four South \| Weston super Mare and District League Division Two \| Witney and District League Division Two \| Yeovil and District League Division One \| York Football League Division One \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Senior Division B
16	Anglian Combination Division Five \| Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Division Three \| Basingstoke and District Football League Division Two \| Bath and District League Division Three \| Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division Four \| Bristol and District League Division Two \| Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Division Three \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Three A \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Three B \| Cheltenham League Division Three \| Colchester and East Essex Football League Division One \| Craven and District League Division Two \| Devon and Exeter Football League Senior Division Four \| Dorset Senior League Division Four \| Driffield and District League Division Two \| Duchy League Division Two \| East Riding Amateur League Division Two \| East Riding County League Division Two \| East Sussex Football League Division Five \| Essex Business Houses Football League Division Two \| Guildford and Woking Alliance League Division Two \| Halifax and District League Division Two \| Harrogate and District League Division Two \| Hertford and District League Division Three \| Huddersfield and District Association Football League Division Three \| Ilford and District League Division Three \| Isle of Wight Saturday Football League Division Two \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Two \| Mid-Essex League Division Three \| Mid Somerset League Division Two \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Five \| North Gloucestershire League Division Two \| North Leicestershire League Division Three \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Two \| South Devon Football League Division Four \| Southend Borough Combination Division Three \| South Yorkshire Amateur League Premier Division \| Stroud and District League Division Three \| Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division Five \| Taunton & District Saturday League Division Three \| Wakefield and District League Division Two \| West Sussex Football League Division Five North \| West Sussex Football League Division Five South \| West Sussex Football League Division Five Central \| Weston super Mare and District League Division Three \| Witney and District League Division Three \| Yeovil and District League Division Two \| York Football League Division Two \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Division One
17	Anglian Combination Division Six \| Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division Five \| Bristol and District League Division Three \| Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Division Four \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Four A \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Four B \| Cheltenham League Division Four \| Colchester and East Essex Football League Division Two \| Craven and District League Division Three \| Devon and Exeter Football League Senior Division Five \| Driffield and District League Division Three \| Duchy League Division Three \| East Riding County League Division Three \| East Sussex Football League Division Six \| Essex Business Houses Football League Division Three \| Guildford and Woking Alliance League Division Three \| Halifax and District League Division Three \| Harrogate and District League Division Three \| Huddersfield and District Association Football League Division Four \| Isle of Wight Saturday Football League Division Three \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Three \| Mid-Essex League Division Four \| Mid Somerset League Division Three \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Six \| North Gloucestershire League Division Three \| North Leicestershire League Division Four \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Three \| South Devon Football League Division Five \| South Yorkshire Amateur League Division One A \| South Yorkshire Amateur League Division One B \| Southend Borough Combination Division Four \| Stroud and District League Division Four \| Suffolk and Ipswich Football League Division Six \| Taunton & District Saturday League Division Four \| Wakefield and District League Division Three \| Weston super Mare and District League Division Four \| Yeovil and District League Division Three \| York Football League Division Three \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Division Two (NOTE: No league has its top* division at level 17)*
18	Bournemouth Saturday Football League Division Six \| Bristol and District League Division Four \| Bristol and Suburban Association Football League Division Five \| Bury and District League Division One \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Five A \| Cambridgeshire Football League Division Five B \| Central and South Norfolk League Division One \| Cheltenham League Division Five \| Colchester and East Essex Football League Division Three \| Devon and Exeter Football League Intermediate Division One \| Duchy League Division Four \| East Riding County League Division Four \| Guildford and Woking Alliance League Division Four \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Four \| Mid-Essex League Division Five \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Seven \| North Gloucestershire League Division Four \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Four \| South Devon Football League Division Six \| Southend Borough Combination Division Five \| Stroud and District League Division Five \| Weston super Mare and District League Division Five \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Division Three
19	Bristol and District League Division Five \| Bury and District League Division Two \| Central and South Norfolk League Division Two \| Devon and Exeter Football League Intermediate Division Two \| Duchy League Division Five \| East Riding County League Division Five \| Huddersfield and District Works and Combination League \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Five \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Eight \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Five \| South Devon Football League Division Seven \| Southend Borough Combination Division Six \| Stroud and District League Division Six \| Weston super Mare and District League Division Six \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Division Four
20	Bristol and District League Division Six \| Bury and District League Division Three \| Central and South Norfolk League Division Three \| Devon and Exeter Football League Intermediate Division Three \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Six \| Mid-Sussex Football League Division Nine \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Six \| Stroud and District League Division Seven \| Yorkshire Old Boys League Division Five (NOTE: No league has its top* division at level 20)*
21	Bristol and Avon League \| Bristol Downs Football League Division One \| Central and South Norfolk League Division Four \| Devon and Exeter Football League Intermediate Division Four \| Lancashire Amateur League Division Seven \| Southampton Saturday Football League Junior Division Seven \| Stroud and District League Division Eight (NOTE: This is the lowest level at which any league has its top* division)*
22	Bristol Downs Football League Division Two
23	Bristol Downs Football League Division Three
24	Bristol Downs Football League Division Four
	By : wikipedia.com

2008-10-29T12:40:00.000-07:00

England national football team

England

Nickname(s)

The Three Lions

Association

The Football Association

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Fabio Capello

Asst coach

Italo Galbiati

Captain

John Terry

Most caps

Peter Shilton (125)

Top scorer

Sir Bobby Charlton (49)

Home stadium

Wembley Stadium (London)

FIFA code

ENG

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

4 (December 1997/September 2006)

Lowest FIFA ranking

27 (February 1996)

Elo ranking

Highest Elo ranking

1 (1872-1876
1892-1911
1966-1970
1987-1988)

Lowest Elo ranking

17 (1928)




Home colours




Away colours

First international

Scotland 0 - 0 England
(Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872)

Biggest win

Ireland 0 - 13 England
(Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882)

Biggest defeat

Hungary 7 - 1 England
(Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954)

World Cup

Appearances

12 (First in 1950)

Best result

Winners, 1966

European Championship

Appearances

7 (First in 1968)

Best result

1968: Third, 1996 Semi-finals

The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England. Although most national teams worldwide represent an independent state, the four constituent countries which form the United Kingdom are each represented separately in most international tournaments.

England is one of the more successful footballing teams, being one of only seven countries to ever win the FIFA World Cup, which they did in 1966 when they hosted the finals. They defeated West Germany 4-2 in extra time in the Final. England share with France the record of having one World Cup victory and this being achieved on home soil (the other winners have all won the trophy at least twice and at least once on foreign soil). Since then they have only reached the semi-finals once, losing to West Germany on penalties. Nevertheless, they remain a prominent team on the global stage, rarely dropping outside of the top ten rankings of both FIFA and Elo. England also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championship in 1968 and 1996 (again played in England). They were the most successful of the Home Nations in the British Home Championship with 54 wins (including 20 shared wins) before the competition was suspended in 1984.

Traditionally, England's greatest rivals have been Scotland, who were their opponents in the first-ever international football match in 1870.^[1] Since regular fixtures against Scotland came to an end in the late 1980s, other rivalries have become more prominent.^[2] Matches with Argentina and Germany have produced particularly eventful encounters. England's home ground is Wembley Stadium in London.

History

Main article: History of the England national football team

The England national football team is the joint oldest in the world, formed at the same time as Scotland. A representative match between England and Scotland was played on the 5th March 1870, having been organised by the Football Association. A return fixture was organised by representatives of Scottish football teams on 30 November 1872. This match, at Hamilton Crescent in Scotland, is viewed as the first official international as the two teams were independently selected and operated, rather than being the work of a single football association, as the 1870 match had been. Over the next forty years, England played exclusively with the other three "Home Nations" - Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The games were made competitive with the British Home Championship from 1883 to 1984.

Before Wembley was opened, England had no permanent home ground. England joined FIFA in 1906, playing its first ever game outside the British Isles in 1908. However, the relationship between the two was strained, resulting in the British nations' departure from FIFA in 1928, before rejoining in 1946. As a result, England did not compete in a World Cup until 1950, in which they were beaten in a 1-0 defeat against the United States, failing to get past the first round. England's first ever defeat on home soil to a non-UK team was a 0-2 loss to Ireland on 21 September 1949 at Goodison Park, Liverpool. A 6-3 loss in 1953 to Hungary was England's first ever defeat to a non-UK team at Wembley. In the return match in Budapest, Hungary won 7-1, which still stands as England's worst ever defeat. Ivor Broadis scored the England goal. After the game bewildered England centre half Syd Owen said, “It was like playing people from outer space”.

In the 1954 World Cup two goals by Broadis saw him become the first England player to score two goals in a game at the World Cup finals. Broadis beat Nat Lofthouse by 30 minutes when both scored 2 each in the thrilling 4-4 draw against Belgium. In reaching the quarter finals for the first time England lost 4-2 being eliminated by Uruguay. Only once have England progressed beyond the World Cup quarter finals away from home.

Although Walter Winterbottom was appointed as the first ever full time manager in 1946, the team was still picked by a committee until Alf Ramsey took over in 1963. Under Ramsey, England experienced its greatest ever success, winning the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final against West Germany 4-2 after extra time. Geoff Hurst famously scored a hat-trick in the final. The 1966 World Cup was also held in England. Though England lost again to the Auld Enemy Scotland only a year later with a famous 3-2 for the Scots at Wembley. England qualified for the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico as reigning cup holders. They reached the Quarter-finals but were knocked out by West Germany. England had been 2 - 0 up but were eventually beaten 3-2 after extra time. For the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, England failed to qualify. In 1982, England under Ron Greenwood qualified for 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain after a 12-year absence and were eliminated from the second round without losing a match. The team under Bobby Robson fared better as England reached the quarter finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup and finished fourth in the tournament four years later. This is the only time England have progressed beyond the World Cup quarter finals away from home.

Graham Taylor's short reign as Robson's successor ended after his England failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, but then the 1996 European Championships were held in England, and under new coach Terry Venables the team had its best performance at a European Championship, reaching the semi-final. The England team of the 1990s and 2000s has been consistently in football's top twenty countries, but hasn't progressed beyond the quarter finals of any international tournament apart from Italia 90 and Euro 96. Sven-Göran Eriksson took charge of the team between 2001 and 2006 and was the first non-English manager of England. Despite controversial press coverage of his personal life, Eriksson was consistently popular with the majority of fans and England enjoyed some success with top qualifying place in two World Cup tournaments and Euro 2004, losing only five competitive matches during his tenure and rising to a (joint) record FIFA No.4 world ranking for the English national team during the 2006 World Cup under his guidance. Eriksson's contract was extended by The FA by two years to include Euro 2008 prior to being terminated by them at the conclusion of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Steve McClaren was appointed as the head coach following the 2006 World Cup. The reign was marked with little success, with England failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championships. McClaren left on 22 November 2007, after only 16 months in charge and making him the shortest tenured full time England manager ever since the inauguration of the post in 1946. He was replaced by the former Real Madrid and AC Milan manager Fabio Capello. The Italian is the second foreign manager to coach England, after Eriksson, and took charge of his first game on 6 February 2008 against Switzerland. England won 2-1. Since then Capello has also managed England in games against France, USA and Trinidad & Tobago. England lost 1-0 to France, won 2-0 against the USA and 3-0 against T&T. His next game against the Czech Republic ended in a 2-2 draw. In their first qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup, Joe Cole scored both England's goals in a 2–0 win over Andorra and a 4-1 victory over Croatia with a hat-trick from Theo Walcott and a goal from Wayne Rooney. This was followed by a 5–1 victory at home over Kazhakstan, with Wayne Rooney scoring twice and Rio Ferdinand and Jermaine Defoe, along with an own goal, completing the scoring.

Home stadium

For the first 50 years of its existence, England played its home matches all around the country; for the first few years it used cricket grounds, before later moving on to football clubs' stadiums. England played their first match at Wembley Stadium in 1924 against Scotland, but for the next 27 years only used Wembley as a venue for Scotland matches.

The Wembley Stadium is a stadium in Wembley, located in the London Borough of Brent in London, England. It is owned by The Football Association (FA) via its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Limited, and its primary use is for home games of the England national football team, and the main English domestic football finals.

The original Wembley Stadium first opened its doors in 1924 in a match against Scotland and closed them in 2000 with a farewell defeat to arch rivals Germany. The new 90,000 seater Wembley costing £800 million, hosted its first match on 01/06/2007 against Brazil ending 1-1, with former captain David Beckham setting up new captain John Terry for England's first goal at the new Wembley Stadium.

Media coverage

From the 2008–09 season to the 2011-2012 season, England's home qualifiers will be shown live on ITV with away qualifiers and home friendlies being shown live on Setanta Sports. Away friendlies will again be sold by the home team. Before this, home qualifiers and friendlies were shown on BBC with away matches on Sky Sports.

In Australia England national football team home games and selected away games are broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia.

All matches are broadcast with full commentary on BBC Radio Five Live.

Colours

England's Brazil-style third kit from 1973

England's traditional home colours are white shirts, navy shorts and white socks.

The traditional England away colour is red, although England did not need an away kit until they played against a non-British side. From 1945 to 1952, England wore a blue away kit. In 1996 England's away kit was changed to grey shirts, shorts and socks. This kit was worn against Bulgaria, Germany and Georgia but the deviation from traditional red was unpopular with supporters and since then the England away kit has remained red.

Third kit

England have occasionally had a third kit as well. At the 1970 World Cup England wore a third kit with light blue shirt, shorts and socks against Czechoslovakia.

They had a strip similar to Brazil's kit, with a yellow shirt and blue shorts in 1973, worn against Czechoslovakia, Poland and Italy.

Between 1986 and 1992 England had pale blue third kits which were rarely worn. By : wikipedia.com

Italian Football League System

2008-10-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Italian football league system

The Italian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Italy.

Structure

At the top is the Lega Nazionale Professionisti ('Professionals National League', often referred to as 'Lega Calcio'), which has two divisions (Serie A and Serie B).

Below that is the Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico ('Italian League Professional Football', often referred to as 'Lega Pro'), which rules First Division (with two parallel divisions) and Second Division (with three parallel divisions).

Then there is the simply named Serie D, a league of nine parallel divisions (in which the clubs are divided by geographical location) that is organised by the Comitato Interregionale ('Interregional Committee') of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti ('National Amateur League'). Under them there are five more levels: four of them, Eccellenza, Promozione, Prima Categoria and Seconda Categoria, are organized by regional committees of the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti, the last one, Terza Categoria, by provincial committees.

Current System

Level	League/Division(s)
1	Lega Calcio Serie A TIM 20 clubs
2	Lega Calcio Serie B TIM 22 clubs
3	Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone A 18 clubs					Lega Pro Prima Divisione Girone B 18 clubs
4	Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Girone A 18 clubs			Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Girone B 18 clubs				Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Girone C 18 clubs
5	LND Serie D Girone A 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone B 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone C 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone D 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone E 18 clubs		LND Serie D Girone F 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone G 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone H 18 clubs	LND Serie D Girone I 18 clubs
6	Eccellenza (28 regional rounds, 16 or 18 clubs each)
7	Promozione (53 regional rounds, 16, 17 or 18 clubs each)
8	Prima Categoria (many regional rounds)
9	Seconda Categoria (many regional rounds)
10	Terza Categoria (many provincial rounds)

History

The first leagues were started by English emigrants in the 1891s in Italy. The first club was Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club (now Genoa Cricket & Football Club). Initially there were separate leagues for Italians and foreigners, they merged around 1897. In March 1898, the Italian Football Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio , FIGC) was set up in Turin. With four clubs joining - Genoa, FC Torinese, Internazionale di Torino and the Società Ginnastica di Torino (Gymnastic Society of Torino). Other clubs existed but decided not to join. The first league took place on a single day, May 8, 1898 in Torino. The title was won by Genoa.

Genoa were the initial force in Italian football. They won the championship in 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, and 1904. Following a split at the Gymnastic Society of Torino two clubs were formed - Milan FBC and FBC Juventus, they joined the league in 1900.

The league joined FIFA in 1905 and moved to a league structure, based on regions, in the same year.

After the interruption of World War I, football popularity grew and more and smaller clubs joined. In the summer of 1921, a second association was briefly created in competition with the FIGC. The Confederazione Calcistica Italiana (CCI), emerged from an argument between major and minor clubs over the structure of the national leagues. Hence in 1922 Italy had two champions US Pro Vercelli and US Novese. The two groups eventually re-merged at the end of the season.

The move to a single national league structure occurred in 1929 with initially eighteen teams in the top league. The first winners in 1930 were Internazionale. The national team also won the World Cup in 1934 and 1938.

After World War II the league returned to a regional structure with a north-south divide and a play-off for a single year before returning to a national league. Torino were the first post-war league champions and went on to win four in a row.

However it is Juventus, A.C. Milan and Internazionale that have dominated the league since World War II, winning 54 titles between them.

Football in Italy

v • d • e

League competitions	National association	Cup competitions
Serie A	Italy	Coppa Italia
Serie B	U-21	Supercoppa Italiana
Lega Pro Prima Divisione (2 divisions)	League system	Coppa Italia Lega Pro
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (3 divisions)	List of clubs	Supercoppa di Lega Pro Prima Divisione
Serie D (9 divisions)	List of venues	Supercoppa di Lega Pro Seconda Divisione
Eccellenza (28 divisions)	Serie A scandal	Coppa Italia Serie D
Promozione (53 divisions)	Foreign players	Coppa Italia Dilettanti
Prima Categoria (1,600+ teams)	Oscar del Calcio	Coppa Italia Primavera (youth teams)
Seconda Categoria (2,800+ teams)	Records	Supercoppa Primavera (youth teams)
Terza Categoria (3,100+ teams)	Scudetto	Torneo di Viareggio (youth teams)
Campionato Primavera (youth teams)
Campionato Berretti (youth teams) By : wikipedia.com

All about Italian National Football Team

2008-10-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Italy national football team

Italian National Football Team

Nickname(s)

Azzurri

Association

Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio
(Italian Football Federation)

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Marcello Lippi

Captain

Fabio Cannavaro

Most caps

Paolo Maldini (126)

Top scorer

Luigi Riva (35)

FIFA code

ITA

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

1 (November 1993
February 2007
April 2007-June 2007)

Lowest FIFA ranking

16 (April 1998)

Elo ranking

Highest Elo ranking

1 (June 1934-March 1940
December 1940-November 1945
July 2006-August 2006)

Lowest Elo ranking

21 (November 1959)




Home colours




Away colours

First international

Italy 6 - 2 France
(Milan, Italy; 15 May 1910)

Biggest win

Italy 9 - 0 United States
(Brentford, England; 2 August 1948)

Biggest defeat

Hungary 7 - 1 Italy
(Budapest, Hungary; 6 April 1924)

World Cup

Appearances

16 (First in 1934)

Best result

Winners, 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

European Championship

Appearances

7 (First in 1968)

Best result

Winners, 1968

Men's Football
Olympic medal record
Gold	1936 Berlin^[1]	Team
Bronze	1928 Amsterdam^[2]	Team
Bronze	2004 Athens^[3]	Team

The Italian national football team is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) and represents Italy in international football competition. They are the current World Champions, having won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Italy is among the top teams in international football and the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), just one fewer than Brazil. To this tally they can add one European championship (1968), one Olympic football tournament (1936) and two (defunct) Central European International Cups.

The traditional colour of the national team (as well as all Italian teams and athletes) is azure blue^[4] (azzurro, in Italian), due to the "Azzurro Savoia" (Savoy Blue), the colour traditionally linked to the royal dynasty which unified Italy in 1861. Therefore, national team members are nicknamed Azzurri.

History

Origins and first two World Cups (1910–1938)

Poster advertising the 1934 World Cup.

The team's first match was held in Milan on 15 May 1910; Italy defeated France by a score of 6-2. Some turmoil kept the players of Pro Vercelli, the best team of the league, out of the game. At the end of the match, the players received as a prize some cigarette packets thrown by the 4,000 spectators. The Italian team (2-3-5): De Simoni; Varisco, Calì; Trerè, Fossati, Capello; Debernardi, Rizzi, Cevenini I, Lana, Boiocchi. First captain of the team was Francesco Calì

The first success in an official tournament came with the bronze medal in 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam. After losing the semi-final against Uruguay, a victory for 11-3 against Egypt secured third place in the competition.

After declining to participate in the first World Cup (1930, in Uruguay), the Italian national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in 1934 and 1938, under the lead of coach Vittorio Pozzo and thanks to the genius of Giuseppe Meazza, one of the best Italian players ever. Other stars of that era included Luis Monti, Giovanni Ferrari, Silvio Piola and Virginio Rosetta In the 1934 World Cup, the host Azzurri defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1 in Rome, with goals by Raimundo Orsi and Angelo Schiavio.

Italy won the Gold medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in Berlin, thanks to a victory in the final match against Austria. Italy's predominance on international football in the 1930s was confirmed by the victory in 1938 World Cup. The Italian team beat Hungary 4–2 in Paris, with two goals by Silvio Piola (the all-time top scorer in Italian football) and two by Gino Colaussi.

Post-World War II (1946–1966)

After World War II, the Italian national team did not perform at its pre-war levels.

The tragic loss in 1949 of the players of Torino (the winners of the previous four Serie A titles) in the Superga air disaster saw the loss of ten out of the eleven constituting the initial line-up for the national team. The following year, Italy did not advance further than the first round of the 1950 World Cup, partly due to the long and physically devastating boat trip to Brazil (air travel was discarded due to fear of another accident).

In the World Cup finals of 1954 and the 1962 that followed, Italy again failed to progress past the first round, and did not even qualify for the 1958 World Cup. During the early 1960s, although Italian football clubs like AC Milan and Internazionale ruled the international scene, the National team was unable to replicate these results. Italy did not take part in the first edition of the European Championship in 1960 (then known as the European Nations Cup), and was knocked out by the USSR in the round of 16 (second round) of the 1964 European Championship.

Their participation in the 1966 World Cup is always remembered for their 0–1 defeat at the hands of North Korea. Despite being the tournament favourites, the Azzurri, whose 1966 squad was rich with talent including Rivera and Bulgarelli, were eliminated in the first round by the semi-professional North Koreans and bitterly condemned upon their return home, while North Korean scorer Pak Doo-Ik was celebrated as the David who killed Goliath.

European champions and World Cup runners-up (1968–1976)

In 1968, the Azzurri won their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup, defeating Yugoslavia in Rome for the European Championship title. The match holds the distinction of being the only major football tournament final to go to a replay. After extra time it ended in a 1-1 draw, and in the days before penalty shootouts, the rules required the match to be replayed a few days later. Italy won the replay 2-0 (with goals from Riva and Anastasi) to lift the trophy.

Two years later, the defending European Champions reached the final of the 1970 World Cup, held in Mexico. First, Italy won its first round group scoring only one goal, after a series of dull, uninspired games against Sweden, Uruguay, and Israel. The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over host Mexico after trailing 0-1. Then came the semifinal between Italy and West Germany which is remembered as one of the greatest games ever played. This match, won by Italy 4-3 after extra time, is known as the Game of the Century, and a marker at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City still commemorates it. Italy took a 1-0 lead through Boninsegna in the 8th minute, leaving Germany to press forward for the rest of the game. The score remained unchanged until the very end when sweeper Schnellinger, then with Italy's AC Milan, popped up unmarked in the penalty area to score in injury time. In extra time, Müller gave Germany the lead on 94' before defender Burgnich levelled the score with a rare international goal. On 104', Riva made it 3-2, only for Müller to equalize six minutes later with a glancing header. The TV cameras were still replaying this goal when Rivera met a Boninsegna cross with a first-time shot past Sepp Maier for the winning goal in the 111th minute. For the very first time, people gathered in the streets of Italy in the late night to cheer for the victory, and after many years this game still remains the best remembered in Italian football history.

In the two games against Mexico and West Germany, coach Ferruccio Valcareggi had Rivera replace Mazzola in a planned second half substitution, which was called staffetta (meaning relay as in athletics). This tactic was not repeated in the final, where Italy was defeated by Brazil. In the first half, Boninsegna answered Pelé's 18th minute goal to level the scores. In the second half, Brazil's firepower was simply too much for a tired Italian side, with Jairzinho, Gerson and Carlos Alberto each scoring. The final 4-1 result consecrated Brazil as tri-campeão (three-time champion).

This generation of great Italian players, like Riva, Rivera, Mazzola and Facchetti, did not keep up the same level of performance at the next 1972 European Championship where they did not reach the playoffs. In 1973 they achieved prestigious victories in friendly matches, beating Brazil once and England twice. In particular, Italy stormed Wembley Stadium, winning 1-0 with a goal by Fabio Capello. Despite these encouraging results, coach Valcareggi resigned after the Italian team's elimination in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. Italy was also eliminated at an early stage in 1976 European Championship.

World Cup winners for the third time (1978–1982)

The 1978 FIFA World Cup, held in Argentina, saw a new generation of Italian players, the most famous being Paolo Rossi, coming to the international stage. Italy played very well in the first round, being the only team in the tournament to beat the eventual champions and host team Argentina. Second round games against West Germany, Austria and Netherlands led Italy to the third place final, where it was defeated by Brazil 2-1. As in the match against the Netherlands, Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff was beaten by a long-distance shot and thus blamed as the main culprit for the defeat. Italy then hosted the 1980 UEFA European Football Championship, the first edition to be held between eight teams instead of four, and with the host team automatically qualified for the finals. Italy was beaten by Czechoslovakia in the third place match on penalties.

After a scandal in Serie A where some National Team players such as Paolo Rossi were prosecuted and suspended for match fixing and illegal betting, the Azzurri arrived at the 1982 FIFA World Cup amidst general scepticism and discomfort. Italy qualified for the second round after three uninspiring draws against Poland, Peru and Cameroon. Having been loudly criticized, the Italian team decided on a press black-out from then on, with only coach Enzo Bearzot and captain Dino Zoff appointed to speak to the press.

Italy's strength finally showed in the second round group, a true Group of Death with Argentina and Brazil - the defending champions and the team favoured to dethrone them. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2-1 over Diego Maradona's side after an ill-tempered battle in which Italy's defenders and midfielders proved their mastery in the rougher side of the game. Italy's goals, both excellent left-footed strikes, were scored by Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini. After Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1, Italy needed to win in order to advance to the semifinals. Twice Italy went in the lead with Paolo Rossi goals, and twice Brazil came back. When Paulo Roberto Falcão scored to make it 2-2 Brazil would have been through on goal difference; but in the 74th minute Rossi poked home the winning goal in a crowded penalty area to send Italy to the semifinals after one of the all-time greatest games in World Cup history. In the wake of its brilliant second round performance, Italy easily dispatched Poland in the first semi-final with another two goals from Rossi.

In the final match, Italy met their traditional opponent West Germany, who had advanced thanks to a penalty shootout victory against France. The first half ended scoreless, after Cabrini missed a penalty awarded for a Hans-Peter Briegel foul on Bruno Conti. In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were pushing forward in search of an equaliser, Tardelli and substitute Alessandro Altobelli finalised two perfect contropiede counterattacks to make it 3-0. Paul Breitner smashed home West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes from the end, making him the second man after Pelé to score in two different World Cup finals.

Tardelli's scream after his goal in the final is still remembered as the symbol of Italy's 1982 World Cup triumph. Paolo Rossi won the Golden Boot with six goals, and 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the oldest-ever player to win the World Cup.

World Cup and European Championship runners-up (1984–2004)

For twenty-four years following the 1982 triumph, the Azzurri figured prominently on the world stage but did not win another tournament. Italy failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championship and were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the 1986 World Cup by France. 1988 saw them reach the semifinals of the European Championship, where they were defeated 2-0 by the USSR. It was the same year in which they lost to Zambia in the Olympic games.

Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in 1990. The Italian attack featured talented forwards Salvatore Schillaci and a young Roberto Baggio. Despite being favourites to win and not conceding a goal in their first five matches, Italy lost in the semifinal to defending champion Argentina, losing 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Schillaci's first half opener having been equalised in the second half by Claudio Caniggia's header for Argentina. Aldo Serena missed the final penalty kick (with Roberto Donadoni also having his penalty saved by goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea). Italy went on to defeat England 2-1 in the third place match, with Schillaci scoring the winning goal on a penalty to become the tournament's top scorer with 6 goals. Italy then failed to qualify for the 1992 European Championship.

In the 1994 World Cup, Italy started very slowly but reached the final. They lost the opening match against Ireland 0-1, this being the only match Italy would lose (not counting games lost after shootout) over the span of three World Cup finals from 1990 to 1998 and one only of four games they have lost in regualar time since 1988 in either a Euro or World Cup (losing 2-1 to Czech Republic in the first round of Euro 1996 is the second one, losing 2-1 to Croatia in the first round of 2002 world cup is the third one with the 3-0 defeat to Holland in the Euro 2008 opener now the fourth). After a gritty 1-0 win against Norway and a 1-1 draw with Mexico, Italy advanced from Group E based on goals scored among the four teams tied on points. In the Round of 16, Italy was down 0-1 late against Nigeria, but Roberto Baggio came to the rescue with a splended equaliser in the 88th minute and a penalty in extra time to snatch the win.^[11] Baggio scored another late goal against Spain in the quarter-final to seal a 2-1 win and two beautifully taken goals against Bulgaria in the semi-final for another 2-1 win. In the final, Italy and Brazil played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking the match to penalty shootout. Italy lost the subsequent shootout 3-2 after Baggio missed the final penalty kick of the match, shooting over the crossbar.

Italy did not progress beyond the group stage at the finals of Euro 96. Gianfranco Zola failed to convert a decisive penalty against Germany, who eventually won the tournament. Then, during the qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the Azzurri beat England at Wembley for the second time with Zola scoring the only goal. In the final tournament, Italy found themselves in another critical shootout for the third World Cup in a row. The Italian side, where Del Piero and Baggio renewed the controversial staffetta (relay) between Mazzola and Rivera from 1970, held the eventual World Champions and host team France to a 0-0 draw after extra time in the quarterfinals, but lost 4-3 in the shootout. With two goals scored in this tournament, Roberto Baggio is still the only Italian player to have scored in three different FIFA World Cup editions.

In the Euro 2000, another shootout was this time to favour Italy, in the semifinal against the co-hosts the Netherlands. Italian goalkeeper Francesco Toldo saved one penalty during the match and two in the shootout, while the Dutch players missed one other penalty during the match and one during the shootout with a rate of one penalty scored out of six attempts. Emerging star Francesco Totti scored his penalty with a very brave cucchiaio (spoon) chip. Italy finished the tournament as runners-up, unluckily losing the final 2–1 against France (to a golden goal in extra time) after conceding les Bleus' equalizing goal just 30 seconds before the expected end of injury time (94'). After the defeat, coach Dino Zoff resigned in protest after being criticized by A.C. Milan president and politician Silvio Berlusconi.

In the 2002 World Cup, Italy again had a difficult time. A comfortable 2-0 victory against Ecuador with two Christian Vieri goals was followed by a 2-1 defeat to Croatia. A 1-1 draw with Mexico thanks to a goal from Alessandro Del Piero proved enough to advance to the knockout stages. However, co-host country South Korea knocked out Italy in the Round of 16, in a game full of controversial refereeing decisions. Two of which are in Fifa's top ten worst referee decisions of all time.

A three-way tie in the group stage of the 2004 European Championship left Italy as the "odd man out", and they failed to qualify for the quarterfinals after finishing behind Denmark and Sweden on the basis of number of goals scored in matches among the tied teams.^[15] The winning goal scored during stoppage time against Bulgaria by Antonio Cassano resulted useless, leaving the Italian striker in tears at the end of the game.

2006 World Cup: Champions for the fourth time

Italy's campaign in the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany was accompanied by open pessimism due to the controversy caused by the 2006 Serie A scandal. These negative predictions were then refuted, as the Azzurri eventually won their fourth World Cup.

Italy won their opening game against Ghana 2-0, with goals from Andrea Pirlo (40') and substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta (83'). The team performance was judged the best among the opening games by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

The second match was a less convincing 1-1 draw with USA, with Alberto Gilardino's diving header equalized by a Cristian Zaccardo own goal. After the equalizer, midfielder Daniele De Rossi and the USA's Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were sent off, leaving only nineteen men on the field for nearly the entirety of the second half, but the score remained unchanged despite a controversial decision when Gennaro Gattuso's shot was deflected in but disallowed because of a shady offside. The same happened at the other end when U.S. winger DaMarcus Beasley's goal was not given due to teammate Brian McBride being in an offside position. De Rossi was suspended for four matches for elbowing McBride in the face and could only return for the final match.

Italy finished first in Group E with a 2-0 win against the Czech Republic, with goals from defender Marco Materazzi (26') and striker Filippo Inzaghi (87'), advancing to the Round of 16 in the knockout stages, where they faced Australia. In this match, Materazzi was sent off early in the second half (53') after an attempted two-footed tackle on Australian midfielder Marco Bresciano. In stoppage time a penalty kick was controversially awarded to the Italians after Fabio Grosso went to ground after making contact with Australian defender Lucas Neill who was laying on the ground. Francesco Totti converted it with a powerful blast past Mark Schwarzer for a 1-0 win.

In the quarterfinals Italy beat Ukraine 3-0. Gianluca Zambrotta opened the scoring early (6') with a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area after a quick exchange with Totti created enough space. Luca Toni added two more goals in the second half (59' and 69'), as Ukraine pressed forward but were not able to score, hitting the crossbar and requiring several saves from Buffon and a goal-line clearance from the excellent Zambrotta. Afterwards, manager Marcello Lippi dedicated the victory to former Italian international Gianluca Pessotto, who was in the hospital recovering from an apparent suicide attempt.

In the semi-final, Italy beat host country Germany 2-0 with the two goals coming in the last two minutes of extra time. After an exciting, back-and-forth half hour of extra time during which Gilardino and Zambrotta struck the post and the crossbar respectively, Grosso scored in the 119th minute after a disguised Pirlo pass found him open in the penalty area for a bending left-footed shot into the far corner past German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's dive. Substitute striker Alessandro Del Piero then sealed the victory by scoring with the last kick of the game at the end of a swift counterattack by Totti and Gilardino.

Within the crowd in the Circus Maximus in Rome, after the Italian team scored against France

The Azzurri won their fourth World Cup, defeating their long-time rivals France in Berlin, on July 9, 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time. French captain Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a chipped penalty kick, controversially awarded for a foul by Materazzi. Twelve minutes later, a powerful header by Materazzi from a corner kick by Pirlo brought Italy even. In the second half, a goal by Toni was disallowed for a very close offside call. At 110', Zidane was sent off after a head butt, after a verbal exchange with Materazzi; the two players were eventually fined by FIFA for this incident. Italy then won the penalty shootout 5-3, the crucial penalty being David Trézéguet's powerful attempt that hit the crossbar and stayed out. Italy scored all five attempts in a shootout for the first time ever (Pirlo, Materazzi, De Rossi, Del Piero and Grosso). Italy remain the only side to have played in the two World Cup finals that have ended in shootouts; in 1994 and 2006.

Ten different players scored for Italy and five goals out of twelve were scored by substitutes, while four goals were scored by defenders. Seven players - Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Totti and Toni - were named to the 23-man tournament All Star Team.^[19] Buffon also won the Lev Yashin Award, given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament; he conceded only two goals in the tournament, the first an own goal by Zaccardo and the second from Zidane's penalty kick in the final, and remained unbeaten for 460 consecutive minutes. In honour of Italy winning the FIFA World Cup for a fourth time, all of the World Cup Squad were awarded the Italian Order of Merit of Cavaliere Ufficiale.

After the World Cup

Days after the Italian triumph in the World Cup, Lippi announced his resignation. 1994 World Cup star Roberto Donadoni was announced the new coach of the Azzurri on July 13. Italy played in the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group B, along with France. Italy won the group, with France being the runner-up. On February 14, 2007, FIFA ranked Italy 1st in the FIFA World Rankings, with a total of 1488 points, 37 points ahead of second ranked Argentina. This moved them up one from their previous rank, 2nd. The Azzurri had not received such an honour since 1993.

In Euro 2008, the Azzuri got off to a bad start, losing 3-0 to the Netherlands. The following game against Romania ended with 1-1, with a goal by Christian Panucci that came only a minute after Romania's Adrian Mutu capitalized on a mistake by Gianluca Zambrotta to give Romania the lead. The result was preserved by Gianluigi Buffon who saved a penalty kick from Mutu in the 80th minute.
The final game against France, a rematch of the 2006 World Cup Final, was won with a 2-0 victory. Andrea Pirlo scored from the penalty spot and a free kick by Daniele De Rossi took a wild deflection resulting Italy's second goal. Romania, entering the day a point ahead of the Italians in Group C, lost to the Netherlands 2-0, allowing Italy to pass into the quarterfinals against eventual champion Spain, where they lost 4-2 on penalties. Within a week after the game, Roberto Donadoni's contract was terminated and Marcello Lippi was rehired as coach. By : wikipedia.com

football history

2008-10-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

History

Early history

Ancient games

The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games, some of which involved the use of the feet. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a team game known as "επισκυρος" (episkyros) or phaininda, which is mentioned by a Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388–311 BC) and later referred to by the Christian theologian Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215 AD). The Roman politician Cicero (106-43 BC) describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber's shop. These games appear to have resembled rugby football. Roman ball games already knew the air-filled ball, the follis.

Documented evidence of an activity resembling football can be found in the Chinese military manual Zhan Guo Ce compiled between the 3rd century and 1st century BC. It describes a practice known as cuju (literally "kick ball"), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a piece of silk cloth which was fixed on bamboo canes and hung about 9 m above ground. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), cuju games were standardized and rules were established. Variations of this game later spread to Japan and Korea, known as kemari and chuk-guk respectively. By the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618–907), the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air-filled ball and cuju games had become professionalized, with many players making a living playing cuju. Also, two different types of goal posts emerged: One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.

The Japanese version of cuju is kemari , and was developed during the Asuka period. This is known to have been played within the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 AD. In kemari several people stand in a circle and kick a ball to each other, trying not to let the ball drop to the ground (much like keepie uppie). The game appears to have died out sometime before the mid-19th century. It was revived in 1903 and is now played at a number of festivals.

An illustration from the 1850s of Australian Aboriginal hunter gatherers. Children in the background are playing a football game, possibly Marn Grook.

There are a number of references to traditional, ancient, and/or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many different parts of the world. For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis, went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland. There are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called Aqsaqtuk. Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team's line and then at a goal. In 1610, William Strachey of the Jamestown settlement, Virginia recorded a game played by Native Americans, called Pahsaheman. In Victoria, Australia, indigenous people played a game called Marn Grook ("ball game"). An 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth, The Aborigines of Victoria, quotes a man called Richard Thomas as saying, in about 1841, that he had witnessed Aboriginal people playing the game: "Mr Thomas describes how the foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and how other players leap into the air in order to catch it." It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian rules football (see below).

Games played in Central America with rubber balls by indigenous peoples are also well-documented as existing since before this time, but these had more similarities to basketball or volleyball, and since their influence on modern football games is minimal, most do not class them as football.

These games and others may well go far back into antiquity and may have felt the growing pains of the elected officals also influenced which later affected football games. However, the main sources of modern football codes appear to lie in western Europe, especially England.

Medieval and early modern Europe

Further information: Medieval football

The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in popularity of annual Shrovetide football matches throughout Europe, particularly in England. The game played in England at this time may have arrived with the Roman occupation, but the only pre-Norman reference is to boys playing "ball games" in the ninth century Historia Brittonum. Reports of a game played in Brittany, Normandy, and Picardy, known as La Soule or Choule, suggest that some of these football games could have arrived in England as a result of the Norman Conquest.

An illustration of so-called "mob football".

These forms of football, sometimes referred to as "mob football", would be played between neighbouring towns and villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams, who would clash in a heaving mass of people, struggling to move an item such as an inflated pig's bladder, to particular geographical points, such as their opponents' church. Shrovetide games have survived into the modern era in a number of English towns (see below).

The first actual reference of modern football appeared in 1652. The credit for the design of the modern football is generally given to Solomon Sohn.

The first detailed description of football in England was given by William FitzStephen in about 1174–1183. He described the activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday:

After lunch all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a ball game. The students of each school have their own ball; the workers from each city craft are also carrying their balls. Older citizens, fathers, and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors competing, and to relive their own youth vicariously: you can see their inner passions aroused as they watch the action and get caught up in the fun being had by the carefree adolescents.

Most of the very early references to the game speak simply of "ball play" or "playing at ball". This reinforces the idea that the games played at the time did not necessarily involve a ball being kicked.

The earliest reference to a ball game that involved kicking comes from 1280 at Ulgham, Northumberland, England in which a player was killed as a result of running against an opposing player's dagger. A similar episode occurred in Shouldham, Norfolk, England in 1321: "[d]uring the game at ball as he kicked the ball, a lay friend of his... ran against him and wounded himself".

In 1314, Nicholas de Farndone, Lord Mayor of the City of London issued a decree banning football in the French used by the English upper classes at the time. A translation reads: "[f]orasmuch as there is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large foot balls [rageries de grosses pelotes de pee] in the fields of the public from which many evils might 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 in the future." This is the earliest reference to football.

In 1363, King Edward III of England issued a proclamation banning "...handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock-fighting, or other such idle games", showing that "football" — whatever its exact form in this case — was being differentiated from games involving other parts of the body, such as handball.

King Henry IV of England also presented one of the earliest documented uses of the English word "football", in 1409, when he issued a proclamation forbidding the levying of money for "foteball".

In 1424, the Parliament of Scotland passed a Football Act that stated it is statut and the king forbiddis that na man play at the fut ball under the payne of iiij d - in other words, playing football was made illegal, and punishable by a fine of four pence.

There is also an account in Latin from the end of the 15th century of football being played at Cawston, Nottinghamshire. This is the first description of a "kicking game" and the first description of dribbling: "[t]he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. It is one in which young men, in country sport, propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their feet... kicking in opposite directions" The chronicler gives the earliest reference to a football field, stating that: "[t]he boundaries have been marked and the game had started.

Other firsts in the mediæval and early modern eras:

"a football", in the sense of a ball rather than a game, was first mentioned in 1486. This reference is in Dame Juliana Berners' Book of St Albans. It states: "a certain rounde instrument to play with ...it is an instrument for the foote and then it is calde in Latyn 'pila pedalis', a fotebal."
a pair of football boots was ordered by King Henry VIII of England in 1526.
women playing a form of football was in 1580, when Sir Philip Sidney described it in one of his poems: "[a] tyme there is for all, my mother often sayes, When she, with skirts tuckt very hy, with girles at football playes."
the first references to goals are in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In 1584 and 1602 respectively, John Norden and Richard Carew referred to "goals" in Cornish hurling. Carew described how goals were made: "they pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight or ten foote asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelue [twelve] score off, other twayne in like distance, which they terme their Goales". He is also the first to describe goalkeepers and passing of the ball between players.
the first direct reference to scoring a goal is in John Day's play The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green (performed circa 1600; published 1659): "I'll play a gole at camp-ball" (an extremely violent variety of football, which was popular in East Anglia). Similarly in a poem in 1613, Michael Drayton refers to "when the Ball to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe". By : wikipedia.com

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