The Game of Football: Evolution of Human Soccer

Throughout history, humans have enjoyed kicking a ball or something like a ball. South American Indians were known to use a light elasticized ball. Rubber however, was not to be practically manufactured until a few thousands of years later.


According to historical references and legend, early balls ranged from human heads, stitched up cloth, animal and human skull to pig or cow bladder.

During the Han and Tsi'n Dynasties about 255BC - 220 AD, the Chinese played 'tsuchu' in which animal skin balls were dribbled through gaps in a net stretched between poles. Certain ancient Egyptian rites are said by historians to have similarities with football, and both the ancient Greek and Romans also played games, which entailed carrying and kicking a ball.

According to pre-medieval legend, an entire village would kick a skull along a path to a nearby village square. The opposing village would in turn attempt to kick the skull to the first village square. Oops! That probably caused riots than in modern soccer games.

A medieval custom was to take a pig bladder killed in preparation of winter sustenance and inflate them. They would play a game using hands and feet to keep the ball in the air.

The animal's bladder balls were eventually covered with leather for better shape retention. Football was not yet invented until the year 1855. In 1855, Charles Goodyear designed and built the first vulcanized rubber soccer balls (footballs).

In 1862, H. J. Lindon developed one of the first inflatable rubber bladder footballs. In the year 1863 the newly formed English football Association met to hammer out the laws of the game. When the rules were revised in 1872, it was agreed that the ball must be spherical with a circumference of 27 to 28 inches (68.6cm to 71.1cm). That rules remains in today's FIFA Laws.

FIFA Laws: The Rules of the Game.


The circumference of a ball must be 27 to 28 inches (68.6cm to 71.1cm).

The object must be spherical in shape.

The game should be stopped by the referees each time it ball leaves the field of play. Award a throw-in when a ball crosses either of the side lines; award a goal kick or a corner kick when the ball crosses either of the end lines.

A standard time of 45 minutes should be allowed for the first and second half of the game separated by a half-time interval of 15 minutes.

Referees can add time on the end of each half due to time lost to injuries and other stoppages in the regular time.

Two periods of extra time each lasting for 15 minutes should be awarded when the game remained tied up after the regular time. Penalty kicks would be used to decide the winner of the game when the match still remained tied up after the extra time.

A maximum of three substitutions should be done for every sanctioned FIFA competition. The number of substitution though can be increased for friendly matches and warm-ups.
Players are not allowed to wear jewelry of any sort when playing the match i.e Earrings, rings, necklaces and many others are prohibited.

The official FIFA Laws of the Game state that a player is offside when “he is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent” at the moment the ball is passed to him. This though is determined by the referee and a player cannot be offside from a corner-kick, throw-in or a goal kick.

Referees should caution players for an unsporting behaviour or persistent fouling with a yellow card. Serious infringements, such as violent conduct or handling of the ball to prevent a goal, are punished with a red card which results in the player being sent away from the field of play, leaving the offending team with one player down. Again, when a player is cautioned with two yellow cards, a red card should be awarded and such player should leave the field of play.

A penalty kick is awarded when a player commits a foul within a penalty area. The ball is placed upon the penalty spot and an attacking team player has a free shot on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Fouls and misconducts should be penalized by awarding a free kick to the opposition.

 The ball is placed in the area where the foul was committed. A direct free kick, where the ball can be struck directly at goal without first being played to another player, is awarded for serious offences. Lesser offences are penalized by indirect free kicks that require the ball to be played to a team member before taking a shot at goal.

Do you think that the rules of the game is fair enough? Do you think that the referee will be punished if he did not abide by the rules of the game? Which rules would prove challenging to you if you were to be a footballer?