Association football: The Sport That Confuses Everyone

Association football, commonly known as soccer in some parts of the world, is a sport that has left many people scratching their heads in bewilderment. It’s the sport that is loved by billions but also the sport that leaves many confused about the offside rule, whether or not the ball crossed the line, and why a player would be sent off for a simple tap on the shin.

The game is played with two teams of eleven players, and the objective is to score more goals than the other team. Sounds simple enough, right? Not so fast. The rules of football are almost as complicated as rocket science. For example, if a player is deemed to be in an offside position when the ball is played, they are not allowed to touch the ball unless the player from the opposition team touches the ball first.

And don’t even get us started on the fact that a goal is not counted if the ball doesn’t fully cross the goal line. Is it just us, or does that seem like a bit of an arbitrary rule? And if a player commits a serious foul, they can be sent off the pitch with a red card, leaving their team to play with ten players for the remainder of the match.

Despite its complexities, football remains one of the most popular sports in the world. It’s estimated that over half of the world’s population tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup final in 2018, and a whopping 3.5 billion people tuned in to watch the 2019 Women’s World Cup. That’s more people than the entire population of China and India combined.

So, why do we love football so much? Is it the thrill of the game or the fact that it brings people together from all walks of life? Who knows, but one thing’s for sure, we’ll keep on watching and cheering on our favorite teams, even if we don’t fully understand the offside rule. Because at the end of the day, football is more than just a sport, it’s a cultural phenomenon.