Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. Soccer matches in courtyards and sports stadiums are held in northern countries, on the hot African continent, in Asian countries. This sport is preferred in economically developed countries, and in the poorest countries of the world.
International Federation of Association Soccer in terms of the number of people who are involved in it can be compared with a large city. Popular soccer clubs have serious budgets. And among the players, there are many rich and famous personalities. Why is this sport so popular?

There may be several reasons for this:

• Entertainment of the game. A large field, on which players with the ball run, can be seen from all sides. The ball moves freely around the field and you can visually follow its movement. This makes the actions of the players visible and understandable.
• Simple and clear rules. Even those who do not know the rules of this game will quickly understand them by looking at the field where the match is being played. You just need to score the ball into the goal of the opposing team, following the rules.
• The game is familiar from childhood. In many countries, it is a backyard game familiar to every boy. Many people in childhood even had yard teams. For them, it is an understandable and familiar sport.
• Long history. Its history goes back over 150 years. This sport appeared in 1863. The British formulated the rules and popularized this sport. At that time, they had a lot of teams ready to play in this sport. Many countries imitated England or were its colonies. This may be another indirect reason for the popularity of soccer.
• Game dynamics. When the sports process is slow, it becomes boring to watch it. Dynamic sports are always popular. They contain notes of excitement, intrigue, and the fans are literally on edge.

It will remain a promising sport for a long time to come. World Championships can be compared to the Olympics in terms of entertainment. The world’s best teams perform at the World Championships, showing a dynamic, explosive game, thought out to the smallest detail. Spectators of soccer matches lead to a real delight.

Interesting facts about soccer

Shortly before the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, its main trophy was stolen from a public display. The police and Scotland Yard were involved in the search, but the cup was discovered seven days later in the bushes of one of the London gardens thanks to a dog named Pickles, who was walking there with the owner. After winning the championship of the England team, the dog was invited to a banquet and got the right to lick the plates of the players.

In the late 50s, in the Italian city of Siena, soccer referees decided to play themselves. Two teams made up, entered the field, and the match began. Everything was going well until a controversial ball was scored against one of the teams. It was then that all 22 players, each of whom knew and knew how to interpret the rules, began to prove their case. Word for word, and it came to such a scuffle that the police had to intervene.

In Brazil, during a soccer match, unexpectedly, the wind blew several skydivers onto the soccer field. One skydiver landed on the goalkeeper at the moment when he was about to take possession of the ball. The ball ended up in the goal, and the referee counted the goal, despite numerous protests from another team, explaining this fact as the intervention of higher powers.

The Brazilian soccer team Kakova, which had had good results, was unexpectedly disbanded by order of the Minister of the Interior. The fact is that the team consisted mainly of police officers, and during matches with its participation, all its fans in police uniforms arrived at the stadium. The city began an orgy of crime. But in the stands, the order was exemplary.

Diego Maradona has not paid large amounts of taxes since his time at Napoli, now this amount is almost $ 40 million. Therefore, when Maradona is in Italy, he always runs the risk of losing some things. In 2006, the Italian police confiscated a Rolex watch from a soccer player, and in 2009, an earring, which was then sold at auction.

In the late 70s, in a match between Mexican teams, referee Gonzalez showed 26 red cards. After several players were sent off for rough play, both teams rushed to find out who was right. When the debate turned into a general fight, all the players had to be removed. Coaches who ran onto the field suffered the same fate, they were escorted off the field.

The Norwegian national soccer team is the only team in the world that has never lost to the Brazilians. The national teams of the two powers met on the field 4 times, while the Norwegians won twice, and in the other two cases, they brought the score to a draw.

The winner of the first-ever European Championship was the USSR soccer team.

For the sake of cooperation with sponsors from the UAE, the soccer clubs Real and Barcelona agreed to remove crosses that are offensive to Muslims from their emblems. The modified logos were used for all promotional materials sold in the Emirates.

One of the soccer clubs in Madagascar, who suffered from a refereeing error, scored 149 goals in his own net in the next match as a sign of protest. This was the highest-scoring meeting since the advent of soccer.

During one of the matches in the Congo, lightning struck the field. All visiting players died on the spot, three dozen fans were injured, but the host players in full strength remained unharmed.