Soccer players run an average of six miles during every
game.
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.
Over one billion fans watch World Cup Soccer on
television.
Every year except for two (1930 and 1950) European Teams
have
reached every World Cup final.
India withdrew from the World Cup in 1950 because they
weren’t
allowed to play barefoot.
Soccer facts reveal that only the United States and
Canada actually
call soccer “soccer.”
Over 40 million watched on television as the U.S. Women’s
Team
won the World Cup in 1999.
Also in 1999, Over 35,000 fans competed in the largest
soccer
tournament ever in Bangkok.
There are 1000 activity changes in every soccer match.
The first soccer games may have originated in China.
The first black soccer player was Arthur Wharton in the
1800s.
Historical Soccer facts indicate The World's First
Football Club was
the English Sheffield Football Club, founded in 1857 by
Colonel Nathaniel
Cresswick and Major William Priest, two British Army
officers.
Pele was the first to call soccer “the beautiful game.”
The Soccer World Cup is played every four years.
The fewest number of fans to watch a World Cup soccer
game was
the 300 in Uruguay in 1930.
The most soccer fans to watch a World Cup soccer games
were
119,850 in Brazil in 1950.
The very first game of basketball was played with a
soccer ball.
The most World Cups have been won by Brazil--5.
In 1950 India withdrew form the World Cup because FIFA
refused to let their team play barefoot.
In 1954 Turkey knocked out Spain from during a World Cup qualifier by drawing straws. Blindfolded Italian boy Luigi Franco Gemma picked the straws to decide the winner.
There was a game in 1945, while Arsenal was playing Moscow a dense fog suddenly rolled onto the field. The referee didn’t want to reschedule the game because visiting team came from a very far distance.
In 1954 Turkey knocked out Spain from during a World Cup qualifier by drawing straws. Blindfolded Italian boy Luigi Franco Gemma picked the straws to decide the winner.
There was a game in 1945, while Arsenal was playing Moscow a dense fog suddenly rolled onto the field. The referee didn’t want to reschedule the game because visiting team came from a very far distance.
The game soon got out of hand. A player from the Russian
team was sent off the field, but snuck back on the field and wasn't spotted in
the fog. The Russian's were suspected of having 15 players on instead of 11.
The goalie from the Russian team ran into the goal post and was knocked
unconscious. A spectator ran onto the field and filled in for the rest of the
game.
In 1996 George Weah paid for his teammates uniforms and expenses so that Liberia could enter the African Nations Cup.
Football goalies didn't have to wear different colored shirts from their teammates until 1913.
Jean Langenus of Belgium wore a suit jacket, golfing plus fours and a red striped tie when he refereed the 1930 World Cup final.
In the 1938 World Cup semifinal, Giuseppe Meazza of Italy's shorts fell down as he was taking a penalty shot. He held his shorts up and calmly scored past Brazil's Valter.
In 1998 English referee Martin Sylvester sent himself off after punching a player during a game in the Andover and District Sunday League.
Luigi Riva once broke the arm of a spectator with one of his powerful shots.
Under Herbert Chapman, The Arsenal changed their name to simply Arsenal in order to appear at the top of the alphabetical list of old Division One clubs.
In 1999 Leganes coach Enrique Martin received a ten game ban for running down an opposition player who was clean through on goal.
On soccer field in Brazil there was a small bird (called a lap wig). The bird was flying over the field and reflected the winning shot with 3 minutes left in the game.
Manchester United was first known as Newton Heath. They changed their name in 1902.
In 1997 Nigerian international Celestine Babayaro broke his leg while celebrating a goal in his Chelsea debut during a preseason game.
Non-flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp's fear of flying caused him to miss many international and European games for Arsenal.
When Fernando d'Ercoli (team Pianta) was given a red card in a game, he became so mad that he snatched the card from the referee and ate it.
When Mike Bagley (of Bristol) was written up for swearing, he got so mad at the referee that he took his notebook and ripped out the page, and ate it!
In 1996 George Weah paid for his teammates uniforms and expenses so that Liberia could enter the African Nations Cup.
Football goalies didn't have to wear different colored shirts from their teammates until 1913.
Jean Langenus of Belgium wore a suit jacket, golfing plus fours and a red striped tie when he refereed the 1930 World Cup final.
In the 1938 World Cup semifinal, Giuseppe Meazza of Italy's shorts fell down as he was taking a penalty shot. He held his shorts up and calmly scored past Brazil's Valter.
In 1998 English referee Martin Sylvester sent himself off after punching a player during a game in the Andover and District Sunday League.
Luigi Riva once broke the arm of a spectator with one of his powerful shots.
Under Herbert Chapman, The Arsenal changed their name to simply Arsenal in order to appear at the top of the alphabetical list of old Division One clubs.
In 1999 Leganes coach Enrique Martin received a ten game ban for running down an opposition player who was clean through on goal.
On soccer field in Brazil there was a small bird (called a lap wig). The bird was flying over the field and reflected the winning shot with 3 minutes left in the game.
Manchester United was first known as Newton Heath. They changed their name in 1902.
In 1997 Nigerian international Celestine Babayaro broke his leg while celebrating a goal in his Chelsea debut during a preseason game.
Non-flying Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp's fear of flying caused him to miss many international and European games for Arsenal.
When Fernando d'Ercoli (team Pianta) was given a red card in a game, he became so mad that he snatched the card from the referee and ate it.
When Mike Bagley (of Bristol) was written up for swearing, he got so mad at the referee that he took his notebook and ripped out the page, and ate it!
Zinedine Zidane was never caught offside in his career
20 red cards were shown during a 1993 game between
Sportivo Ameliano and General Caballero in Paraguay.
Goalkeeper Arthur
Wharton was the first black professional soccer player. He was born in Ghana
(then Gold Coast) and played for English League team Rotherham United in 1889.
In 1954 Turkey knocked out Spain
from during a World Cup qualifier by drawing straws. Blindfolded Italian boy
Luigi Franco Gemma picked the straws to decide the winner.
In 1957 with only 30 minutes remaining,
Charlton Athletic game back from a 5-1 deficit to defeat Huddersfield Town 7-6.
In 1996 George Weah paid for his
teammates uniforms and expenses so that Liberia could enter the African Nations
Cup.
In 1997 Nigerian international Celestine
Babayaro broke his leg while celebrating a goal in his Chelsea debut during a
preseason game.
In 1998 English referee Martin Sylvester
sent himself off after punching a player during a game in the Andover and
District Sunday League.
In the 1938 World Cup semifinal,
Guiseppe Meazza of Italy's shorts fell down as he was taking a penalty
shot. He held his shorts up and calmly scored past
Brazil's Valter.
Jean Langenus of Belgium wore a
suit jacket, golfing plus fours and a red striped tie when he refereed the 1930
World Cup final.
Madagascan
team Stade Olympique L'Emryne scored 149 own goals against champions AS Adema
in 2002. They repeatedly scored own goals in protest of a refereeing decision
in their previous game.
Michael Laudrup appeared for
Real Madrid in a 5-0 win over Barcelona and also Barcelona when they beat Real
Madrid 5-0.
Non flying
Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp's fear of flying caused him to miss many international
and European games for Arsenal.
Under Herbert Chapman, The
Arsenal changed their name to simply Arsenal in order to appear at the top of
the alphabetical list of old Division One clubs.
Cardiff City were relegated in 1929, even though they
conceded the fewest goals in the league (1st division).
In 1975 an international match between Chile & Uruguay
was abandoned after 19 players were sent off.
Ryan Giggs's real surname is Wilson and he's part
African. His dad, Danny Wilson, is a half-Welsh, half-Sierra Leonean rugby
professional who used to play for Wales. Giggs took his mother's maiden name
when his parents split up.
The heaviest ever England player was a goalkeeper called
Willie 'Fatty' Foulke. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, he weighed 22 stones and played
for England around the turn of the century.
A Manchester City fan was banned in 1995 from bringing
dead chickens into City’s Maine Road ground. He used to celebrate City goals by
swinging the birds around his head.
In 1957, the Salisbury and District FA of Rhodesia officially approved the payment of £10 to hire a witch doctor. Salisbury had lost every match the previous season.
Striker Elisha Banda, who played for Zimbabwe airforce team Cone Textiles, was kidnapped, drugged and tortured for eight days by team-mates angry that he’d signed for civilian team.. He was found bound and gagged on scrubland outside Harare.
There are only two football teams in the Isles of Scilly – The Gunners and the Wanderers. They play each other every week in the league, the only break being when they meet in the Cup.
In 1973, the entire Galilee team spent the night in jail for kicking their opponents during an Israeli League game.
Stopping off en route to Iceland , the Albanian national team were thrown out of England in 1990 after going on a shopping spree at Heathrow. They had thought “duty free” meant help yourself.
Italian referee Marcello Donadini was taken to hospital in 1973 after being bitten in the back by a player who didn’t agree with a decision.
Barcelona ’s Hristo Stoichkov was banned for six months in 1990 for stamping on the referee’s foot after being sent off in a Cup tie against Real Madrid.
The Liberia team escaped imprisonment by holding Gambia to a goalless draw in 1980. The Liberian Head of State, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, had threatened to jail them it they lost.
West Ham defender Alvin Martin scored a hat-trick against three different goalkeepers in the 8-1 win over Newcastle in 1986. The injured Martin Thomas was replaced in the Newcastle goal first by Chris Hedworth, then by Peter Beardsley.
A referee at a friendly match in Brazil drew a revolver and shot dead a player who disputed a penalty decision. The referee escaped in horseback.
Hollingsworth Juniors football team from Manchester fell victim to an own gull in a match with Stalybridge Celtic Colts in 1999. Colts were leading 2-1 when 13-year-old striker Danny Worthington tried a speculative shot from 25 yards. The ball was sailing way over the bar until it hit a passing seagull on the head, spun over the Hollingsworth goalkeeper and landed in the net. Despite protests, the goal was allowed to stand. Realizing they were up against 12 men, demoralized Hollingsworth went on to lose 7-1.
The Scottish Cup tie between Falkirk and Inverness Thistle in 1979 was postponed no fewer than 29 times because of bad weather.
The first Littlewoods Pools coupon attracted the interest of just 35 punters.
The Sampdoria team and 200 players walked 20 miles to a mountain sanctuary near Genoa in 1969 to thank the Madonna for helping them stave off relegation.
In 1990, the Football League banned Scarborough from wearing shirts advertising Black Death vodka on the grounds of bad taste.
In 1998, The Macclesfield mascot, was sent off for making obscene gestures during a players’ brawl in the match with Lincoln City.
Cash-strapped Portsmouth cancelled their weekly order of new jockstraps in 1999, a move which would save £112. Administrator Tom Burton ordered the club to wash them instead of buying new ones.
When England entertained Malta in 1971, the match was so one-sided that the ball didn’t cross the England goal-line once in the entire 90 minutes. And Gordon Banks in the England goal didn’t have a shot to save.
Visitors Kilmarnock had to take the same penalty seven time during a fixture at Partick in 1945. The spot-kick was eventually saved and Partick went on to win 5-3.
Bury players refused to do any more promotional work for the club in 1997 as a protest at the lack of nappy-changing facilities at Gigg Lane for their wives.
In an attempt to boost gates, Bristol City staged a chimps’ tea-party before the 1976 game with West Ham.
Plymouth Argyle striker Dwight Marshall was accidentally injured by one of hi own fans after scoring at Chester in 1999.
In 1993, HFS Loans League team Congleton were forced to call off a minute’s silence to mourn the death of the club’s oldest fan...when he walked into the ground. (oops...)
Referee Henning Erikstrup was about to blow full-time with Norager leading Ebeltoft 4-3 in a Danish league match when his dentures suddenly fell out. While he scrambled around looking for them, Ebeltoft equalised. Despite vehement protests from Ebeltoft, Mr Erikstup disallowed the goal, replaced his false teeth and promptly blew the final whistle.
A Tanzanian soccer match was postponed in 1978 after the referee was arrested on the pitch and accused of smoking marijuana just before the kick-off.
In the space of five minutes at Sunderland in November 1998, Barnsley striker Ashley Ward scored, missed a penalty and was sent off.
Leicester City went through an entire FA Cup tie with Northampton Town in 1997 without committing a single foul. Leicester won 4-0.
In 1999, a Manchester City fan threw an asthma inhaler on to the pitch during a disappointing home draw against Northampton.
Dundee United’s Premier Reserve League game against Dunfermline at Arbroath in 1998 was abandoned after just 90 seconds because of high winds.
At the age of 52, Pedro Gatica cycled from his home in Argentina to Mexico for the 1986 World Cup, only to find on arrival that he couldn’t afford to get in. While he was trying to haggle for a ticket, thieves stole his bike.
Giuseppe Lorenzo of Bologna was sent off after just ten seconds of the Italian League match with Parma in 1990 for striking an opponent.
Romanian midfielder Ion Radu was sold by Second Division Jiul Petrosani to Valcea in 1998 for 500kg of pork (Worth about £1750).
A 1984 match between Sheffield United and Oldham was postponed when a war-time bomb as found near Bramall Lane.
Fans at Gillingham were subjected to celery searches in 1996. a craze had started for waving sticks of celery while chanting an obscene song. So anyone caught in possession of the vegetable was threatened with a life ban.
In 1957, the Salisbury and District FA of Rhodesia officially approved the payment of £10 to hire a witch doctor. Salisbury had lost every match the previous season.
Striker Elisha Banda, who played for Zimbabwe airforce team Cone Textiles, was kidnapped, drugged and tortured for eight days by team-mates angry that he’d signed for civilian team.. He was found bound and gagged on scrubland outside Harare.
There are only two football teams in the Isles of Scilly – The Gunners and the Wanderers. They play each other every week in the league, the only break being when they meet in the Cup.
In 1973, the entire Galilee team spent the night in jail for kicking their opponents during an Israeli League game.
Stopping off en route to Iceland , the Albanian national team were thrown out of England in 1990 after going on a shopping spree at Heathrow. They had thought “duty free” meant help yourself.
Italian referee Marcello Donadini was taken to hospital in 1973 after being bitten in the back by a player who didn’t agree with a decision.
Barcelona ’s Hristo Stoichkov was banned for six months in 1990 for stamping on the referee’s foot after being sent off in a Cup tie against Real Madrid.
The Liberia team escaped imprisonment by holding Gambia to a goalless draw in 1980. The Liberian Head of State, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, had threatened to jail them it they lost.
West Ham defender Alvin Martin scored a hat-trick against three different goalkeepers in the 8-1 win over Newcastle in 1986. The injured Martin Thomas was replaced in the Newcastle goal first by Chris Hedworth, then by Peter Beardsley.
A referee at a friendly match in Brazil drew a revolver and shot dead a player who disputed a penalty decision. The referee escaped in horseback.
Hollingsworth Juniors football team from Manchester fell victim to an own gull in a match with Stalybridge Celtic Colts in 1999. Colts were leading 2-1 when 13-year-old striker Danny Worthington tried a speculative shot from 25 yards. The ball was sailing way over the bar until it hit a passing seagull on the head, spun over the Hollingsworth goalkeeper and landed in the net. Despite protests, the goal was allowed to stand. Realizing they were up against 12 men, demoralized Hollingsworth went on to lose 7-1.
The Scottish Cup tie between Falkirk and Inverness Thistle in 1979 was postponed no fewer than 29 times because of bad weather.
The first Littlewoods Pools coupon attracted the interest of just 35 punters.
The Sampdoria team and 200 players walked 20 miles to a mountain sanctuary near Genoa in 1969 to thank the Madonna for helping them stave off relegation.
In 1990, the Football League banned Scarborough from wearing shirts advertising Black Death vodka on the grounds of bad taste.
In 1998, The Macclesfield mascot, was sent off for making obscene gestures during a players’ brawl in the match with Lincoln City.
Cash-strapped Portsmouth cancelled their weekly order of new jockstraps in 1999, a move which would save £112. Administrator Tom Burton ordered the club to wash them instead of buying new ones.
When England entertained Malta in 1971, the match was so one-sided that the ball didn’t cross the England goal-line once in the entire 90 minutes. And Gordon Banks in the England goal didn’t have a shot to save.
Visitors Kilmarnock had to take the same penalty seven time during a fixture at Partick in 1945. The spot-kick was eventually saved and Partick went on to win 5-3.
Bury players refused to do any more promotional work for the club in 1997 as a protest at the lack of nappy-changing facilities at Gigg Lane for their wives.
In an attempt to boost gates, Bristol City staged a chimps’ tea-party before the 1976 game with West Ham.
Plymouth Argyle striker Dwight Marshall was accidentally injured by one of hi own fans after scoring at Chester in 1999.
In 1993, HFS Loans League team Congleton were forced to call off a minute’s silence to mourn the death of the club’s oldest fan...when he walked into the ground. (oops...)
Referee Henning Erikstrup was about to blow full-time with Norager leading Ebeltoft 4-3 in a Danish league match when his dentures suddenly fell out. While he scrambled around looking for them, Ebeltoft equalised. Despite vehement protests from Ebeltoft, Mr Erikstup disallowed the goal, replaced his false teeth and promptly blew the final whistle.
A Tanzanian soccer match was postponed in 1978 after the referee was arrested on the pitch and accused of smoking marijuana just before the kick-off.
In the space of five minutes at Sunderland in November 1998, Barnsley striker Ashley Ward scored, missed a penalty and was sent off.
Leicester City went through an entire FA Cup tie with Northampton Town in 1997 without committing a single foul. Leicester won 4-0.
In 1999, a Manchester City fan threw an asthma inhaler on to the pitch during a disappointing home draw against Northampton.
Dundee United’s Premier Reserve League game against Dunfermline at Arbroath in 1998 was abandoned after just 90 seconds because of high winds.
At the age of 52, Pedro Gatica cycled from his home in Argentina to Mexico for the 1986 World Cup, only to find on arrival that he couldn’t afford to get in. While he was trying to haggle for a ticket, thieves stole his bike.
Giuseppe Lorenzo of Bologna was sent off after just ten seconds of the Italian League match with Parma in 1990 for striking an opponent.
Romanian midfielder Ion Radu was sold by Second Division Jiul Petrosani to Valcea in 1998 for 500kg of pork (Worth about £1750).
A 1984 match between Sheffield United and Oldham was postponed when a war-time bomb as found near Bramall Lane.
Fans at Gillingham were subjected to celery searches in 1996. a craze had started for waving sticks of celery while chanting an obscene song. So anyone caught in possession of the vegetable was threatened with a life ban.
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