Records, rules, rankings: off the pitch and in front of the TV screen, you can shine in front of friends with this football knowledge.
Soccer is the undisputed number one sport in Germany. But do you know who invented the red card, what a football can weigh and who brought modern football to Germany? These 7 facts will make you a football expert:
When you meet to watch football, you want to have a say. It’s good to have a few football facts ready.
The German Football Association (DFB) has the largest number of members in Germany. Here are five member-strong associations according to the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) :
According to the German Football Association (DFB), in 2021 there were a total of
The league system in Germany is pyramid-shaped:
Football-like games have been handed down from China as far back as the third century, but modern football has its roots in England.
There were already football-like games at universities and private schools in the 16th century. However, at that time each school had its own rules and so the teams could not play against each other. Back then, people still played with hands and feet.
Three dates mark the path to modern football:
The success story of German football probably began on September 29, 1874 in Braunschweig with an experiment by the two teachers Konrad Koch and August Hermann. The two orally explained the basic rules to the students of the Martino-Katharineum high school.
Hermann then threw a real football from England to a group of students. And so the first German soccer game began at a school in Braunschweig.
It was Konrad Koch who wrote down the first German football rules in 1875. The title: “Football. Rules of the football club of the middle classes of the Martino-Catharineum in Braunschweig”.
Koch’s rulebook also produced translations of football terms from English for the first time, many of which are still common today. These include offside, corner kick or penalty kick.
Traditional gymnasts and educators derided the new game at the time as “foot loafing” and “the English disease,” but the popularity and success of the sport was unstoppable:
“The ball is round” is one of the most well-known football platitudes. But in order for the ball to be really round, it has to meet certain requirements. The properties and dimensions of a soccer ball are clearly defined in the DFB soccer rules.
The 17 rules contain, among other things, the exact dimensions of the field, state dress codes and also determine when offside or a penalty kick is called or when there is a throw-in. According to Rule 02, all balls must:
While soccer balls were traditionally made of leather, today they are mostly made of synthetic leather or other synthetic materials. With “suitable material” it is meant that the material must be able to comply with the properties of volume, weight and pressure.
For example, the cover of the official match ball for the 2021 European Football Championship called “Uniforia” is made of polyester.
Inside, a rubber bladder holds the air, the only connection to the outside world is a valve to be able to inflate the ball again if it has lost air.
What hardly anyone knows anymore: warnings (yellow cards) and dismissals (red cards) were only given verbally up until the 1970s.
This is what the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein did at the 1966 World Cup in England. In the quarter-finals between England and Argentina, Kreitlein dismissed Argentine captain Antonio Rattin.
He refused to go and was eventually led off the field with the help of the police. Later he will say that he did not understand the referee and asked for an interpreter.
That got England referee supervisor Ken Aston thinking. He had plenty of time for that, because after the game he was stuck in a traffic jam in London for hours.
When he saw the traffic lights, he remembered: “Yellow take it easy, red stop, you are off!” The historical idea was born to introduce yellow and red cards as globally understandable and unambiguous symbols for warnings and dismissals.
Ken Aston let Rudolf Kreitlein in on his idea. He was also enthusiastic and the proposal promptly ended up with the world football association FIFA. He introduced the cards at the 1970 World Cup.
The red box celebrated its premiere in the Bundesliga on April 3, 1971: Frankfurt national player Friedel Lutz got it. The Chilean Carlos Caszely saw the first red card at a World Cup in 1974 in a game against Germany.
The ball is rolling again – these new football rules apply from tonight
“The ball is round and a game lasts 90 minutes” – the brief knowledge of the rules begins with this legendary quote from the former German national coach Sepp Herberger.
A game usually lasts 90 minutes and two teams, each with eleven players (ten field players and a goalkeeper) compete against each other. So far so good.
Overall, however, the DFB football rules have 164 DIN A4 pages. But you don’t have to read them in their entirety. With these five important rules you are armed for now.
1. Offside
The offside rule is considered the most complicated in football: A player is offside if he is in the opposing half of the field and actively participates in the game, although there are not at least two opponents (usually the goalkeeper and an opponent) between him and the goal line.
And if you want to keep it simple, use the quote from former national coach Franz Beckenbauer: “It’s offside when the referee blows his whistle.”
2nd free kick
There are two types of free kicks: direct and indirect. Only in the direct variant can the player shoot the ball directly at the goal. A team is awarded a direct free kick when an opposing player commits a foul through negligence, recklessness or excessive physical effort, or handles the ball intentionally.
Indirect free kicks are offenses without direct physical contact. Examples are: Dangerous play without touching the opponent, offside or an illegal return pass to the goalkeeper.
3rd penalty kick
A penalty kick is awarded for a handball in the penalty area or a foul that would otherwise result in a direct free kick. It is also called a penalty kick because the point from which the shot is taken is eleven meters from the goal.
4th corner kick
A corner kick is awarded when the ball last touched a player of the defending team and completely crossed the goal line next to or over the goal, either in the air or on the ground.
The player taking the corner kick may not touch the ball twice in a row without another player touching the ball. This also applies if the ball rebounds from the post to him. If he does, there is an indirect free kick for the opponent.
5th throw-in
There is a throw-in on the sidelines of the field: when the ball has completely crossed the line, i.e. is in touch, the team that was last on the ball gets a throw-in.
I wish you success!
