What are "Bookings"
Just for you SWC
Knowing at least the basics is important to avoid sounding foolish, as Victoria Beckham realised after explaining: "I do go to football sometimes but I don't know the offside rule or free-kicks - or side kicks - or whatever they're called."
Game duration Two periods of 45 minutes, swapping direction after the 15 minute half-time break. A few minutes of injury time are usually added at the end of each half to make up for injured players receiving treatment and other stoppages like time-wasting.
Extra timeIn the knockout stages (quarter-finals onwards), if the score is even after 90 minutes, then extra time is played; two additional halves of 15 minutes.
Penalties
If the game is still a draw after extra time, they take it in turns with five penalties each. If it's still a draw after the 10 penalties, it goes to sudden death - an ongoing round of one penalty each, the first team to lose a round loses the game.
Offside
In a nutshell, when the ball is passed to you by a team-mate, you are not allowed to be closer to the opponents' goal than they are. It was devised to stop attacking players hanging around the opponents' goal waiting for the ball to be hoofed up to them. This rule is full of intricacies, and is up to the linesman to make often a split-second, inch-perfect decision, sometimes wrongly which can change the complexion of the match.
Back-pass rule
This states that the goalkeeper is not allowed to pick up the ball when a team-mate deliberately kicks it to him; he is only allowed to use his feet to get the ball away from the danger area of his goal while an attacking player charges towards him in the hope he'll make a mistake. However the goalkeeper is allowed to pick the ball up if his defender heads or chests the ball back to him.
Throw-in This is exactly what it says on the tin; when a team kicks the ball out of play along the side-line (adjacent to the goal line), the opposition throws it back into play, preferably to a team-mate.
Corners These are taken when a defending team kicks the ball out of play along the by-line (continuation of the goal line). The attacking team kicks the ball back into play from the corner of the pitch; same principle as a throw-in, but more like a free-kick.
Punishments Free-kicks are given for a variety of wrongdoings committed outside the penalty area (the 18-yard white box surrounding the goal) - such as cropping an opposition, touching the ball with your hand or arm, offside, and ignoring the back-pass rule inside the penalty area.
- A free-kick awarded just outside the penalty area can be good opportunity to score, especially when you have a free-kick maestro like Beckham taking it. In these situations the opposition usually makes a line of players or 'wall', so he may try to 'curl' the ball around the wall by applying spin to it - hence the phrase 'bend it like Beckham'.
- Penalties are given for any foul or handball by the defending team committed inside their own penalty area. A kick is taken from the penalty spot, 12 yards away from the goal-line. All other players must stand at least 10 yards away, ie behind the semi-circle on the edge of the penalty area which they must stand behind.
- Yellow cards are given for:
- a particularly bad foul or challenge
- a professional foul (see later)
- dissent such as arguing or swearing at the referee
- vindictively throwing or kicking the ball away when the opponents have a free-kick, goal-kick or throw-in
- diving or pretending to be fouled to gain an advantage. - Red cards signal an immediate sending off for the rest of the match, and mean the player will miss at least the next game in the competition. They are brandished when:
- a player has picked up two yellow cards - 'two strikes and you're out' rule
- a player commits a particularly vicious foul with no intention of getting the ball, as well as punching, stamping, elbowing in the face, head-butting etc
- the defender nearest to the goalkeeper fouls an attacker, stopping him running unchallenged towards the goal (a bad professional foul)
- handball by an outfield player which stops a likely goal
- handball by the goalkeeper outside his area which stops a likely goal.
Substitutions These are made when a player is not performing well, is injured, or the manager wants to make a tactical change to the formation. Each team can use up to three subs per match, choosing from any of six nominated players who wait on the 'bench' or dugout with the manager and physios.
Common Jargon:Booked - when a player receives a yellow card, so his name goes into the ref's little black book.Caps - simply mean the number of times someone has played an international match for their country. The player receives an official England school-like cap.
Clean sheet - when a team doesn't let a goal in.
Crop - an archaic word for when a player kicks the opposition without getting a touch on the ball first.
Diving - pretending to be fouled to trick the referee into giving you a free-kick or penalty, or to get an opposition a yellow or red card. Foreign players are experts at this, but English players are learning fast.
Finals - (plural) the main competition once the wheat has been removed from the chaff, as it were.
Formations - the structure of the team, e.g. '4-4-2' means four defenders, four players in the middle of the pitch, and two strikers in attack.
Hat-trick - when a player scores three goals in a match, a fantastic feat.
Professional foul - a foul made deliberately which actually gains the offender an advantage, such as a crop or handball which deprives the opponent a good attacking opportunity, or assists your own attack/defence.
Wall - when a free-kick is being taken against you, up to five players can stand side-by-side 10 yards away from the ball, to block the free-kick taker shooting straight at the goal.
Woodwork - the goal posts and horizontal bar, not actually made of wood anymore.
Simon, are you going to post in-process results?
Yes I will do an update weekly with the first one towards the end of this week. In the meantime please proclaim your correct results and scores and running totals.
GO USA! (not sure if we have an official soccer cheer)
You do it's U--S--A--U--S--A--U--S--A, a bit monotonous but catchy all the same. Unfortuantely it didn't frighten the Czechs. You will struggle to qualify now because Italy are Italy and believe me the African nations are amazing. The Ivory Coast almost go a result against the Argies the otehr day; don't underestimate Ghana. That said the US as we know never say die so it's not over until the fat lady sings.
Cheers,
Simon
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