Football is a very clever game, with many rules and limitations, a variety of tactical schemes, build-ups and plays. What makes football such a different game from its European counterparts, rugby and soccer, is not just the physical attributes, speed and strength of the players. On top of that, football is the most scientific game among other outdoor sports. Specific rules determine what and when each player should and should not do in each position. There are hundreds of possible choices or moves for teams on defense and offense. That’s why football has been called an outdoor chess game disguised as wrestling. Everything is counted to the inch while the game is still in progress.
Distinguishing characteristics of football
A coach in European soccer lets the team onto the field and that’s it, it’s difficult for him to influence what’s happening on the field, he will make 3 substitutions, most likely correct something at half-time, and all the rest of the time with varying success will try to get through to his players. More football information is available here https://espn-news.com/category/football/.
A coach in football is in a constant tactical battle against his opponent. Every play is like a move in a chess game, to trick the opponent, to confuse him, to beat him tactically and strategically. Just imagine how combinational the game is, if an attacking player can become one of the best players in the game without ever touching the ball. You can imagine a chess pawn standing still or moving in a different direction, if a player commits a foul, the whole team is punished and the same teammates look at him with such eyes that the referee does not need to read him a letter of reprimand. Fights in football are much rarer than in soccer, and the fans in general are very friendly, their energy is spent on creativity.
At the same time, all this does not mean that nothing depends on the players. The coach’s job is to give the players a positional advantage, the players’ job is to execute a complex combination (where everyone has their own individual task) and outplay their immediate opponents. Firstly there are two more important pluses of football – firstly there are far fewer refereeing mistakes, a clear system of video replays almost 99% rules out the possibility of that. And the second plus is that defensive players become stars and fans’ favourites on a par with offensive players.
Those who don’t know the myriad rules and options of football don’t understand it either. They are like those who, upon first watching a game of chess, conclude that the goal is to remove as many pieces as possible from the board. The rules of football are complex, but once you get the hang of it, it’s hard not to fall in love with the game.
One of the reasons for the growing popularity of football in Europe is their greater understanding of the rules of the game. Football is regarded as a ‘typically American’ team sport. This is not entirely true, because the most popular sports in the world, basketball and volleyball, are truly American in origin. You can follow all these sports at https://espn-news.com/category/mlb/.