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The football association founded in London, splitting the games of rugby and football.

The Cambridge rules are adopted forming the basis of modern game.

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The Football Association, English football's governing body, was formed in 1863. 'Organised football' or 'football as we know it' dates from that time.

Ebenezer Morley, a London solicitor who formed Barnes FC in 1862, could be called the 'father' of The Association. He wasn't a public school man but old boys from several public schools joined his club and there were 'feverish' disputes about the way the game should be played.

Morley wrote to Bell's Life, a popular newspaper, suggesting that football should have a set of rules in the same way that the MCC had them for cricket. His letter led to the first historic meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, near to where Holborn tube station is now.

The FA was formed there on 26 October 1863, a Monday evening. The captains, secretaries and other representatives of a dozen London and suburban clubs playing their own versions of football met "for the purpose of forming an Association with the object of establishing a definite code of rules for the regulation of the game".

The clubs represented were: Barnes, War Office*, Crusaders, Forest (Leytonstone), No Names (Kilburn), Crystal Palace**, Blackheath, Kensington School, Perceval House (Blackheath), Surbiton, Blackheath Proprietory School and Charterhouse.

*Civil Service FC, who now play in the Southern Amateur League's Senior Division One, are the only surviving club of the eleven who signed up to be FA members at that first meeting in 1863, when they were listed as the War Office. Civil Service FC are also celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2013.

**This club has no connection with the present Championship club.

There could be no authority without laws and six meetings took place in 44 days before the new Association could stand on its own feet. The FA was formed at the first. Its rules were formulated at the second. (There was an annual subscription of a guinea and alterations to rules or laws were to be advertised in sporting papers.) A useful discussion on drafting the laws took place at the third.

'Football', they thought, would be a blend of handling and dribbling. Players would be able to handle the ball: a fair catch accompanied by 'a mark with the heel' would win a free kick. The sticking point was 'hacking', or kicking an opponent on the leg, which Blackheath FC wanted to keep.

The laws originally drafted by Morley were finally approved at the sixth meeting, on 8 December, and there would be no hacking. They were published by John Lillywhite of Seymour Street in a booklet that cost a shilling and sixpence. The FA was keen to see its laws in action and a match was played between Barnes and Richmond at Limes Field in Barnes on 19 December. It was a 0-0 draw.

Bryon Butler wrote in an Official History published in 1991: "The FA's early influence on the game at large was not dramatic or even widespread. Its membership was small and its authority and laws were often challenged and sometimes ignored. But its motives and ambitions were so honourably based that, like growing ripples on a still pond, its standing grew perceptibly. It was a period of high ideals and ready compromise".

The move which probably did most to broaden the outlook of The FA and spread its influence over a wider field was made at a meeting at the office of The Sportsman newspaper on 20 July 1871. The announcement of the birth of 'The Football Association Challenge Cup' ran to just 29 words: "That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete".

'The Cup' was the idea of one man. Charles Alcock, then 29, had been The FA's secretary for just over a year when he had his vision of a national knockout tournament. He had remembered playing in an inter-house 'sudden death' competition during his schooldays at Harrow and his proposal was swiftly agreed.

The rules of the new competition were subsequently drafted and the entries of these 15 clubs were accepted: Barnes, Civil Service, Crystal Palace, Clapham Rovers, Hitchin, Maidenhead, Marlow, Queen's Park (Glasgow), Donington Grammar School (Spalding), Hampstead Heathens, Harrow Chequers, Reigate Priory, Royal Engineers, Upton Park and Wanderers.

It was a disappointing entry, because The FA had 50 member clubs by that time. Apparently, many of them felt that competition would lead to unhealthy rivalry and even bitterness. The first Cup season turned out to be quite truncated with withdrawals and byes. Only 12 clubs actually played and there were just 13 matches in total but Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1-0 before 2,000 spectators at Kennington Oval in a Final described by The Sporting Life as "a most pleasant contest".

A match between 'England' and 'Scotland' was another good idea from Alcock. He wrote to The Glasgow Herald on 3 November 1870 to announce that such a fixture would be played at the Oval in 16 days' time. "In Scotland, once essentially the land of football, there still should be a spark left of the old fire", he said. 'England' won this unofficial international 1-0 and all the players, English and Scottish, lived in London.

The Scottish FA hadn't yet been formed but the Queen's Park club agreed to organise the first official international between England and Scotland. It took place at Hamilton Crescent, the Partick home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club, on 30 November 1872. The admission fee, as it had been for the first Cup Final, was a shilling. A 4,000 crowd, including a good number of ladies, was present for a 0-0 draw that Bell's Life saw as "one of the jolliest, one of the most spirited and most pleasant matches that have ever been played according to Association rules".

County and District Associations, charged with fostering the game and organising clubs in their own areas, sprang into life all over the country between 1875 and 1885. They ran their own Cup competitions, inspired enthusiasm and provided the framework for hundreds of new teams. The FA was now truly a national body.

Some clubs in the north, enamoured with The FA Cup, saw nothing wrong in profit and success or in paying a man for doing his job. It led them away from the concept of amateurism, cherished by clubs in the south, and it forced The FA to formally legalise professionalism in 1885. A year earlier it had seemed that English football was on the brink of chaos, with a 'British Football Association' having been formed as a rival to The FA.

William McGregor, an Aston Villa committee man and FA stalwart, recognised that football had an urgent need for an organised system of regular fixtures involving the top clubs. He wrote to some of those clubs about a league format for football and a 'Football League' with 12 clubs came into being after just two meetings in 1888. The FA was still the ultimate authority but the League would live as a self-contained body within it.

William Pickford, later The FA's president, summed it up: "The power of the League strengthens the Association and the authority of the Association safeguards the League".

The professionals' contribution to the popularity and development of the game continued to grow and this was openly resented by the diehard amateurs. The FA directed County Associations to affiliate the professional clubs within their areas and this was the final straw for Surrey and Middlesex who refused to accept them. There was an 'amateur split', lasting from 1906 to 1913, and an 'Amateur Football Association' was formed to make a stand against the 'corruption' of the game.

Their clubs and players couldn't play 'with or against' those under the jurisdiction of The FA and this meant that they were banned from taking part in The FA Cup and The FA Amateur Cup. It was surprising that the division lasted as long as seven years but, in the end, it only reinforced the authority of The FA.

The FA appeared quite indifferent to the growth of football abroad. In 1902 the Netherlands FA suggested European unity, an international championship and uniformity of the laws in all countries.

When the French mooted a 'European Federation', they received this reply: "The Council of the Football Association cannot see the advantages of such a Federation, but on all matters upon which joint action was desirable they would be prepared to confer".

England weren't one of the original members of FIFA, founded in Paris in 1904, but within two years The FA had 'formally approved' the existence of the new body and sent a powerful delegation to a FIFA conference in Berne. Daniel Woolfall, from Lancashire, was elected FIFA president.

The FA was widely criticised for permitting the 1914-15 FA Cup competition to run its course after the First World War had begun. The Dean of Lincoln, in a letter to The Times, wrote disparagingly of "onlookers who, while so many of their fellow men are giving themselves in their country's peril, still go gazing at football". It was undeserved. The FA had taken advice from the War Office, who agreed that the continuation of football - if only to the end of that season - would boost morale.

Wembley, a north-west London suburb, had been chosen as the site for a British Empire Exhibition. The FA were advised that the centrepiece would be 'a great national sports ground' and a quickly convened 'Ground Committee' signed an agreement in May 1921 to stage The FA Cup Final there for the next 21 years. The stadium took 300 working days to build and was completed just four days before the 1923 Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United.

The new stadium's official capacity was 127,000 but the crowd that descended on Wembley that April afternoon could have been twice that number. FA secretary Frederick Wall said to King George V: "I fear, Sir, that the match may not be played. The crowd has broken in. The playing-ground is covered with people". Chaos slowly turned to order, with His Majesty standing patiently in the Royal Box, and the match finally got under way 45 minutes late.

It was decided that all future Cup Finals would be by ticket only.

The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 but The FA didn't enter a team. England had only played against the other Home Associations before making a tour of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia in 1908. The World Cup might have provided a useful examination of the strength of the British teams but they had withdrawn from FIFA, the competition's organisers, over the thorny question of 'broken time' payments to amateur players.

However, one important link was maintained. The 'International FA Board', the guardian of the game's laws since 1886, had originally consisted of two members from each of the four British Associations. Two FIFA representatives were added in 1913 and their retention after the split guaranteed the continuing authority of the Board and kept an important channel open for future negotiation.

Six days after the 1934 Cup Final, which he refereed, Stanley Rous was one of six candidates interviewed at 22 Lancaster Gate for the job of FA secretary. His appointment was confirmed two months later and he immediately set about improving and streamlining The FA's routine and procedure. Courses were developed for referees and coaches, which soon had a beneficial influence in clubs, colleges, schools and youth organisations.

Rous, the former master at Watford Grammar School who had already introduced the 'diagonal system' of refereeing, also used his expertise to rewrite the laws of the game. They were a little disjointed and Rous's clearer version of the 17 laws of football was accepted by the International Board in 1938.

Football, like everything else, was affected by the political troubles of the 1930s. Germany and Italy in particular saw sport as a vehicle for propaganda and so too, in a more subtle way, did the British Foreign Office. It was made clear to The FA which countries it should avoid visiting and which countries should always face the strongest side that England could put together.

England edged the Italians, then World Cup holders, 3-2 in the notorious 'Battle of Highbury' in 1934 and it merely served to confirm English football's opinion that it was the best on the planet. Four years later, with war only 16 months away, England met Germany in Berlin's Olympic Stadium and beat them 6-3. On the British ambassador's advice the England team controversially gave the Nazi salute during the playing of the German national anthem.

During hostilities The FA co-operated with the War Office and the Board of Trade, the armed forces, Civil Defence, the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance and the Central Council of Physical Recreation. Coaches, trainers and players knocked the country's young men into combat shape. Nearly 200 football grounds became centres for a 'Fitness for Service' campaign, organised by The FA and CCPR, in which more than 40,000 took part.

There was no FA Cup or Football League during the war but there were knockout tournaments of every size, district and regional leagues, service competitions, charity matches, representative and international matches. It all took place on the understanding that it didn't interfere with the more serious business of winning the war. Post-war football was seen as an antidote to austerity and crowds flocked to the grounds. A staggering 41.3 million watched League football in one season.

The FA looked to the future. In 1946 it offered help to clubs and associations at all levels with coaches, courses, text books, publicity and - as and when funds became available - loans and grants. The decision was also taken to rejoin FIFA, a decision made easier by a new sense of European unity after the war. At Rous's suggestion a Great Britain team played a celebration match against the Rest of Europe in Glasgow, with the £30,000 proceeds going to the impoverished FIFA.

Rous was convinced that The FA needed an expert on its staff. On his prompting Walter Winterbottom, a Wing Commander in charge of physical training at the Air Ministry, was appointed 'Director of Coaching' and 'England Team Manager'. There was some initial resistance from the FA Council but they were swayed by the fact that the former Manchester United half-back would be doing both jobs for one salary.

Winterbottom went on to build a national coaching scheme which became the envy of the football world. He built a network which, by way of new standards, enlightened technique and an ever-widening circle of coaches, reached into schools, clubs and associations in every corner of the country. England's first manager, admired for his tactical knowledge, was able to argue his preferences but the team was still chosen by a committee.

England were one of the top teams in the world. With a star-studded forward line of Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen, Tommy Lawton, Wilf Mannion and Tom Finney they rattled in ten goals against Portugal in Lisbon and then beat the powerful Italians 4-0 in Turin. They were one of the favourites to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

England won their first-ever World Cup Finals match, 2-0 against Chile in Rio's huge Maracana Stadium, but the next - played nearly 300 miles to the north in Belo Horizonte - brought an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to the 500-1 outsiders, the United States. After another loss, 1-0 to Spain back in Rio, England were on their way home. At least the Final referee was English.

The FA, a target for criticism, set up a technical committee which sought the opinions of directors, managers and players, past and present, at a series of meetings. Coaching, training, preparation, the development of young talent, systems, tactics and refereeing were among the topics discussed. The result was a generally better relationship between The FA and the clubs, who now understood each other's problems and priorities.

The year of The FA's 90th anniversary, 1953, saw two Wembley matches that would live long in the memory. Stanley Matthews, the 'Wizard of the Dribble' and a genuine sporting hero, finally collected his FA Cup winners' medal after Blackpool's 4-3 win over Bolton Wanderers in what, arguably, is still the competition's most exciting Final. Matthews, who had appeared on the losing side in two previous Finals, was then 38.

Six months later England were humbled 6-3 at Wembley by Hungary, the Olympic champions who hadn't lost a match for three years. They were the first Continental team to beat England at home, the manner of their victory proving beyond doubt that the country which had 'invented' football was now struggling to understand its finer points. The Hungarians showed their superior skill and teamwork again as they crushed England 7-1 in Budapest in 1954.

Stanley Rous wrote: "Organisational developments have usually followed events instead of shaping them and the evolution of the whole football system has been, to say the least, haphazard. At Lancaster Gate we are usually thought of as a governing body; I think we should prefer, as far as possible, to be thought of as a body that is always ready to learn".

Winterbottom wanted more time with his players and a format for building a team, instead of simply having eleven players selected for him on a match to match basis. The FA's technical sub-committee concluded that "a great deal more can be done towards bringing England players and teams to a high standard of performance in the next four years". Initial team selection in future would be by Winterbottom and just two members of the selection committee.

After the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, at which an England team missing some Manchester United stars due to the Munich tragedy failed to progress beyond the first round, English football moved towards a period of substantial change. The FA agreed to recognise Sunday amateur football in 1960 and the League Cup was introduced in the same year. "The FA Cup is football's Ascot, the League Cup is its equivalent of Derby Day at Epsom", said League secretary Alan Hardaker.

Stanley (now 'Sir Stanley') Rous became FIFA president in 1961 and thought that Winterbottom should succeed him as FA secretary. However, there was a body of opinion within the organisation that no secretary should again be allowed to get himself into such a position of power and authority. The job went to Denis Follows, The FA's honorary treasurer and a Council member for 14 years. Winterbottom left to become general secretary of the Central Council of Physical Recreation.

The FA's centenary was celebrated in 1963 with a banquet, tributes and gifts, memories and visions of the future and, of course, tournaments and matches. The highlight was a Wembley meeting (on 23 October, close to the day of formation) between England and a 'Rest of the World' team selected by FIFA. England won 2-1 before a capacity crowd of 100,000.

It took The FA nearly six years to organise the 1966 World Cup, the eighth in history and the first hosted by England, and Alf Ramsey and his players six matches and 20 days to win it. It was the first tournament to receive major television coverage: the global audience for the 32 matches was estimated at two billion and seven out of every ten people in England followed its progress on their screens.

An England team containing world-class players like Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton and determined to 'play for Alf', kept clean sheets against Uruguay, Mexico, France and Argentina before edging Eusebio's Portugal 2-1 in a very sporting semi-final.

Ramsey, who won 32 caps and was England's right-back against Hungary in '53, had declared soon after his appointment that England would win the World Cup. He was proved right on 30 July, a day of sunshine and showers, as England beat West Germany 4-2 after a highly eventful two hours' football. HM The Queen handed the trophy to Moore, England's unflappable skipper.

Ramsey had managed 'unfashionable' Ipswich Town to the League Championship in 1962 and he took the England job on the understanding that he had full control over selection. The old convention of selection by committee passed into history. The new 'England manager' was responsible for the Senior, Under-23 and Youth sides, while Allen Wade, a lecturer in physical recreation at Loughborough College, was chosen as The FA's Director of Coaching.

The 'Chester Report' was published in 1968, the findings of a Government enquiry "into the state of Association Football at all levels including the organisation, management, finance and administration". It recommended that FA Council members should retire at 70. It questioned whether a Council of more than 80 members could be an effective policy-making body and recommended a smaller committee for central policy and planning.

The Report urged that The FA should make greater use of experts on its committees and that rules prohibiting former or current players from administering the game should be abolished. It also suggested that The FA should contribute more from its income to the County Associations and more extensive coaching facilities. Lancaster Gate responded: "It is not expected that a body of this kind (the Chester Committee) can fully understand the ramifications of the complex Football Association. It is not surprising, therefore, that The FA does not accept some of the criticisms".

However, The FA acknowledged that Norman Chester's Report deserved serious study. A decision to form an 'Executive Committee' had actually been taken at the previous Summer Meeting and a sum of £200,000 was soon earmarked for the Counties.

Sir Alf Ramsey's England team went to Mexico in 1970 with a realistic chance of retaining the World Cup, despite the heat, the altitude and a lot of Mexicans who wanted Brazil to win it (after Mexico, of course). But they lost bizarrely to West Germany in their Leon quarter final, 3-2 after being 2-0 in front. It was one of those days when everything went wrong. Almost inconceivably, it turned out to be England's last World Cup Finals match for 12 years.

The next tournament would be hosted by West Germany and Sir Alf's charges had to beat Poland at Wembley on 17 October 1973 to qualify. In an extraordinary match England forced 26 corners to their opponents' two, hit post and bar, and came up against a goalkeeper who chose that night to give the most remarkable performance of his career. Jan Tomaszewski saved or blocked English shots and headers with almost every part of his body as the Poles secured the 1-1 draw that took them - and not England - to the '74 Finals.

The FA's International Committee assured the England manager that he had their "unanimous support and confidence" but three months later a sub-committee was formed "to consider our future policy in respect of the promotion of international football". On 8 April 1974 FA chairman Sir Andrew Stephen informed the Executive Committee that "the special committee had unanimously agreed that the engagement of Sir Alfred Ramsey as team manager be terminated".

Missing out on the World Cup was a disaster. Alan Hardaker summed it up: "The financial loss to the FA caused by England at higher levels could not be ignored. Profits from this source are now so important to the health of the FA, and its contribution to the game at all levels, that our national body has become rather like a football club. It is a business in which profit and loss are closely related to victory and defeat".

Ted Croker, a former Charlton Athletic player who had become a successful businessman, replaced Follows as FA secretary in 1973. Seeing things with a fresh eye, he quickly decided to make it easier for the man in the street to buy a ticket for England matches. "The FA telephone number was ex-directory", he was to say, "and trying to get tickets was as hard as trying to get into MI5". Soon after Sir Alf's departure he received a call from Don Revie, expressing an interest in the England job.

The former Leeds United boss was to have an unhappy time in charge of the national team. He was criticised for both his defensive caution and his lack of continuity in selection. He used 52 players in his 29 matches, awarded 29 new caps and only once fielded an unchanged side. He was also criticised by the players for his 'dossiers' on the opposition which he had seen as essential bedtime reading. England would miss out on another World Cup, hosted by Argentina in 1978, but Revie resigned long before that to become 'football supremo' in United Arab Emirates.

Sir Harold Thompson succeeded Andrew Stephen as FA chairman in 1976. He had been a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University, where one of his pupils was Margaret Thatcher. After the war he founded Pegasus FC, a team of Oxford and Cambridge students which entered The FA Amateur Cup and won the 1951 and 1953 Finals before capacity crowds at Wembley.

By the 1970s The FA was only too aware of the existence of 'shamateurism' in English football. It knew that some players who claimed to be 'amateur' were being paid by their clubs. The solution, in 1974, was for the FA Council to abolish the official distinction between 'amateur' and 'professional' players. It meant the end of The Amateur Cup, the England Amateur Team and the Great Britain Olympic Team. The best of the Amateur Cup teams would now play in The FA Trophy; many of the others entered a new competition - The FA Vase.

Ron Greenwood, West Ham United's manager for 13 years, acted as England's caretaker boss for the last three matches of 1977. "I saw my task quite clearly", he said. "I was going to help restore faith and dignity in our game and prove to the world that we could play a bit."

It was a difficult time for football. Hooliganism was spreading; overdrafts at clubs were growing; television was becoming a thorny issue; players were threatening industrial action over freedom of contract. 'Football hooliganism', visible since the late '60s, was now a major problem. There was fighting on the terraces, obscene chanting and missile-throwing and there were pitch invasions. The FA chairman thought it was due to "unsettled social conditions, the bad health of the nation and a lack of teaching of values, virtues and discipline".

The Government blamed the football authorities for failing to take firm measures but the men who ran the game were hardly law enforcement officers. Fences and cages were erected; fans were searched and segregated; CCTV was introduced; the sale of alcohol was limited. The distribution of tickets was carefully monitored, with The FA establishing its own 'Travel Club' to control the movement of England supporters abroad.

Greenwood was made permanent manager at the end of 1977 - preferred to Brian Clough, 'the people's choice' - and his team qualified for the 1980 European Championship in Italy and the World Cup in Spain two years later. He had actually announced his retirement to the players after a World Cup qualifier in Hungary but they had talked him out of it on the tarmac at Luton airport.

England were unbeaten in their five matches in Spain, their defence only breached once, but they went out after two 0-0 draws in the Second Round. This time Greenwood really did retire and Bobby Robson, Ipswich Town's manager for 13 years and a senior member of Greenwood's coaching team, was the unanimous choice as successor of new chairman Bert Millichip and his small selection committee.

Robson had two roles. He was National Coach too and found himself immediately involved in a major development. After many years of planning 'The Football Association GM National School' was opened at Lilleshall Hall in Shropshire by the Duke of Kent on 4 September 1984. Twenty-five of England's best 14-year-olds, chosen from a list of recommendations from scouts all over the country, began a two-year residential course. With a new intake each September, they were expertly coached at football at Lilleshall and formally educated at nearby Idsall School.

The 'National School' was in good hands, with Dave Sexton as Technical Director and Denis Saunders as Principal. The boys' development was carefully monitored, demands on them were controlled and their experience was broadened by representative football. Many didn't fulfil their promise; many played at Football League level; one of them (Michael Owen) scored 40 goals for England.

There were more than a hundred licensed Centres of Excellence for promising youngsters between the ages of 11 and 14, many of them at professional clubs, and also non-residential 'Soccer Funweeks' for boys and girls aged between eight and 13 at sports centres all over the country. Qualified coaches ran them and stars of the game made guest appearances.

In the late '80s English football suffered the horrors of Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough. Lord Justice Peter Taylor's report after the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989, when 96 supporters died at an FA Cup Semi-Final, was a plan for the radical modernisation of grounds which signalled, amongst other things, the coming of 'all-seater' stadiums. The report also emphasised the essential role of the Government and local authorities in redeveloping the national game.

After a disgraceful riot at an FA Cup match at Luton in March 1985, Margaret Thatcher summoned FA and League officials to Downing Street. Ted Croker, perhaps unwisely, said to the Prime Minister: "These people are society's problem and we don't want your hooligans at our sport". The FA were given six weeks to produce a report. The idea of a national membership scheme for football was considered and a ban on the general sale of alcohol at grounds was set in motion.

It was Mr Justice Oliver Popplewell's task to enquire into two numbing disasters that occurred within 18 days of each other in May of the same year. On the Bradford fire, which claimed 56 lives, he wrote: "Safety levels must be improved quickly. I am quite satisfied that the cause of the fire was the dropping of a lighted match, or a cigarette or tobacco on to debris beneath the floorboards".

Popplewell's recommendations called for more grounds to be designated under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act, the building of non-combustible stands, better evacuation procedures by police, tighter restrictions by the fire authorities, trained stewards and 'suitable and adequate' exits. His clear message was that the safety of the fans came before the interests of the clubs.

On Heysel, which claimed 39, he wrote: "I cannot too strongly or too frequently emphasise that if hooligans did not behave like hooligans at football matches, there would be no risk of such death or injury". It meant another difficult meeting with the Prime Minister and a UEFA decision to ban all English clubs from European competition indefinitely. The Government promised tougher measures on alcohol, crowd limits, security and the powers of the police. Mrs Thatcher expected The FA to produce a membership card scheme 'urgently'.

English football may have reached its lowest point but no-one in the game thought that such a scheme was the answer. Adapting grounds and setting up and maintaining the technology would be an awesome task. So would the processing of millions of applications and cards and replacing those which were lost or stolen. Delay at the turnstiles would surely cause frustration and trouble. It took another major disaster, Hillsborough, to end all thoughts of implementing it.

On 7 June 1988 it was announced that Graham Kelly, secretary of the Football League, would be replacing the retiring Ted Croker as chief executive of The FA. A month later the Council received a report at their Summer Meeting from a London firm of management consultants. This report, entitled 'The Football Association: Organising for the Future', had been commissioned by The FA and was meant to be an examination of "the top structure of the Association, including salaried staff, and its various relationships with Council".

The report suggested that a more powerful FA chief executive should take his place on a Board of Management. The Council was said to be "out of touch with what is essentially a young person's game...and too large and unwieldy to operate effectively". It recommended that members should be under 62 when elected and should retire at 72. It also criticised the absence of "soundly formulated budgets and plans".

The Council thought that several of its recommendations were worthy of further consideration but essentially the report was too radical.

Forty-eight hours after the tragedy at Hillsborough The FA decided that The Cup should continue. The Semi-Final would be played at Old Trafford on 7 May. Graham Kelly understood the criticism that The FA were being 'insensitive' but it was imperative to make decisions so that everyone could make plans in the light of them. Liverpool went on to win the 'Requiem Cup Final' at Wembley and the crowd's singing of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was more poignant than ever.

England had a positive World Cup in Italy in 1990, reaching the semi-finals for their best-ever performance on foreign soil. The whole country had been gripped by the same kind of fever which afflicts some towns before a big FA Cup tie. English clubs were allowed back into European competition, Bobby Robson went to PSV Eindhoven in Holland and Graham Taylor, the new England manager, said that our good showing at Italia 90 was "something to build on".

On 29 June 1991 the FA Council ratified a plan to set up an 'FA Premier League'. Starting in the 1992-93 season, its long-term aim was to reduce the number of games for top players to help the England team and to take maximum advantage of the commercial opportunities that an elite league would bring.

The new 'Premier Division' would eventually be reduced from 22 to 18 clubs, with more clubs being relegated than were promoted. Then clubs would be promoted and relegated, providing the promoted clubs (from the old 'Second Division') met all the necessary criteria. 'Premier' clubs would need to have facilities even better than those required by the Taylor Report.

With The FA being responsible for the administration of the new league, the commercial benefits of uniting the FA Premier League, The FA Cup and the England team under one marketing banner were expected to be immense. These benefits would spread throughout the game, meaning more investment in stadium facilities and amenities and therefore a better deal for supporters.

The power struggle between The FA and the Football League was effectively at an end. The image and stock of the game was now better and brighter.

'The Cup', now around 120 years old, experienced some breaks with tradition around this time. Some Semi-Finals were played at Wembley, there were penalty shootouts at the end of drawn replays and Littlewoods Pools became the first sponsor, paying £14m over four years.

In 1995 the European Court of Justice upheld the 'Bosman ruling', barring transfer fees for players who were out of contract and removing the limit on the number of foreign players that clubs could field. 'Football came home' as The FA hosted the 1996 European Championship Finals and Terry Venables' England team reached the semi-finals of a feel-good tournament.

Three years later The FA bought Wembley Stadium, voted in favour of a streamlined 14-man Board of Directors and attracted criticism for allowing Manchester United to withdraw from The FA Cup to take part in the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil. From 1999 to the present The FA has had four chairmen, five chief executives and four England managers.

But we have a world-class stadium at Wembley, completed in 2007 at a cost of around £800m. The 126th FA Cup Final, featuring Chelsea and Manchester United, was the first Final to be played there. A capacity crowd inside the stadium, 12.9m viewers on UK television and about 450m worldwide, saw a parade of Wembley winners from the last 50 years before the kick-off.

England met Brazil at the new stadium two weeks later. Manager Steve McClaren was replaced by the Italian Fabio Capello, England's second foreign coach, after the team had missed out on qualification for EURO 2008. Roy Hodgson, who had previously managed three national teams as well as several club sides at home and abroad, was appointed Capello's successor in May 2012.

The FA Skills programme, launched in 2007 for children aged five to eleven, went from strength to strength and had filled 3m places by 2012. The FA's 'Respect' programme, started in 2008, was a response to a clear message from throughout the game that the health of football depended on high standards of behaviour on and off the pitch. It was to have a positive effect on referee recruitment and on-field dissent.

The 'FA Women's Super League' was inaugurated in 2011 as a semi-professional league playing its matches during the summer months. It replaced the FA Women's Premier League as the highest level of women's football and started with eight clubs. The women's game received a further boost when Team GB, managed by England Women's National Coach Hope Powell, performed before huge crowds at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

St. George's Park, The FA's new National Football Centre in Burton upon Trent, was opened in 2012. It will be a centre for coach education, a leading centre of sports medicine and science, and provide a training home for Club England and its 24 representative sides. An elite training pitch has been graded to exactly match the current surface at Wembley Stadium.

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The website for the English football association, the Emirates FA Cup and the England football team

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The Football Association, English football's governing body, was formed in 1863. 'Organised football' or 'football as we know it' dates from that time. Ebenezer Morley, a London solicitor who formed Barnes FC in 1862, could be called the 'father' of The Association.

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First International game held in Glasgow between England and Scotland.

First non- European held in Newark,  New Jersey between Canada and USA.

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It was on this day in 1872, the first ever official international football match was played as Scotland took on England at the West of Scotland Cricket ground at Hamilton Crescent, located in Partick.

Scotland v England is therefore the oldest international fixture in world football. International football known today stemmed from that very clash in the west end of Glasgow 145 years ago.

Indeed, there were actually five unofficial international matches played between teams representing Scotland and England since 1870, none of which Scotland won. Strangely, all players selected for the Scottish sides, and England sides, in these early unofficial internationals were mainly from the London area; with majority playing for the Scotland team not actually Scottish. Although Scottish players from north of the border were invited to represent the Scottish team but very few took up the offer. It took a man called Charles Alcock, the FA General Secretary, to write a public letter in the Glasgow and Edinburgh newspapers offering a challenge for a team made up of Scots to face a team of 11 Englishmen. This challenge would ignite a spark, for Queen's Park Football Club decided to take Mr Alcock up in his offer. Robert Gardner and David Wotherspoon of Queen's Park, whilst playing in London for a Queen's Park FA Cup tie, stayed in the capital post-match to meet with the FA to arrange the fixture. The match and location were agreed between the FA and Queen's representatives with Wotherspoon writing a letter in the Scotsman confirming the news. Due to Edinburgh not being accustomed to association football code, both parties agreed Glasgow would be the best location for the tie. Very fittingly, the match was to be played on St Andrew's Day 30th November 1872 at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick; with admission into the ground costing a shilling (ladies were admitted free).
Above: The only surviving ticket of the Scotland v England match in our Museum.
People always draw the conclusion that the reason the Scotland National Team play in blue is because of the colour of the Scottish flag. However, the real tale is that the origin of the famous blue strip is from Scotland's oldest association's football club, Queen's Park. The blue jersey was in fact the Spiders' original strip and because Queen's Park took the responsibility to arrange the match, the team would play in blue-whilst featuring all Queen's Park players. How the lion rampant badge was adopted as the Scotland badge is a fascinating tale. Wotherspoon, who was playing the match, asked for his sister to source out lion badges to be stitched onto the jersey. Marion Wotherspoon used her talented skills to sew 11 lions to 11 blue shirts. What a lot of people don't know is that the lions were actually white rather than red that has been suggested in old pictures and artwork. The red lion rampant would come later in 1882. The 11 thistles, each representing a player on the field, would later feature on the club crest from the early 1950's.
Above: The only known surviving white Scotland Lion Rampant badge from the first ever international match.
England would play in white in the first official spectacle, wearing a badge consisting of three lions within a shield, in a similar stance to that of the English Coat of Arms, except that these lions were navy blue and the only distinguishable features were red eyes and mouths. A red and navy crown sat upon the top of the shield. It is only from 1949 that the England emblem was introduced. The current England badge only has ten Tudor Roses scattered around the three lions as they represent the ten regional divisions, each of which has a seat on the Football Association Council.

Advertising for the game was very strong in the local press, to which buses were arranged to leave from Miller Street in the the centre of Glasgow to take punters to the match. Around 2500 spectators attended the historical match, intrigued by a new format of football. 2pm was the official kick-off time but the game would have a fifteen minute delay due to both team's preparations before the match. Images sketched by William Ralston also reveal that England players warmed up for the match whilst smoking pipes.

The Scottish captain, Bob Gardner, who would play a further four times against England and lose only once, had been responsible for team selection. The future Scottish Football Association president had that year made the switch from forward to goalkeeper. He kept goal for his country for the first half similar to his English counterpart, Robert Barker, who decided to join the action outfield when he switched with William Maynard. Gardner would return between the posts during the second half.

Above: Robert Gardner of Queen's Park and Scotland.

Kirkie Smith was dribbling beautifully for England. They won a free-kick close to Scotland's goal that with their great physicality up front, made the prospect of conceding a goal serious but Ker kicked the ball to safety. Weir and Leckie were in fine form for Scotland, causing England concerns. Leckie after a mazy dribbling run, took a shot at goal which struck the taped goal posts but instead of going under, went over. Ottaway also seen a shot saved by Gardner in the first half.

The match report from the Glasgow Herald shares: 'Both sides were working hard, and showing excellent play. The Englishmen had all the advantage of weight, their average being two stone heavier than the Scotchmen and they had the advantage of pace. The strong point of the home club was that they played excellently well together.'

Indeed, both sides had contrasting styles. England's players stated their aim to collect the ball and attempt to dribble past their markers, while the Scottish team took all by surprise; by playing a more passing game (or combination play as its described by some historians). The first of its kind ever seen, a term that would later be christened 'Tika Taka' in the 21st century.
Above: The famous sketches of the match from William Ralston.
England would be the stronger team in the second half, but both pushing hard to score. Right from kick-off Clegg would charge into the heart of the Scotland half. Applauds were sounded out around the ground after observing MacKinnon's athletic overhead defensive kick up the pitch to safety.

After an end to end 90 minutes the match would finish in a goalless draw. An apparent fair result for both sides due to the match being very even. This game would go on to generate incredible passion from the supporters and inspire generation after generation to represent their country. One memorable story from that match the Scottish Football Museum share is of Walter Arnott. Walter would not have enough funds to attend the match so would watch the game through a hole in the fence at the ground- with very limited viewing. Arnott became so inspired and in love with this match that he made it his ambition to play for Scotland. To which he did, representing his beloved Scotland fourteen times. Interestingly, Arnott is also the Scottish player who made the highest number of consecutive appearances against England; playing against the Auld Enemy ten times.
Above: Walter Arnott's Scoland cap from the 1893 game against England, beside a picture of him wearing the cap.
Due to the popularity of this momentous match, an appetite for a rematch arose. The next meeting between the two countries would be at Kennington Oval on the 8th March, where England would win 4-2. Henry Renny-Taylour would become the first ever goal-scorer for Scotland. One week later, on the 15th March, the Scottish FA formed, taking responsibility of the Scotland National Team. The rest, as they say, is history.

114 games have been played between the two, Scotland have won 41 games while England have achieved 48 victories, the other 25 clashes have ended in a draw.

A total of 377 goals have been scored in the fixture. Scotland have managed to find the English net 174 times. England have scored 203 goals past Scotland keepers.

Each have played 57 home games. Interestingly, there have been 40 Scotland v England games at the current Hampden Park site; both nations have won 15 times while the other 10 have ended in a draw.

Above all these stats and trivia one thing is for certain- Scotland and England are the pioneers of international football. It is therefore clear that the world owes thanks of the birth of international football to the FA and Queen's Park. Without them, who knows when the global population would have sat down to watch their nations take on different countries in international challenge matches, tournaments or the World Cup finals.

Scotland: Bob Gardner, William Ker, Joseph Taylor, James Thompson, James Smith, Robert Smith, Robert Leckie, Alexander Rhind, William Muir MacKinnon, Jamie Weir, David Wotherspoon (all Queen's Park FC).

England: Robert Barker (Hertfordshire Rangers), Ernest Greenhalgh (Notts County), Reginald Welch (Wanderers), Frederick Chappell (Oxford University), William John Maynard (1st Surrey Rifles), John Brockbank (Cambridge University), Charles Clegg (Sheffield Wednesday), Arnold Kirke Smith (Oxford University), Cuthbert Ottaway (Oxford University/Old Etonians), Charles John Chenery (Crystal Palace), Charles John Morice (Barnes).

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Scotland v England: The World's First Football International Fixture.

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It was on this day in 1872, the first ever official international football match was played as Scotland took on England at the West of Scotland Cricket ground at Hamilton Crescent, located in Partick. Scotland v England is therefore the oldest international fixture in world football.

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The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is founded in UK to organise the rules of the game.

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The football league was created in England with 12 first members becoming the world's first football league.

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Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) formed in Paris, France

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First successful International competition held in London (summer Olympics, 1908) with the host nation winning the olympics.

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First World cup held in Montavideo. Uruguay as the host nation become the first world cup winner by beating argentina 4-2 in the Final.

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1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay ™ - FIFA.com

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Italy win the second ever FIFA World Cup 2-1 after extra time against Czechoslovakia with a side featuring the likes of Giuseppe Meazza.

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10th June 1934 - Italy win the second ever FIFA World Cup 2-1 after extra time against Czechoslovakia with a side featuring the likes of Giuseppe Meazza. However, FIFA were still not representing the World as a governing body as nations like England and their Football Association had fallen out with FIFA pre-1930 and the first World Cup.

Come 14th November 1934 it was time for what the English press were calling the "real" World Cup final between the official World Champions and the long acknowledged best team in Europe. Not only was this game billed as a titanic clash on the pitch but it was also a political minefield off it with fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ruling Italy. Il Duce was so keen to win that he was rumored to have offered his countrymen an Alfa Romeo and £150 (in old money) if they beat the English.

Attendance: 51,000-57,000 (various reports)

England lined up with an inexperienced squad, every player with fewer than 10 caps, a young Stanley Matthews making his second national team appearance. It was also the first time (and only time since) that 7 players started all from the same club, Arsenal, having home ground advantage.

Italy, unlike England (who were selected by a committee), were aided by a permanent coach named Vittorio Pozzo. A man who is the only coach to have won back to back World Cups (soon to be challenged by Vincente Del Bosque next summer in Brazil) as well as 2 Central European International Cups and an Olympic Gold medal in 1936. Pozzo known as Il Vecchio Maestro (The Old Master) led his side on an unbeaten run from December 1934-1939. (On a big tangent) Pozzo is known to have developed the Metodo (2-3-2-3) formation, based on half-backs and being supported by the two inside forwards creating in effect a 5 man midfield, strong defensively but also on the counter attack offensively. This is the formation developed and adapted by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona with Busquets, Alves and the various left backs playing the 'half back' role and Xavi and Iniesta the 'inside forward' role (seen closer on the second image below).

The first 45 were incredibly fiery with Ted Drake breaking the foot of Italian Centre Half Luis Monti after only two minutes, with no substitutions allowed in those days Italy were forced to play the rest of the game with 10 men. The Italians felt the injury to Monti was deliberate so set out for revenge, turning the match into a blood bath. England saw injuries to Ray Bowden (ankle), Jack Barker (hand), Ted Drake (leg and a punch), Eric Brook (broken arm) and to Captain Eddie Hapgood who broke his nose and had to depart the field for 15 minutes.

However, the football was a different story as England dominated. Eric Brook missed a penalty in the first minute after a foul from Italian keeper Carlo Ceresoli who promptly save the spot kick. Brook redeemed for himself only 2 minutes later as Cliff Britton floated in a free kick which Brook headed home and then added to with a free kick of his own after 10 minutes. Debutant Ted Drake, who was already more than involved, made it 3-0 in the twelfth minute as a 10 man England (Hapgood off the pitch for treatment) attacked down the right and the centre forward finished the move off to cap an eventful first 15 minutes!

The Azzurri settled into the second half and despite their man disadvantage began to play like the World Champions. Italy had the beginnings of a great partnership between Giovanni Ferrari and more notably Giuseppe Meazza whose 35 international goals have only been topped by Luigi Riva. Meazza, whom the San Siro is officially named after when Inter play at home, scored his first after 58 minutes, created by Enrique Guaita. His second came only four minutes later when he headed home from Attilio Ferrari's free kick and suddenly it was very much 'game on'! Unfortunately for the Italians it seemed everything was against them as Meazza struck the cross bar and England goal keeper Frank Moss pulled off some incredible saves to hang onto the lead.

England had beaten Italy but who was superior? Well that was not really decided, the Italians, dubbed "The Lions of Highbury" gained everyone's respect by playing 88 minutes with 10 men and almost getting back into the game. The Football Association and British press were enraged though at the violent treatment of their players, leading calls for England to withdraw from internationals altogether.
The Guardian reported how a player said "It was not a game of football, it was a battle" and ran editorials with public and footballing opinions on what they had witnessed. Italy would go on to dominate the 1930s but one thing is for certain, no one would forget the Battle of Highbury for many decades to come!

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10th June 1934 - Italy win the second ever FIFA World Cup 2-1 after extra time against Czechoslovakia with a side featuring the likes of Giuseppe Meazza. However, FIFA were still not representing the World as a governing body as nations like England and their Football Association had fallen out with FIFA pre-1930 and the first World Cup.

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culminating in the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The Civil War to this day remaining the key factor in the origins of El Clasico between Barcelona and Franco-supporting Madrid.

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Since 1902, Barcelona and Real Madrid have locked horns in a footballing battle played with far more at stake than just team glory. On Saturday it will be no different as Barcelona and Madrid players will contest the 223rd meeting between the clubs from Castile and Catalonia. Recently the derby has prompted heated debate over who holds the greatest players, who is the most successful and has been frequently disrupted by melees, fracas and handbags from both sets of players. But why the intense rivalry from two clubs 300 miles apart? And how did it earn the name "El Clasico?"

The Barcelona, Madrid rivalry is not purely a modern day phenomenon, the divisions between their respective areas within Spain, Castile and Catalonia, have been culturally at odds for over 500 years. The Spanish Inquisition established in 1481 joined the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon together for the first time in a collective force to bring about a form of religious cleansing to the Iberian Peninsula. However, within Aragon was the Principality of Catalonia, a state culturally opposed to Castilian customs. On the other hand, The Spanish War of Succession in the early 16th Century brought with it the first purge of Catalan culture despite their support in the war.

As aforementioned, the first meeting between the two clubs was in 1902 in the King's Coronation cup. A 3-1 victory for three-year-old Barcelona against the only two-months-old Madrid. It was not until 1920 that Madrid adopted the "Real" before the name of its city by King Alfonso XIII, a supporter of Los Blancos. Until the formation of La Liga in 1929, the only time the clubs met was in the Copa Del Rey, due to both playing in regional leagues. In 1916 the two sides even played out a 6-6 draw with the infamous Santiago Bernabeu scoring Madrid's sixth.

The footballing rivalry was of course riddled with historical differences, but often these were forgotten and not taken as seriously in the early 20th Century. However, in 1936 the relationship between Real Madrid and Barcelona would change forever.

The Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, the political opinions of the far-right en-capturing many European countries like Italy under Mussolini and Germany under the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler. In Spain the fascist group led by General Franco seeked to take power in a military coup, much like their Italian counter-parts. A number of Barcelona players actually took on an active role against Franco's military coup, alongside players from Athletic Bilbao. Spain was to be fought over by the Nationalists led by Franco and the Republicans (mainly from Catalonia).
Real Madrid are often viewed by Barcelona citizens as on the right of the Spanish political spectrum, indeed the "Real" or "Royal" promoting the Nationalist/Monarchist ideology. Los Blancos after the War would soon affiliate themselves on the side of Le Generalissimo, despite Madrid originally being a Republican city. In keeping with the political views of manager-come-president, Santiago Bernabeu however, Real Madrid would accept a Nationalist way of governing. The football matches post-Civil War between the Spanish giants were often heated and led to violence between fans. The Franco government even telling the Barcelona players they were lucky to even be having the chance to play Madrid in 1943. The revelation doing nothing for Barca's confidence, resulting in an 11-1 defeat.

Between 1943 and the modern day the rivalry at a footballing level was stoked by events like the transfer of Alfredo Di Stefano in 1953. Alfredo would sign for Madrid instead of Barcelona and proceed to become one of football's greatest ever players, forging an unforgettable partnership with Hungarian Ferenc Puskas. The Champions League semi - final win for Madrid in 2002, dubbed the "match of the century" also heating up the derby. Barcelona would gain revenge in 2011 where a Lionel Messi inspired team would win 3-1 on aggeragate.

The present institutions of Barcelona and Real Madrid are seen to represent the opposites of the political spectrum with Catalonia seeking a referendum on independence in the near future. Despite the ending of Franco's dictatorship in 1975 Catalonia has kept with its aim of a republican nation separate to Spain and its own sense of patriotism not the King Juan Carlos I but to the Catalan culture and flag. The Catalan traditions were crushed and prohibited under Franco, including the red and yellow striped flag. FC Barcelona being the most prominent symbol of Catalonia and the most purged institution by Franco.

In the modern-day, El Clasico or "The Classic" has been described as a "re-enactment of the civil war" with the matches during the 2010/2011 season often concluding with numerous fracas on and off the pitch. The 7 matches (if you include the Spanish Super Cup at the start of the 2011-12 season) resulting in 8 red cards. The arrival of the controversial José Mourinho adding fuel to the fire and highlighting a sour relationship with former Barca boss Pep Guardiola. It has been Barcelona with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi who have dominated recent games between the two but the pendulum could be about to swing in Mourinho's favour, with player like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Spain's World Cup winning Captain Iker Casillas leading the charge.
Saturday's match will no doubt be another played at 100 miles-per-hour. Barcelona have a point to prove following Wednesday's 3-1 humiliation at the hands of Mourinho's Madrid. The current Blaugrana seemingly lost without the guidance from Pep's heir Tito Vilanova, currently recovering from a tumour in his salivary glands. It is easy for the average football fan to take all this in to account and say "Barcelona and Real Madrid hate each other". For 90 minutes maybe, but despite all the history and modern day tensions the power of football to unite was seen last season during Real's touching tribute to liver cancer sufferer, Barca left-back Eric Abidal and more recently Tito Vilanova.

Will there be scraps? Probably. Will there be goals? Most definitely. Is "El Clasico" still the world's greatest rivalry? Without doubt!

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El Clasico - The Origins of Football's Greatest Rivalry

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Since 1902, Barcelona and Real Madrid have locked horns in a footballing battle played with far more at stake than just team glory. On Saturday it will be no different as Barcelona and Madrid players will contest the 223rd meeting between the clubs from Castile and Catalonia.

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Match of the Century - England 3-6 Hungary

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The Mighty, Magical, Marvellous and Magnificent Magyars....It sounds like the start to the "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" but I can assure you these are just a few of the superlatives used to describe the Golden Team that represented Hungary between 1950-1956. In 1954 however, the World Cup and its Jules Rimet trophy arrived in Switzerland with the show piece event, the final taking place in the Wankdorf Stadium, Bern. Who would the Magyars face? West Germany. 9 years after the end of World War II and the collapse of Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich". The match would go down in History for the miracle it produced and the sheer power football can have...

and Hidegkuti...the list goes on of world-class players and Hungary's disposal. From 1950, Gusztav Sebes had instilled a ruthless animosity to the Magyar's game. The attacking nature adopted by Sebes resulting in a 3-2-1-4 formation. From 1950-1956 the Hungarians would play 50 games...their record 42 wins, 7 draws and only a single defeat. The match they lost? The 1954 World Cup Final to West Germany. The story of the Miracle of Bern or Das Wunder von Bern is an amazing story for the way Germany won, but also how the Hungarians lost.

In 1953 the Mighty Magyars came to Wembley, expected to lose to an England team only defeated once to foreign opposition on home soil in over 60 years! The British press billed it as the Match of the Century - The world's finest team against the originators of the modern game. From the first minute of the match, the early form of "Total Football" was triumphing over the rigid nature of the English tactics. A Hidegkuti hat-trick, a brace from Puskas and a solo goal from Bozsik provided a brutal eye-opener for England and the tactical nous of the English game. The final score was 6-3 and a game without doubt living up to its pre-match billing. England even attempted to gain revenge before 1954, only to be humiliated again, this time on Hungarian soil 7-1.

The reason for the example of Hungary v England? To highlight the dominant, ruthless and unforgiving nature of the Eastern European side. Arriving at the 1954 World Cup, surely nothing could stop Hungary from taking the Jules Rimet trophy home, not least a West German side unseeded and an admittedly weakened side mercilessly beaten 8-3 in the first group stage by the Magyars. The 1954 tournament would be only the second World Cup to take place since the Second World War. The West German side only allowed to become a member of FIFA in 1950 and still feeling the force of European hatred for the events not long in the memory.

The routes to the final couldn't have been much different. Hungary and Germany both were drawn in the same group alongside South Korea and Turkey. Hungary were first to qualify, scoring a total of 17 goals in their two group matches - 9-0 vs Korea and the aforementioned 8-3 demolition of Germany. The West Germans needed a play-off victory over Turkey ( 7-1) to ensure qualification to the quarter-finals. The goals would not dry up in the knockout stages, Hungary defeated first a strong Brazilian team 4-2 and then reigning champions Uruguay by the same scoreline. Sandor Kocsis increasing his goal tally in the tournament to 11 in the process. West Germany gradually began to show form, firstly scraping past Yugoslavia, thanks to an own-goal and a late goal from Helmut Rahn, before showing their true pedigree by convincingly beating Austria 6-1 in the second semi-final. Max Morlock becoming the German pin-up boy in the process.

The scene was set. Hungary v West Germany, 4 July 1954, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, The World's greatest team against the World's enemy. East vs. West. Capitalism vs. Communism.

8 minutes in? Hungary 2-0 West Germany, surely game over and another victory like that earlier in the

tournament...an injured Ferenc Puskas and winger Zoltan Czibor supplying the sucker punches for the German team to deal with. Even it the " Fritz Walter weather" of torrential rain the Germans seemed to be drowning in a pool of Magyar pressure. However by the 18th minute the tie had transformed, complete with their Adidas boots (designed for any weather) the West Germans had brought the game level to 2-2, Morlock and Rahn scoring the goals and seemingly representing a team more than a match for their Hungarian counter-parts. Sepp Herbeger's side would hold almost the entire second half, Toni Turek making a string of saves to deny to "Golden Team". Then in the 84th minute, West Germany scored, the comeback was complete. Helmut Rahn provided the goal which 8 minutes in seemed impossible and provided the world's media with the headline " The Miracle of Bern".

The global reaction was that of disbelief, The Mighty Magyars had been defeated. The victors were the World's enemy West Germany. A wave of euphoria captured the West German states - not only for the victory but for what it would mean for its future. Historian Joachim Fest regards the triumph as a turning point for West German history, due to the new found respect from the final's global audience for its efforts to comeback from 2-0 down and 8 years of political, social and economic turmoil. The final in Bern was the first time the German anthem was played since the War, symbolizing the turning of the tide for Germany. West Germany would go on to win two more World Cups by 1990 and the Mighty Magyars would slowly decline due to their own countries problems and the gradual exodus of top players to escape the increasingly totalitarian communist regime Hungary was subject to. Recent studies have suggested that the West German victory may have been due to doping and Ferenc Puskas' 89th minute "equalizer" may not have been offside. Being a football purist I would like to think both were not true in order to bask in the memory in one of football's greatest games.

The lifting of the Jules Rimet Trophy by captain and former POW Fritz Walter really personifies the change in fortunes for West Germany and the resurgence after over 20 years of turmoil, dictatorships and millions of civilian deaths. Although West Germany would go on to receive another 36 years of instability, the efforts of Morlock, Rahn and Walter among others would go a long way in easing the hearts and minds of Germans and indeed the opinions of those who witnessed the " Miracle of Bern", further exemplifying the power football can have in uniting bonds deemed broken.

"AUS! AUS! AUS! Das spiel is aus! Deutschland ist Weltmeister, schlagt Ungarn 3 zu 2!"
(OVER! OVER! OVER! The game is over! Germany are World Champions, beat Hungary 3-2!)
Herbet Zimmermann

Ben Jones
Follow me on twitter - (@Benny_J)
www.top250.webs.com

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The Mighty, Magical, Marvellous and Magnificent Magyars....It sounds like the start to the "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" but I can assure you these are just a few of the superlatives used to describe the Golden Team that represented Hungary between 1950-1956.

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The more astounding about the rapid rise of Dortmund 5 years ago, being the possibility of the German club competing for major European honours seemed a fairytale.

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This season's Champions League has thrown up numerous surprises. The most obvious being the absence of any English team from the quarter-final draw, for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. Aside from this, the presence of Borussia Dortmund in the last 8, didn't shock too many, but their road to the quarters couldn't have been more difficult. What's more astounding about the rapid rise of Dortmund is that only 5 years ago, the possibility of the German club competing for major European honours seemed a fairytale.

Borussia Dortmund is another football club steeped in History. It may not be as decorated as its German counterparts Bayern Munich but it is interesting to look at nonetheless. Like with other German clubs, the club's past is best to begin viewing after World War II. Prior to the Second World War, Dortmund had been a moderately small club founded in 1909 by 17 youths unhappy with the "trinity youth" where any sport was overlooked by a strict parish priest. After WWII the original Borussia (Lat. Prussia) Dortmund were dissolved like any other German organization by the Allies to distance the club with its Nazi past. However, before the War, Dortmund's president was sacked due to his anti-Nazi tendencies.

"BvB" was re-established in 1948 after the original dissolution by the Allies. They would go on to reach the German Cup Final the following year, before dominating West German football for the next decade. In 1962 the Bundesliga was officially formed, the 2012-13 season being its 50 th. The club's record in the 70s and 80s was that of a mid-table team after financial difficulties, not claiming a league title or cup until 1989 (The German SuperCup). The 70s and 80s of course remembered by Germans as the Bayern years, as Beckenbauer, Muller and Maier spearheaded the Munich revival.

Dortmund's recent history can be characterised in five words, "Rise, Fall and Rise again". 1991 was the original turning point for the club as Otmar Hitzfeld took over the reins as Borussia's manager. After narrowly avoiding the drop in 1986, Dortmund managed a second place finish by 1992 in Hitzfeld's first full season. To the Dortmund fans the mid 90s are often referred to as the "Golden Age". Consecutive league titles in 1995 and 1996 prompted the appearance of BVB in the greatest club competition of all, The Champions League." The 1996-97 season supplying the setting for arguably the greatest victory in their History.

RISE: The previous season's European Cup had been won by Juventus on penalties against holders Ajax after a 1-1 draw. It would be the side from Turin who would face BVB in the final, to be played at old rivals Bayern Munich's Olympiastadion. The road to Munich had been comfortable for Dortmund, with only one defeat in the group stages to Atletico Madrid, before beating a strong Manchester United 2-0 over two legs in the semi finals. Borussia's team consisting of the likes of Mathias Sammer, Andreas Moller and Lars Ricken would prove too strong in the final for Juve by securing a 3-1 victory. This wasn't just any Juventus team as well. Their side supplying the enviable talents of Alessandro Del Piero, Christian Vieri and the young Zinedine Zidane. This surely meaning that the 1997 victory has to go down as one of the best in modern years.

FALL: The beginning of the 21st Century proved a turning point for Dortmund after financial problems hampered a promising start. Despite the loss of Hitzfeld to Bayern Munich in 1997, Borussia managed to win the Bundesliga in 2002 and reach the UEFA Cup final (losing 3-2 to Feyenoord). However, as in the 1970s and 80s the club was crippled by financial problems due to a decline in the stock market (Dortmund being the only club to be publicly traded), needing a £2 million loan from Bayern to cover their payroll. The following seasons brought more mid-table mediocrity before even coming close to relegation in 2006/7 and 2007/8. They would need an urgent change. The answer? Jurgen Klopp.

RISE AGAIN: Klopp's arrival in 2008 would spearhead the rapid change to Borussia's fortunes. Klopp's early record was decent, resulting in a 5th place finish in 2010 before the 2010-11 season which brought BVB back into the international spotlight. Dortmund's youthful squad winning the league title despite an average age of just over 24 with the talents of Nuri Sahin (21), Mario Gotze (18) and Mats Hummels (21) leading the campaign. The season also including a run of 14 wins out of 15 before Christmas. Despite losing Sahin to Madrid the following season, BVB still managed to win the league and cup double. The latter being secured by a 5-2 victory over Munich with Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scoring a hat-trick.

This season has brought young attacker Marco Reus to the Westfalenstadion, forging a partnership with Mario Gotze described by Franz Beckenbauer as a "classic duo, there is no one more prolific than Gotze and Reus". Nevertheless the club has fallen behind Munich domestically, effectively conceding the Bundesliga already and being knocked out by the Bavarian club in the German Cup. However, the Champions League could prove to be the light at the end of the tunnel and possibly the perfect send off for Jurgen Klopp as speculation continues to rage on over his future. Surely the prospect of the Dortmund v Munich derby next season with Pep Guardiola should be enough for Klopp to take on one more season and show us all who really is the top dog in Germany!

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This season's Champions League has thrown up numerous surprises. The most obvious being the absence of any English team from the quarter-final draw, for the first time since the 1995-1996 season. Aside from this, the presence of Borussia Dortmund in the last 8, didn't shock too many, but their road to the quarters couldn't have been more difficult.

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1996

Taribo West recalls how Nigeria created history

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Olympics: Taribo West recalls how Nigeria created history in 1996

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On 3 August 1996, Nigeria made history as the first African nation to become Olympic football champions at the Atlanta Games. For Taribo West, the former Auxerre, AC Milan and Inter Milan defender, that 3-2 triumph over Argentina in the final is still fresh in his memory.

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Buoyed by Zinedine Zidane and a Golden Generation of players, France finally fulfilled its World Cup dream in 1998 by beating Brazil in the final.

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Buoyed by Zinedine Zidane and a Golden Generation of players, France finally fulfilled its World Cup dream in 1998 by beating Brazil in the final.

THE MAIN STORY

In 1998, after a 60-year absence, the World Cup returned home to France, its country of birth. Dreamt up by two noble Frenchman, Jules Rimet and Henri Delaunay, the World Cup was first staged in Uruguay in 1930 and didn't take place in France, the country in which it was gloriously conceived, until 1938 at the third time of asking.

Over the ensuing decades, the World Cup expanded and grew in importance, prestige and popularity, so much so that the 1998 competition in France, with its worldwide television audience in the hundreds of millions and corporate sponsorships galore, bore little resemblance to the humble 1938 tournament that was staged on French soil for the first time.

With France boasting an exciting roster brimming with world-class talent - Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly to name but a few - expectations were high that Les Bleus would finally come good and win the World Cup. In the end, Zidane and his cohorts delivered, trashing a dangerous Brazilian side led by Ronaldo in the final.

The country celebrated in style with over a million fans dancing the night away on the Champs Elysées and singing those immortal words from the national anthem, La Marseillaise: "Our day of Glory has arrived." After a 68-year wait, France, the country that bequeathed the World Cup to the world, were champions of the world as the cup had finally come "home." And somewhere, Jules Rimet and Henri Delaunay were smiling.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The expansion from 24 teams in 1994 to 32 in 1998 meant a new format, with the field equally divided into eight groups of four and the top-two finishers in each qualifying for the second round.

THE FINAL

With Ronaldo far from his best (more on that later) France ran roughshod over Brazil in Saint Denis, dictating the pace of the game and toying with the fragile Brazilian defence.

Zinedine Zidane rose to the occasion and cemented his status as the best player in the world. In the 27th minute, an unmarked Zizou scored a majestic header off a corner kick from Emmanuel Petit to spot France a 1-0 lead. With Brazil on the back foot, French forward Stephane Guivarc'h squandered a glorious scoring chance. France, though, would not be denied. Just before halftime, Youri Djorkaeff delivered a dangerous corner kick into the box that Zidane duly headed into the net past Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel.

A stunned Brazil barely bothered the French defence in the second half, unable to put together a half-decent scoring chance with Ronaldo in a zombie-like state. When French defender Marcel Desailly was sent off for a horrible foul on Cafu in the 68th minute, it seemed, for the briefest of moments, that Brazil might have new life. Even while playing a man short, France still called the tune, dominating possession before sealing the victory with a goal in the 90th minute. Patrick Vieira sliced open the brittle Brazilian defence with a timely pass to Petit - a thorn in Brazil's side the entire game - who scored on a clear breakaway to make it 3-0.

Humiliated and embarrassed, the Brazilian players hung their heads in shame while French captain Didier Deschamps collected the World Cup trophy amidst thunderous applause from the emotional crowd at the Stade de France.

QUICK FACTS

Number of participating teams: 32
Top scorer: Croatia's Davor Suker (6 goals)
Number of games: 64
Total goals scored: 171
Average goals per game: 2.67
Highest scoring game: Spain's 6-1 win over Bulgaria on June 24
Total attendance: 2,785,100
Average attendance: 43,517

MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT

Zinedine Zidane. Yes, Davor Suker was the top scorer, and yes, Ronaldo was given the Golden Ball award as the tournament MVP. But without Zidane pulling the playmaking strings from midfield and dominating games with his dazzling skills - not to mention his two goals in the final against Brazil - France never would have won the World Cup.

MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT

Argentina's 3-2 victory over England in the second round. This game had it all. Michael Owen's coming out party. Javier Zanetti's brilliantly worked goal coming off set piece. David Beckham's contentious red card. Tension. Drama. You couldn't ask for more. Honourable mentions go to France's 2-1 victory over Croatia in the semifinals and the Netherlands' 2-1 win over Argentina in the quarterfinals.

RONALDO STEPS UP IN ROMARIO'S ABSENCE

All eyes were on Brazil, and in particular Ronaldo, the 21-year-old goal scorer par excellence and the two-time reigning FIFA world player of the year. An unused substitute four years earlier, Ronaldo was anxious to shine on soccer's biggest stage. With an injured Romario back home, the Inter Milan striker would have to carry the goal-scoring burden for Brazil by himself.

WHAT HAPPENED TO RONALDO?

There was controversy long before a ball was even kicked on the day of the final, resulting in one of the biggest mysteries in World Cup history that, to this day, has yet to be properly explained. Prior to the game, journalists in the press box were stunned to discover Ronaldo's name was missing from the starting team sheets. It was believed at first that his troubled knee was bothering him, but then it quickly emerged that the Brazilian star had some sort of seizure while sleeping in his hotel room.

Teammate Roberto Carlos quickly alerted Brazilian officials and Ronaldo was rushed to the hospital, but local doctors could not find anything physically wrong with him. Had Ronaldo simply "cracked" under the pressure? It's a question that remains unanswered. Ronaldo arrived at the stadium later that evening and although there were legitimate concerns over his mental health, Brazilian coach Marcelo Zagallo - reportedly at the insistence of Ronaldo - decided to put him in the starting lineup. Reports later suggested that Ronaldo was given some sort of sedative and that Nike, the team's sponsor, exerted immense pressure in forcing Brazil to play their star client.

Whatever the truth, it was clear from the opening kickoff that Ronaldo was not fit to play and Brazil paid the consequences. Robbed of the services of the usually deadly Ronaldo, the champions were limp in attack and barely mounted a serious challenge against the French.

THE GOLDEN GOAL

The 1998 World Cup was the first to employ the "golden goal" in games that went to extra time, but the rule was first used in a major tournament at Euro '96 in England.

The "golden goal" was introduced into soccer to encourage offensive play in extra time in an attempt to limit the number of games decided by penalty shootout. Critics argued that it had the opposite effect, with teams taking an even more cautious approach in extra time knowing that a goal would immediately end the game.

The "golden goal" was used at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan - three "golden goals" were scored - but in February 2004 the International Football Association Board, the body that determines soccer's laws and rules, ruled it would no longer be used to decide games that went to extra time.

BECKHAM SENT OFF

The England-Argentina match in the second round turned, famously, in the 47th minute when David Beckham was red carded for petulantly kicking out at Diego Simeone. A foul, maybe, but certainly Simeone exaggerated the offence by falling down so easily? No matter. Beckham was sent off and England had to play the rest of the game shorthanded.

MICHAEL OWEN'S RUN TO GLORY

Argentina and England traded early penalty-shot goals before an 18-year-old Michael Owen announced his presence to the world, going on a dashing solo run that carved up the Argentine defence, sliding the ball past goalkeeper Carlos Roa.

BERGKAMP'S AMAZING STRIKE

Argentina was involved in another thriller, this time against the Netherlands, in the quarterfinals. With the contest tied 1-1, the back-and-forth affair seemed destined for extra time. But Dennis Bergkamp, the classy and elegant forward from Arsenal, had other ideas as he scored one of the greatest goals ever at the World Cup in the 89th minute. Bergkamp calmly controlled a 50-yard pass in the air from teammate Frank de Boer, sidestepped Argentina defender Roberto Ayala and blasted the ball into the roof of the net past a helpless Carlos Roa.

CROATIA CAPTURES HEARTS

Playing in their first World Cup as an independent nation, Croatia captured the hearts of neutral fans with their attacking style of play that saw them advance to the semifinals and finish in third place. Davor Suker shot to international fame with his tournament leading six goals.

RECORD NUMBER OF TEAMS

With eight teams added to the field for the finals, a record 174 countries entered the qualifying competition.

NORWAY STUNS BRAZIL

Brazil's 2-1 loss to Norway was its first in the opening round at the World Cup since 1966.

SAND WASTES LITTLE TIME

Denmark's Ebbe Sand scored the fastest goal by a substitute at the World Cup. The Dane scored a mere 16 seconds after coming onto the field in the second half of Denmark's 4-1 win over Nigeria.

BLATTER TAKES OVER

The 1998 World Cup marked a new era as Joao Havelange stepped down as FIFA president after 24 years on the job. Sepp Blatter, FIFA's former general secretary, replaced Havelange after winning an election two days prior to the opening game of the competition.

QUIRKY FACTS

* Germany's Lothar Matthaus (1982-98), Mexico's Antonio Carbajal (1950-66), and Gianluigi Buffon of Italy (1998-2014) are the only players to have appeared in five World Cups. Matthaus holds the record for most career games with 25. Germany's Miroslav Klose (2002-2014) is second with 24.

* Robert Prosinecki, who represented Yugoslavia in 1990 and Croatia in 1998, is the only player to have scored for two countries at the World Cup.

* Italy was eliminated via penalty shootout for the third straight time, having previously lost in 1990 to Argentina and to Brazil in 1994.

* Morocco's Said Belqola was the first African to officiate a World Cup final.

* This was Croatia's first appearance at the World Cup, having competed in previous competitions as part of Yugoslavia.

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History of the World Cup: 1998 - The French revolution - Sportsnet.ca

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Buoyed by Zinedine Zidane and a Golden Generation of players, France finally fulfilled its World Cup dream in 1998 by beating Brazil in the final. In 1998, after a 60-year absence, the World Cup returned home to France, its country of birth.

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2001

A Football Odyssey: Could This Season Mirror One of the Most Dramatic in European History?

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2001: a football odyssey.

​First up, it's ​Serie A. The lights, the glamour, the history. This was an era when Italian calcio ruled the roost. Where the creative gladiator went to ply his trade, fighting tooth and nail against roaring defences. Rather poetically, Roma would take home the Scudetto of 2000/01, their first since the season of 19 83. The turn of the new century was a time when Italy's top flight was headlined by the likes of FranciscoTotti, Alvaro Recoba, Manuel Rui Costa, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero. The trequartista list could go on, but time wouldn't allow it.
Sunday June 17, 2001. 15:00 . Battling it out for the Italian league crown were the challengers of ​Juventus and Roma. Lazio and Parma had fallen by the wayside, ​Milan and ​Inter weren't even close. The task of Batistuta had spent nine years at Fiorentina before a transfer to the nation's capital the previous summer. For the Argentine goal machine it was a dream realised, he had finally got his hands on a Scudetto. As for Having made the Champions League semi-finals last term, I Giallorossi may have regained some confidence in their ability to challenge. They also have a new trequartista in the form of Javier Pastore. It'd entertain everybody if this season's action went down to some last day deciders. Francecso Totti, the emotion was even more real. Having watched his boyhood club from the stands, he gave his people what they so richly needed. We now take a trip north to Germany, for the most dramatic day in ​Bundesliga history. Going into the final fixtures, ​Schalke were three points behind ​Bayern Munich, but ahead on goal difference. Schalke won their match 5-3, and all eyes were now on Ottmar Hitzfeld's Bayern in the Volksparkstadion.​ The game was tied at 0-0 until the league's top scorer Sergej Barbarez knocked in a header for the home side. False information had filtered through the stands. They weren't champions yet. In fact, they weren't champions at all. In the fourth minute of added on time, an in-direct free However, if they take a look at who won M eisterschale the last time Bayern didn't, then they'd see the name of arch rivals ​Borussia Dortmund. It really is win or bust for Die Knappen. kick had been awarded to Die Roten As for the Champions League final, Bayern beat Valencia 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, of which both goals were spot-kicks. With VAR a major part of the World Cup, could it be the centre of attention in next year's European showpiece finale? Ronaldo's transfer to Juve and the rising star of ​Kylian Mbappe mean the tournament is all up for grabs. . Set by Stefan Effenberg and struck by Patrik Andersson, Bayern finished top of the table once again. ​As things stood, Schalke would champions for the first time since 1958. With fans of the Gelsenkirchen team swarming onto the pitch in celebration, they turned around to see Bayern's last chance on the jumbotron screen. Die Königsblauen therefore had to beat SpVgg Unterhaching, and hope Hamburg could do them a massive favour. Little did they know, their hearts were about to be unmercifully played with by the football gods. I Giallorossi was clear. Beat Parma in the Estadio Olimpico, and the division would be theirs.
The task would not be an easy one though. Facing a Parma team filled with stars, Roma would need to play the match of their lives. In Gigi Buffon, Parma one of the best young keepers in the world. Defensively, Fabio Cannavaro and Lilian Thuram stood in way of La Lupa. An early goal from Totti settled the nerves, and after Vincenzo Montella and Gabriel Batistuta's strikes, Roma knew. The didn't care about letting in a consolation goal. 3-1 was enough.

For this season, 2018/19, I'm not suggesting Roma will beat Juve to the Serie A title, but they could.

With Juve acquiring ​Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese star will again take centre stage. Just like when Rui Costa's joined AC Milan in the summer of '01, Ronaldo will have the eye cast over him due to his phenomenal transfer fee. If a certain diminutiveArgentinean were to follow in the footsteps of South American compatriot Alvaro Recoba and join Inter, the light would 100% shine back on Italian football. A forgotten king for the last two decades or so, it's time to tune in for this year's show.

In comparison to next season, all likelihood is that Bayern will win again. However, if history is anything to go by, they might not. Since '01, there has been four times where Schalke have finished runner-up to Bayern. On three of those occasions, the Bavarian club have failed to win the title the year after. Could next term make that stat four out of five? Schalke will hope so.

Back on the shores of England...actually Wales, ​Liverpool and ​Arsenal were to do battle in the FA Cup final. With Wembley under development, it was the Millennium Stadium of Cardiff that would host the final of our game's oldest cup competition. It was a match in which Arsenal would bludgeon Liverpool, but fail to win. Early on in the game Thierry Henry rounded Sander Westerveld and saw his goal bound shot blocked by the arm of defender Stephane Henchoz. The referee did not.

Ashley Cole and Freddie Ljungberg saw chances cleared off the line, before the latter did eventually break the deadlock. Then Michael Owen happened. Two goals in five minutes, the first was a reactive rebound from a scrappy set-piece. The second was anything but. Racing on to a Patrik Berger clearance-cum-through ball, Owen sent Tony Adams for a spin and lashed a shot across David Seaman. A classic smash and grab job.

Could the Reds complete another FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League treble this term to replicate 2000/01? It's more likely they've got their signs set on the ​Premier League. Either way, they've spent enough to compete.

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2001 A Football Odyssey: Could This Season Mirror One of the Most Dramatic in European History?

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2001: a football odyssey. ​First up, it's ​Serie A. The lights, the glamour, the history. This was an era when Italian calcio ruled the roost. Where the creative gladiator went to ply his trade, fighting tooth and nail against roaring defences.

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2002
The World Cup went to Asia for the first time in 2002, and while South Korea captured the hearts of the locals and neutrals, Brazil ended up winning its fifth title.

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The World Cup went to Asia for the first time in 2002, and while South Korea captured the hearts of the locals and neutrals, Brazil ended up winning its fifth title.

THE MAIN STORY

In 2002 the World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the planet, conquered the final frontier: The Far East. FIFA ushered in the new millennium by staging the World Cup in Asia for the first time in its 72-year history. In an unprecedented move, South Korea and Japan co-hosted the competition, another first for the beautiful game.

The Japan-South Korea partnership was not a match made in heaven; not at first, anyway. Initially, both countries were direct competitors in a bitter bidding process, but at the urging of FIFA, they combined their bids and tabled a proposal to co-host the event. Despite a rocky start, both nations came together as one and poured billions of dollars into upgrading infrastructure in their major cities and built several new stadiums.

The hard work paid off: South Korea and Japan were lauded by FIFA and soccer fans for their brilliant and efficient staging of the World Cup. It will be a tournament forever remembered for its stunning upsets and its disruption of soccer's established world order. Yet, despite all of the upsets, the 2002 World Cup ended with an all too familiar scene: Brazil as world champions.

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

The top two teams from each of the eight groups advanced to the knockout round.

THE FINAL

Going into the final in Yokohama, the match was being touted as a battle of contrasting styles: German pragmatism versus Brazilian flair. Many critics thought that Germany, having to make do without the talented Michael Ballack (suspended), would sit back and soak up the pressure while Brazil would dominate the game with dazzling possession play.

Ironically, it turned out to be the other way around, as the Germans called the tune and dictated the pace of the game in the first 45 minutes. Germany stroked the ball around with great style and elegance, looking the more dangerous of the two sides.

Despite dominating possession, it was Brazil that produced the best chances in the first half. And it wasn't long before Ronaldo came up with a bit of magic and inspiration in breaking the German resistance. In the 67th minute, the Brazilian stripped Dietmar Hamann of the ball and made a quick pass to Rivaldo who cracked a low, driving shot towards the net. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, a model of consistency so far at the World Cup, made a costly error in spilling the ball, allowing for a charging Ronaldo to scoop up the rebound and steer it into the back of the net.

Twelve minutes later, Rivaldo sent a right-wing cross from Kleberson into the path of Ronaldo who effortlessly slipped it past Kahn to ice the game for the Brazilians. As Brazilian captain Cafu accepted the World Cup trophy from FIFA President Sepp Blatter on the stage, fireworks and streamers went off, and the Brazilian players were soon bathed in a sea of silver confetti and flashbulbs from the crowd.

QUICK FACTS

Number of participating teams: 32
Top scorer: Brazil's Ronaldo (8 goals)
Number of games: 64
Total goals scored: 161
Average goals per game: 2.52
Highest scoring game: Germany's 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia on June 1
Total attendance: 2,705,134
Average attendance: 42,268

MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT

Ronaldo. After the debacle in the 1998 final, and all of his injury problems, nobody had a bigger point to prove than the Brazilian. The talented striker delivered on the big stage in Asia, scoring a tournament-leading eight goals to lead Brazil to its fifth World Cup title. Honourable mention to German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn.

MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT

South Korea's 2-1 victory over Italy in the second round. The Azzurri looked to have it in the bag but then Seol Ki-Hyeon scored in the 89th minute to tie the contest. Compatriot Ahn Jung-Hwan scored the "golden goal" in extra time to send South Korea through to the next round in the biggest upset at the World Cup since North Korea defeated Italy in 1966.

CANADIAN CONTENT

The 2002 World Cup was not without some Canadian content: Calgary's Owen Hargreaves, a defensive midfielder with German club Bayern Munich, was among the players named to England's 23-man roster. Hargreaves broke the hearts of Canadian soccer fans in 2001 when he suited up for England's national team, pledging his international soccer allegiance to the English.

A FIFA bylaw that allows a player to represent the birth nation of his parents gave Hargreaves the option of suiting up for England (his father's homeland) or Wales (his mother's birth nation), in addition to Canada.

SOUTH KOREA STUNS THE WORLD

South Korea's miracle run in reaching the semifinals was the story of the 2002 World Cup, thanks in large part to their determined play, but luck - in the form of some controversial calls by the referees - also played a big part in their success

In the second round and the quarterfinals, Italy and Spain appeared to score legitimate goals in extra time against South Korea, only to have them nullified on controversial decisions by the linesmen and referee. The officials' mistakes were so erroneous that many media pundits and team officials stated there was a conspiracy orchestrated by FIFA to ensure South Korea's passage through to the final.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter publicly recognized that several officiating errors were made during the tournament, but rejected the idea that there was a pro-South Korea conspiracy at work.

A COSTLY GOAL

Ahn Jung-Hwan was a member of Italian first-division team Perugia at the time of his famous "golden goal" against Italy. The next day, Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci told an Italian newspaper that he refused to welcome back the Korean into the team as punishment for eliminating Italy from the World Cup. Gaucci later retracted those comments but Jung-Hwan ended up leaving Perugia and signed with Japanese team Shimizu S-Pulse.

SUKER QUICK OFF THE MARK

Hakan Sukur's goal for Turkey against South Korea in the third-place game came after just 11 seconds following the opening kickoff, the fastest goal ever scored at the World Cup.

MAJOR REPRESENTATION

Teams from Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time in 2002.

CLASSY MOVE BY SIMEONE

In a classy gesture, Argentine midfielder Diego Simeone - the player who managed to get David Beckham sent off at the World Cup in 1998 - shook the English captain's hand at halftime as the teams left the field during their first-round match.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Aside from deciding which country would host the opening match and the final, Japan and South Korea couldn't even come to a consensus on the official name of the tournament. Following the English alphabetical order, Japan wanted its named first in the title - the "Japan-Korea World Cup." South Korea argued to go by the French alphabet ("Corée" and "Japon") in keeping with the FIFA's French roots.

A compromise was eventually worked out: "Korea-Japan" was how the countries ended up being listed in the official title, and Japan was awarded the final (South Korea was given the tournament opener).

FRANCE BOWS OUT

Senegal, the unheralded West African nation that was making its World Cup debut, stunned France by pulling out a miraculous 1-0 victory on May 31 in Seoul. Already without Zinedine Zidane - sidelined with an injury he picked up just days before the tournament - Les Bleus began to collapse under the strain of expectation and were held to 0-0 draw in their second game in Group A against Uruguay. Only a win by two goals against Denmark in their final game could save them.

Zidane was forced into action, but he was still hobbled by a torn thigh injury and Denmark rose to the occasion with a 2-0 victory. Senegal earned a draw with Uruguay to join the Danes in the next round. Three games without a victory - and without a goal! - and France went home in disgrace, the worst performance at a World Cup by a defending champion since Brazil in 1966.

THE RISE OF SENEGAL

After upsetting France in the opener, Senegal went on to the second round where they beat Sweden via golden goal to become only the second African nation to reach the quarterfinals.

QUIRKY FACTS

* Incredibly, Brazil and Germany, the two of the most successful nations in international soccer, met each other for the first time at the World Cup in the 2002 final.

* Only three other nations won all of its games en route to winning the World Cup: Uruguay in 1930 (four games), Italy in 1934 and 1938 (four games both times) and France in 1998 (seven games). Brazil won all six of its games when it claimed the World Cup title in 1970.

* Ronaldo was the first player to score more than six goals in a single tournament since Poland's Grzegorz Lato scored seven in 1974.

* Since the introduction of the modern format of the World Cup in 1954, only two other defending champions failed to make it out of the opening round: Brazil in 1966, and Spain in 2014.

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History of the World Cup: 2002 - Asia and the next frontier - Sportsnet.ca

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The World Cup went to Asia for the first time in 2002, and while South Korea captured the hearts of the locals and neutrals, Brazil ended up winning its fifth title. In 2002 the World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the planet, conquered the final frontier: The Far East.

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2004

The greatest football teams: Greece’s triumph at Euro 2004

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Throughout the history of soccer, there have been many shocks. Despite this, no underdog side has ever pulled off such an upset at an international tournament. Greece pulled off the impossible in 2004, winning a competition in which they were completely unfancied. Forget about being the football betting favourites for the tournament - they were odds-on favourites to be knocked out in the group stages, and went into every single game with all odds up against them. Over a decade later, they are still well-remembered.

Many people undervalue Greece winning Euro 2004 due to their defensive tactics in the latter stages. In truth, Greece adapted brilliantly to each game, changing styles effortlessly to win. If winning defensively was so easy, there would be more teams pulling upsets like Greece did. They were extremely resilient in the knockout stages of the tournament, as shown by three consecutive 1-0 victories in the knockout stages to win the tournament. Against France, in the quarter-finals, Greece won 1-0 with a headed goal. In the semi-finals, they won 1-0 from a headed goal. In the final against Portugal, they won 1-0 with a headed goal.

Otto Rehhagel did a brilliant job as Greece manager throughout the tournament. In the group stages, Greece beat Portugal 1-0 playing some good soccer. When the knockout stages came, however, Greece changed to a more defensive style. Against France in the quarter-finals, Greece played man-to-man defense. Another tactician who has employed this recently is Marcelo Bielsa, who did this with Athletic Bilbao against Barcelona, and with Marseille against PSG. France played a lopsided formation in this tournament, with Zinedine Zidane playing on the right side of midfield in a 4-4-2, with Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet up top as strikers. To cover this, Greece played two man-marking defenders and one player sweeping up. Trezeguet generally played centrally, so one center-back (Kapsis) marshaled him. Just as he did at Arsenal, Henry naturally dropped off to the left, allowing Greece to mark him with the right-back, Seitaridis. The left-back, Fyssas dropped back when having to cover Zidane. With Zidane moving centrally at times, Fyssas often had lots of space to go forward. Dellas, the second-center back, played as the sweeper. Greece virtually had three central midfielders covering this backline, with Karagounis playing just ahead. The formation played partly as a 4-3-1-2, but due to the man-marking, became lopsided when France's formation was lopsided. With Czech Republic, who were quite probably the best side in the tournament, also playing a 4-4-2 formation (thereby two up top), Greece employed a similar formation.

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The greatest football teams: Greece's triumph at Euro 2004 - World Soccer Talk

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Throughout the history of soccer, there have been many shocks. Despite this, no underdog side has ever pulled off such an upset at an international tournament. Greece pulled off the impossible in 2004, winning a competition in which they were completely unfancied.

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Spain (2007–2012) For winning 3 successive international football tournaments, the best football team of all time has to be Spain. They won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup

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The Spain national football team represents Spain in the men's International Football Association. The current head coach is Julen Lopetegui, whom has been coach ever since Vicente del Bosque stepped down in 2016. Since the team's debut back in 1920, they have participated in a total of 14 out of 20 FIFA World Cups. Spain is one of eight national teams to have been crowned FIFA World Cup champs when they won the 2010 tournament in South Africa, as well as winning back to back European titles in 2008 and 2012. Having won these titles makes them the only national team thus far to win three consecutive wins of the World Cup. From 2008 to 2013, Spain won FIFA Team of the Year award, and between 2006 and 2009, they were undefeated for 35 whole consecutive matches before they lost to the United States. The team's achievements are almost unmatched and have led to many opinions as to whether the team is the best ever in football, international wise.

Spain's Team History

Spain became a member of FIFA in the early 1900's even though the Spanish Football Federation wasn't established until 1909. Spain made their first appearance in an Olympic tournament in 1920 against Denmark, and they managed to win. Spain qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1934, playing against Brazil in their first game and then losing to the hosts, Italy, in the quarter finals. Because of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, Spain was unable to play any competitive matches between the 1934 World Cup and the 1950 edition's qualifiers. At the 1950 finals in Brazil, they managed to make it to the final round and then finished fourth place. Until 2010, that had been Spain's highest finish in a FIFA World Cup finals, where they earned the name of the "underachievers."

Spain took home their first major international title when they hosted the 1964 European Championship that was held in Spain, where they defeated the Soviet Union. That victory stood as Spain's lone major title for 44 whole years. Spain was selected as host for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where they reached the second round, and four years afterwards, they reached the quarter finals.

Fast forward to UEFA Euro 2008, where Spain won all of their games in Group D, and was their first major title since 1964 European Championship. In the 2010, World Cup, Spain was able to advance to the finals for the first time ever when they beat Germany. In the match against the Netherlands, Spain became the third team to win a World Cup outside their own continent and the first European team to do so. Spain qualified top of Group I in qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 with a perfect record. They became the first team to take home the European Championship when they won the finals against Italy. However, in the 2014 and 2016 World Cup, Spain were eliminated early. That hasn't affected the team any, as they are competing in this year's 2018 World Cup in Russia.

All About the Team

Spain's traditional kit includes a red and yellow jersey, dark blue shorts and red sock, while their away kit is all white. Instead of displaying the logo of the Spanish football federation, Spain's jersey traditionally features the coat of arms of Spain on the front left side. After Spain's defeat in the 2010 World Cup, the World Cup winners badge was added to the right side of the jersey and a gold star at the top of the Spanish coat of arms.

Spain's style of play would be tiki-taka, which is based on making your way to the back of the net through short passing and movement. The style involves wandering movement and positional interchange among midfielders, moving the ball in distinct patterns, and sharp one or two-touch passing. Tiki-taka is both defensive and offensive in equal measure and has been successfully incorporated into Spain's plays over the years.

Spain doesn't have a designated national stadium, so major qualifying matches are usually played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, the Mestalla in Valencia, as well as the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville.

Why you should follow Spain to Russia 2018

This year's FIFA World Cup is taking place in Russia and Spain has recently announced their squad. Four years ago, Spain arrived at the World Cup in Brazil after previously winning three major international trophies. Even though Spain found many of their top sportsmans in the squad for the Euros in 2016, the team still came up short and lost to Italy. Since all of this, Spain has taken on a new coach who hasn't strayed too far from the template that has brought Spain so much success over the past decade. There's much speculation over Spain's World Cup hopes this year. It will be no surprise if they come out on top as champs in the tournament.

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The History of Spain National Football Team

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The Spain national football team represents Spain in the men's International Football Association. The current head coach is Julen Lopetegui, whom has been coach ever since Vicente del Bosque stepped down in 2016. Since the team's debut back in 1920, they have participated in a total of 14 out of 20 FIFA World Cups.