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Cuju - Ts'u-chü

The first mention of cuju in a historical text is in the Warring States era Zhan Guo Ce, in the section describing the state of Qi. It is also described in Sima Qian's Records Of The Grand Historian (under the Biography of Su Qin), written during the Han Dynasty. A competitive form of cuju was used as fitness training for military cavaliers, while other forms were played for entertainment in wealthy cities like Linzi.

During the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), the popularity of cuju spread from the army to the royal courts and upper classes. It is said that the Han emperor Wu Di enjoyed the sport. At the same time, cuju games were standardized and rules were established. Cuju matches were often held inside the imperial palace. A type of court called ju chang (鞠場) was built especially for cuju matches, which had six crescent-shaped goalposts at each end.

The sport was improved during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). First of all, the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air-filled ball with a two-layered hull. Also, two different types of goalposts emerged: One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goalpost in the middle of the field. The Tang dynasty capital of Chang'an was filled with cuju fields, in the backyards of large mansions, and some were even established in the grounds of the palaces. Soldiers who belonged to the imperial army and the Gold Bird Guard often formed cuju teams for the delight of the emperor and his court. The level of female cuju teams also improved. Cuju even became popular amongst the scholars and intellectuals, and if a courtier lacked skill in the game, he could pardon himself by acting as a scorekeeper.

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The Relation Between Football And Interconnection Between The Entire Globe And Its Effect On Globalisation

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The Relation Between Football And Interconnection Between The Entire Globe And Its Effect On Globalisation

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As the most popular sport globally, football has recently intrigued much research interest to explore and distill useful and appealing information from the sport. Network science and graph-centric methods have been previously applied to study the importance of football players and teams. In this paper, for the first time, we study the macroscopic evolution of the football society from a complex network point of view. Football game records within a time window of over a century were collected and expressed in a graph format, where participant teams are represented by graph nodes and the games between them are the graph edges. We carry out community detection and temporal analysis to reveal the dynamic features and community structures embedded within the football network, offering evidence of a continuously expanding football society. The spatiotemporal analysis is also implemented to unveil the temporal states representing distinct development stages in football history. Our analysis suggests that the evolution of the game receives considerable impact not only from major sports events but also from multiple social and political incidents. The game of football and its evolution reflect significant historical transitions and turning points and can provide a novel perspective for the study of the worldwide globalization process.

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The History Of Football... How Did It Come Be The World's Most Popular Sport?

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The History Of Football... How Did It Come Be The World's Most Popular Sport?

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Modern football originated in Britain in the 19th century. Since before medieval times, "folk football” games had been played in towns and villages according to local customs and with a minimum of rules. Industrialization and urbanization, which reduced the amount of leisure time and space available to the working class, combined with a history of legal prohibitions against particularly violent and destructive forms of folk football to undermine the game’s status from the early 19th century onward. However, football was taken up as a winter game between residence houses at public (independent) schools such as Winchester College, Charterhouse, and Eton College. Each school had its own rules; some allowed limited handling of the ball and others did not. The variance in rules made it difficult for public schoolboys entering university to continue playing except with former schoolmates. As early as 1843 an attempt to standardize and codify the rules of play was made at the University Of Cambridge, whose students joined most public schools in 1848 in adopting these “Cambridge rules,” which were further spread by Cambridge graduates who formed football clubs. In 1863 a series of meetings involving clubs from metropolitan London and surrounding counties produced the printed rules of football, which prohibited the carrying of the ball. Thus, the “handling” game of rugby remained outside the newly formed Football Association (FA). Indeed, by 1870 all handling of the ball except by the goalkeeper was prohibited by the FA.

The new rules were not universally accepted in Britain, however; many clubs retained their own rules, especially in and around Sheffield. Although this northern English city was the home of the first provincial club to join the FA, in 1867 it also gave birth to the Sheffield Football Association, the forerunner of later county associations. Sheffield and London clubs played two matches against each other in 1866, and a year later a match pitting a club from Middlesex against one from Kent and Surrey was played under the revised rules. In 1871 15 FA clubs accepted an invitation to enter a cup competition and to contribute to the purchase of a trophy. By 1877 the associations of Great Britain had agreed upon a uniform code, 43 clubs were in competition, and the London clubs’ initial dominance had diminished.

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The Qatar World Cup:

The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2010. It was the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world and Muslim world, and the second held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. This tournament was the last with 32 participating teams, with the number of teams being increased to 48 for the 2026 edition. To avoid the extremes of Qatar's hot climate, the event was held in November and December instead of during the traditional months of May, June, or July. It was held over 29 days, with 64 matches played in 8 venues across 5 cities. Qatar entered the event; their first World Cup—automatically as the host's national team, alongside 31 teams determined by the qualification process. Argentina were crowned the champions after winning the final against the title holder France 4–2 on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra time. It was Argentina's third title and their first since 1986, as well as being the first nation outside of Europe to win the tournament since 2002. French player Kylian Mbappe became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in the 1966 final.

Golden Boot Award: Kylian Mbappe

Golden Ball Award: Lionel Messi

Golden Glove Award: Emiliano Martinez

Young Player Of The Year Award: Enzo Fernandez

Most Assists: Antoine Greizmann

Most Yellow Cards: Gonzalo Montiel & Marcos Acuna

Most Red Cards: Denzel Dumfries, Vincent Aboubakar, Walid Cheddira & Wayne Hennessey (All had one red card each)

Match With Highest Score: Spain 7 - 0 Costa Rica

Fun Fact:

Qatar has set the record for the first World Cup host to lose in the opening match against Ecuador

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The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División, or LaLiga, and officially LaLiga EA Sports since 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional football division of the Spanish Football League System. It is controlled by the LFP and is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday period.

Since its inception,62 teams have competed in La Liga. Nine teams have been crowned champions, with Barcelona winning the inaugural La Liga and Real Madrid winning the title a record 35 times. Barcelona are the most recent winners, winning the 2022-23 season. During the 40s Valencia, Athletico Madrid, and Barcelona emerged as the strongest clubs, winning several titles. Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated the championship in the 50s, each winning four La Liga titles during the decade. During the 60s and 70s, Real Madrid dominated La Liga, winning fourteen titles, with Atlético Madrid winning four. During the 80s and 90s, Real Madrid were prominent in La Liga, but the Basque clubs of Athletic Club and Real Sociedad had their share of success, each winning two Liga titles. Since the 90s, Barcelona has dominated La Liga, winning seventeen titles to date. Although Real Madrid has been prominent, winning eleven titles, La Liga has also seen other champions, including Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna.

Dominant Teams: Real Madrid (1902), FC Barcelona (1899), Athletico De Madrid (1903), Real Sociedad (1909)

Popular Players: Vinicus Jr, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Greizmann, Memphis Depay, Nabil Fekir, Takefusa Kubo

Relegated Teams: Valladolid, Espanyol, Elche

Sponsors: EA Sports, Visit Saudi, Sorare, Dapper Labs, TVM, Mahou, Microsoft, Fanatics, PUMA

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The Serie A, officially known as Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system. The winners are awarded the Coppa Campioni d'Italia trophy and the scudetto, a decoration that they wear on the jersey the season after the victory. It has been operating as a round-robin tournament for over ninety years since the 1929-30 season. It had been organized by the Direttorio Divisioni Superiori until 1943, the Lega Calcio until 2010, and the Lega Seria A ever since. Serie A is regarded as one of the world's best football leagues and is often depicted as the most tactical and defensively sound national league. Serie A was the world's strongest national league in 2020 according to IFFHS and is ranked third among European leagues according to UEFA's league coefficient – behind the PL and La Liga, and ahead of Bundesliga and Ligue 1 – which is based on the performance of Italian clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League during the previous five years. Serie A led the UEFA ranking from 1986 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1999.

Dominant Teams: Inter (1908), AC Milan (1899), Juventus (1897), SSC Napoli (1926)

Popular Players: Lautaro Martinez, Victor Osihmen, Rafael Leao, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Samuel Chukwueze, Theo Hernandez, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paolo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku

Relegated Teams: Spezia, Cremonese, Sampdoria

Sponsors: Enilive

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So does the football world have anything new coming up? Up till now, there hasn't been any news about any kind of rule change or big new league popping up, but the changes are gradual. On the 10th of December 2010, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), it was finalized that the FIFA World Cup 2022 would be held in Qatar. Similarly, on the 13th of June 2018, FIFA decided that the hosts for the 2026 World Cup would be held in the US, Canada and Mexico. The same went for 2030:

“The FIFA Council also agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain," the FIFA President added. “Two continents - Africa and Europe - united not only in a celebration of football but also in providing unique social and cultural cohesion." - FIFA Official

This shows that FIFA wants to keep the interconnections between countries around the world strong by keeping a diverse change for each World Cup.

Also, the work has begun on the topic of stadiums. It was mentioned earlier in the year that the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas is undergoing upgrades for the 2026 World Cup. This shows how determined FIFA is to keep people around the world interconnected.

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The Indian Super League (ISL) is the men's highest level of the Indian Football League System. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), the league currently comprises 12 clubs.

The season runs from September to March and includes a 22-round regular season followed by playoffs involving the top six teams, culminating with the ISL Final to determine the champions. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is declared the premiers and presented with the League Winners' Shield.

Currently, the league only follows promotion in the promotion and relegation processes. ISL clubs qualify for the Asian continental club competitions; regular season premiers qualify directly for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League 2 group stage.

Dominant Teams: Mohun Bagan Super Giants (1889), Kerala Blasters FC (2014), FC Goa (2014)

Popular Players: Adrian Luna, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Roy Krishna, Kwame Peprah

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This is the league from which Kylian Mbappe left for the Spanish superpowers (Real Madrid). Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. Being the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. 34 matches are played over the course of the tournament of which the majority of games are played on weekends. This league is unique as it has 2 worldwide companies as their sponsors; Uber Eats and MacDonalds. This is a key factor in the interconnection of three groups from different parts of the world which keeps the countries of origin in a strong relationship.

Dominant Teams: Paris Saint-Germain (1970), Lille OSC (1944), AS Monaco (1924), Olypique De Marseille (1899)

Popular Players: Kylian Mbappe (Transferred to Madrid and is rumored to leave by the end of the 2023-24 season), Randal Kolo Muani, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Jonathan David

Relegated Teams: Auxerre, Ajaccio, Troyes, Angers

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Now who doesn't know about the recent transfer of Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami? Major League Soccer is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the United States and 3 in Canada—since the 2023 season. MLS is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The league is divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences to solve the huge travel expenses problem. This league is managed by CONCACAF.

Dominant Teams: Inter Miami (2018), LA Galaxy (1994), Columbus Crew (1994)

Popular Players: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Hugo Lloris

Sponsors: Coca-Cola, Continental, DoorDash, EA Sports

partner2015ContinentalO

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The Campeonato Sudamericano de Futbol (Or CONMEMBOL Sudamericana for short...):

Good sportsmanship and keeping a strong interconnection between the entire continent. The CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship, is the top men's football tournament contested among national teams from South America. It is the oldest still-running continental football competition, as well as the third most watched in the world. It was founded in 1916 and there are currently 16 countries that are about to participate in the 2024 Sudamericana which starts on the 24th of June.

Most Titles: Argentina and Uruguay

Most Individual Titles: Angel Romano(6) - Uruguay

Top Goal Scorer: Norbert Martinez(17) - Argentina

Popular Players: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, Ederson, Ronald Araujo, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentacur, Darwin Nunez, Nicolas Otamendi

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The Most Iconic World Cup In Soccer History...

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The Most Iconic World Cup In Soccer History...

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The 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain! It may not look like much to any regular soccer fan but believe it or not, the 1982 World Cup is the year of wonders. This year started and ended with a bunch of surprises.

There just hasn't been a World Cup with more of everything. The number of stars just went off the charts -- Socrates, Zico, and Falcao starring for Brazil; Diego Maradona debuting for Argentina with 2 goals (and a red card ): ); France's Michel Platini who led the unstoppable's (France) to a single penalty miss which cost them a chance at the finals, and the power dominant Paolo Rossi.

In the year 1982, all fans around the world were confident about Brazil's sure victory, having scored 15 goals in 5 games but lost by a goal having seen the sensational hat-trick by Paolo Rossi. Italy were at their most defensive and physical (as Maradona could have attested) for most of the tournament. West Germany and France played an all-time classic in the semis, won by the Germans in penalties after overcoming a two-goal deficit in extra time. Heavyweights played like heavyweights throughout.

Host: Spain
Final: Italy 3-1 West Germany
Top goal scorer: Paolo Rossi, Italy

Debutant Countries: Algeria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kuwait, and New Zealand

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The Bundesliga is sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga or 1. Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. The Bundesliga is Germany's primary football competition at the top of the German football league system. This league is a rather special one as the trophy isn't a trophy, but rather... The BUNDESLIGA SHEILD (Known as Meisterschale worldwide and as Salatschüssel in Germany). This iconic trophy was used in the Bundesliga since 1903 but disappeared during the First World War and resurfaced after the German reunification.

Domestic Cups: DFB-Pokal, DFL Supercup, Bundesliga 2

Dominant Teams: FC Bayern Munich (1900), Bayer 04 Leverkusen (1904), Borrussia Dortmund (1909), RB Leipzig (2009)

Popular Players: Harry Kane, Florian Wirtz, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Jeremie Frimpong, Leroy Sane

Relegated Teams: Schalke, Hertha Berlin

Sponsors: Adidas, Hummel, Jako, Joma, Kappa, Macron, Nike, Puma, Uhlsport Umbro

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The Saudi Pro League (Or ROSHN League for commercial purposes), is the highest division of football in Saudi Arabia. It was founded in the year 1976 and is managed by the Saudi Football Association. This league occurring in Saudi Arabia is an advantage due to the fact that almost everything about Saudi Arabia is posh and that a single soccer stadium can have an attendance of up to 26,842 fans, which is almost 1/9th of the largest-ever attendance recorded in a single soccer game (being 173,850 fans to the Brazil 1-2 Uruguay in the 1950 World Cup)

Domestic Cups: King Cup, Super Cup

Dominant Teams: Al-Hilal (1957), Al-Nassr (1955), Al-Ahli (1937)

Popular Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Anderson Talisca, Otavio, N'golo Kante

Relegated Teams: Al-Bateen, Al-Adalah

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The UEFA Champions League is the second most popular soccer competition in the world, just below the FIFA World Cup. The UEFA Champions League is an annual club association football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition winners through a round robin group stage to qualify for a double-legged knockout format and a single-leg final.

Last Year's Winners: Manchester City

Top Goal Scorer: Erling Haaland

Sponsors: Heineken, PlayStation, and Turkish Airlines

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The Premier League (or PL for short) was founded on 27th May 1992 by Greg Dyke.

It is the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League. Seasons typically run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches against all other teams, home and away. This league kept the interconnection between the people of England and ironically some hostility, but even then the league brought the managers, players, and the fans to one stadium.

Dominant Teams: Manchester City (1880), Liverpool FC (1892), Arsenal (1886), Manchester United (1878)

Popular Players: Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohammed Salah, Hueng-Min Son, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Alisson Becker, Virgil Van Dijk

Relegated Teams: Leicester City, Southampton, Leeds United

Sponsors: Sorare, EA Sports, Budweiser, Nike, Barclays, Hublot, Oracle, Castrol, Avery Dennison, Panini

Fun Fact: