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Soccer,
the most popular sport in the world. Organized soccer is played in
144 nations, with nearly 20 million players participating. The final
match of the World Cup, held every four years, is televised around
the world and always attracts over a billion viewers. Soccer
stadiums such as the Maracana Stadium in Brazil, which has held
crowds of more than 200,000, are built to accommodate the multitudes
of spectators who enjoy the game. The sport has experienced
extraordinary growth in the United States since the 1970s.
The
essence of soccer is its simplicity. Known as football in much of
the world, it is still a game for the masses, speaking a language
that knows no international barriers. The object of the game is to
get the ball, by any means except using the hands or arms, into the
rectangular goals at each end of the field. The team scoring the
most goals is the winner.
Soccer,
which evolved from centuries of different ball games, did not always
allow only the goalkeepers, or goalies, to use their hands to touch
the ball. Formal rules and distinctions among players of the game
did not emerge until the late 19th century. Rugby and U.S.-style
football developed out of the division that came with decisions to
prohibit certain actions in soccer, such as handling the ball,
tackling with the arms, and hacking.
Competition
The
playing dimensions of soccer fields must conform to certain
limitations, but need not be uniform. The length may vary from a
minimum of 100 yards to a maximum of 120 yards (91,110 meters). The
width of the field must never exceed the length. The field is
divided in half crosswise by a centerline. At the middle of this
line is the center spot, from which point the game is initially
started and then restarted following goals. The center circle has a
radius of 10 yards (9.1 meters) from the center spot. The field is
bordered by touchlines on the sides and by goal lines on the ends.
At
each end of the field is a goal 24 feet (7.3 meters) wide and 8 feet
(2.4 meters) high, consisting of two uprights joined by a crossbar.
In front of each goal are two rectangular boxes. The smaller box,
measuring 20 yards by 6 yards (18.3 by 5.5 meters), is the goal
area, in which the goalkeeper cannot be charged and where the ball
is placed for goal kicks, which are taken by the team defending the
goal area. The larger rectangle, measuring 44 yards by 18 yards
(40.2 by 16.4 meters),
is the penalty area. It designates the area where the goalkeeper may
use his or her hands to touch the ball without being penalized, and
within which any one of the nine direct-free-kick offenses committed
by a defensive player will result in a penalty kick. A penalty kick
is a free shot at the goal from the penalty spot, 12 yards (11
meters) from the center of the goal.
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