I watched a tape of the England vs Germany 1966 World Cup Final the other day and the thing that struck me the most was how many of today’s players can’t make a solid tackle without leaving their feet. And some players, such as Paul Scholes and perhaps David Beckham, are actually pretty brutal when [...]

After playing and watching football on almost a daily basis for many years now, it seems that some people still have difficulty understanding what constitutes handball. It is of course another controversial football rule that’s basically up to the interpretation and discretion of the referee. But one thing should be made clear, the rule deals [...]

While football’s a physical game that’s played on the pitch, it’s also a thinking person’s game that can often be won and lost on the drawing board. This is because like a chess match, the sport is open to many different tactics, and one of the most important strategies in soccer is to know which [...]

If you’ve seen David Beckham bend the ball around a defensive wall and into the top corner of the net, you know how dramatic free kicks from 30 yards out can be. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing someone maneuver the ball around, over, or even under a wall and hit the net. This is [...]

If  you’re one of the few who already understand the offside rule, the next thing to learn is how to stay onside when attacking and how to play somebody offside when you’re defending. Because the offside rule is wide open to interpretation, it’s important that you stay in an onside position as often as possible. Many [...]

After watching the England vs Andorra game on June 10th and seeing an England goal called back for offside, I realized it’s still a rule that baffles many supporters. In fact, the offside rule in football has to be one of the most misunderstood rules in all of sport. An offside call can lead to [...]

Heading is considered to be a skillful part of the game which comes naturally to most football players. But over the years, more and more people are questioning the health effects of constantly heading the ball. In fact, in 2002 a British coroner ruled that former England World Cup player Jeff Astle died at the [...]

Football is often viewed in a number of different ways by a number of different people. Whether you love it or loathe it, football creates news stories, which break every single day, whether it be the signing of a big player, a club going into administration or the funniest goal the sport has ever seen. [...]

Argentina’s Diego Maradona punched the ball into the net in a World Cup game against England, FIFA referees are still blowing calls and games…and players are still actually thumping in goals with their hands. Well, the brains behind FIFA, the game’s governing body, put their heads together on Feb. 28th to discuss a few changes [...]

Penalties are always controversial, no matter what the scenario. Top of the table clashes, league encounters, cup thrillers. One touch of the hand, one touch of the player, one touch of the shirt. The outcome of a game can be changed in seconds. Nothing was more evident than in the final matches of the season [...]