Читать книгу Now You Know Soccer - Doug Lennox - Страница 7

preface

In July 2007 the world governing body of soccer, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), released the results of a major multi-year survey of its member nations called “The Big Count.” What was the big news they discovered with their fancy survey? Only that soccer is the most popular game in the world. Which of course begs the question, did they really need to ask?

Everyone with a piece of ground and a ball can start playing soccer. Maybe that is why it is called “the beautiful game,” because of its tremendous egalitarian qualities. Rich or poor, it really doesn’t matter on the soccer pitch, or the cobblestone street, or the patch of desert sand. Soccer has a way of equalizing things.

Soccer has also been called “the simplest game” and that is deceptive, for at its best it is a game of tremendous skill and awesome athleticism. It is also a game of remarkable power, which can mold cultures and shape lives. It can make us scream with delight, or cry with outrage — whether we’re running down the touchline ourselves, just barely in control of the ball, or watching a master on TV who seems like he must have wings on his heels.

Over 265 million people, the FIFA study informs us, are actively involved in soccer around the world today. I’ve tried my best to provide a cross-section of that world in this book, packing it with questions and queries, lists and facts, anecdotes and answers. Soccer is indeed both beautiful and simple, and I hope that while reading this book, you’ll share my feeling that through those two traits, it has also become the world’s most fascinating game.