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The first known ball game which also involved kicking took place In China in the 3rd and 2nd century BC under the name Cuju. Cuju was played with a round ball on an area of a square
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first documents of balls filled with air are from the 7th century
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The Cambridge Rules are created
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the first football club in the world, is founded in 1857. That same year the Sheffield Rules are also created.
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The first game that took place outside Europe occurred in Argentina in 1867, but it was foreign British workers who were involved and not Argentinean citizens.
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First "goalkeepers", and passage from "dribbling game" to "passing game" is seen in club matches in Sheffield and London.
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Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) became the first important competition when it was run in 1871. The following year a match between two national teams was played for the first time. This was played between England and Scotland
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The crossbar is introduced, replacing tape as the means of marking the top of the goal.
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The length of a match is set at 90 minutes
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Referees begin to use whistles
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Clubs charge for admission. Players paid lost wages and expenses
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In Britain, Andrew Watson is known to be the first black player, and he played in the Scottish club Queen’s Park in the 1880s.
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The first international tournament took place and included four national teams: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
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Goal nets used for the first time.
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The penalty kick is introduced
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Referee in complete control of game.
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The number of a football team is defined to be 11 players.
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The first international match between non-British European national teams:
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The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in 1904 and a foundation act was signed by representatives from France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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England and the other British countries did not join FIFA from the start, they had invented the game and saw no reason to subordinate to an association. Still, they joined in the following year, but would not partake in the World Cup until 1950.
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football for the first time be included as an official sport in the Olympic Games
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Goalkeepers banned from handling the ball outside their own penalty area
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Opposing players forced to stand at least ten yards away from a free kick
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Goalkeepers have to stand still on their lines for penalty kicks
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The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay and has since then returned every fourth year with two exceptions due to the Second World War.
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Shirt numbering is made compulsory.
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The Football League begins awarding three points for a win instead of two
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In 1991 the first World Cup for women was held in China and has since then also returned every fourth year.
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woman's football was added to Olympics
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The first openly gay footballer
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Latvia is the first football team from the Baltic states to make an appearance in a major football competition,