Alexander Lipenko's column. Losers were beaten with bamboo sticks

Quite often you can hear and read that "England is the birthplace of football", "England gave the most popular game in the world".

The origin of football - the game of "foot ball" (in English "foot" - foot and "ball" - ball) - dates back to ancient times. In the form in which it has come down to us, football really formed in England. But the game resembling football was known in 2650 BC at the court of the Japanese Emperor Kemari, as evidenced by drawings and manuscripts. Back then, there were also football goals into which players endeavoured to drive the ball. One of the features of this ancient football was that the ball was prevented from sinking to the ground by supporting it with a kick of the foot. The match lasted for a set time. This was monitored by an hourglass.

Ancient Chinese sources dating back to 2697 B.C. tell of a football-like game called tzu-chu. The two best teams competed in the presence of the Chinese emperor Chen-tzu and his entourage. The winners were rewarded with garlands of flowers, wine, expensive vessels, and the losers were publicly beaten with bamboo sticks.

It was forbidden to play with hands

A game similar to football was popular with the ancient Greeks. The Greek dictionary Pollux indicates that the players were divided into two parties (teams). Each party tried to pass the ball over the opponent's field. It was forbidden to play with hands. This game was called "harpanon".

Roman legionaries of Julius Caesar played "harpastum". The ball had to be held between two posts in any way, and to stop the opponent allowed any techniques. The ball was made of cowhide and tightly stuffed with straw.

Roman historian Suetonius Tranquillus wrote about Emperor Augustus: "... after battles, he still for several hours exercised with the ball - stuffed and inflatable.

In Rome there was also a game called "spheromachia" - a prototype of football. The great ancient Roman philosopher Seneca wrote about it: "Young people in the sunshine make the most incredible movements with their feet.

Kick only with their feet

When did the football come into being? The cowhide ball was also known to the legionaries of Julius Caesar. The leather ball is mentioned in the poems of the ancient Roman poet Martial, who lived in the 1st century AD, and in other sources.

Predecessors of footballers played with hands and feet. But then established a rule: to hit the ball only feet. Changed and the place where it was necessary to score the ball. Earlier it was an ordinary line drawn on the court, then on this line they installed a gate without an upper crossbar.

Oleksandr LIPENKO for Dynamo.kiev.ua