Soccer vs football around the world

[TPFKA@W]

[MajGenl.Meade]

Not sure about southern Africa but I suppose that Ireland, Australia and the USA usage of soccer is explained by the abomination of games that each has decided to call "football" in defiance of logic.

Gaelic, Ozzie Rules and the colonial game all involve carrying the damn ball in the hands - the very antithesis of "foot" ball.

At least the rugby people had the decency to stick "rugby" in front of it and use that word as the general descriptor, although the pansies in rugby union do far too much kicking instead of playing like the real men of rugby league.

Ahem

[Guinevere]

<translation>Damn those feisty colonials </translation>

[Big RR]

Ozzie Rules and the colonial game all involve carrying the damn ball in the hands-the very antithesis of "foot" ball

And I always thought the goalkeepers were part of the football team and played football. Thanks for straightening that out.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Right, Big RR. You are sooo clever! Goalkeeping isn't exactly the purpose of the other 20 players on the pitch though, eh? In fact, handling is verboten, even for the goalie outside the penalty area.

[ex-khobar Andy]

. . . although the pansies in rugby union do far too much kicking instead of playing like the real men of rugby league

Them's fighting words, Meade. It reminds me of the aphorism, attributed to Churchill, that "Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen, and football is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans." Churchill, if indeed it was he, being a Harrow man was obviously referring to Rugby Union - I doubt he was even aware of the game payed by those too lazy to be hooligans, the layabouts of the Rugby League world.

Of the non-English alphabets I can tell you that the Russian is just a transliteration (as opposed to a translation) of 'futbol' as are the Arabic, Farsi and Urdu transliterations over Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The Arabic over N Africa and the Saudi peninsula is actually a translation 'kurah qadem' of 'ball foot.' The Greek also appears to be a straightforward transliteration of football.

[Big RR]

Right, Big RR. You are sooo clever!

Why thank you; I know it is difficult for you to give praise like that.

And, FWIW, I do think the other players can sometimes throw the ball in from the sideline. So another touching of the ball. Just another clever observation.

[MajGenl.Meade]

YYUR YYUB ICUR YY4ME

[Big RR]

[Long Run]

This whole topic is offsides, since no one understands it in any event.

[Big RR]

An attitude like that will get you a yellow card.

[Long Run]

Plenty of people would get a kick out of that.

[Big RR]

Perhaps; kicks just keep getting harder to find.

[Long Run]

I guess we can't get anyone else to play. I did get the ball rolling, though.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I gave it a pass

[Long Run]

Is the header misdirecting?