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The game of soccer (known as football in every country, excluding America) is by far the most popular sport in the world. Although the act of kicking a ball was probably common ever since the inception of human beings, soccer started in England in 1863.

During that time, rugby style football and soccer were interconnected in some fashion, but disputes and disparities of how the game should be played and regulated brought a separation. As a result, die-hard supporters of rugby style football parted ways, because they disagreed with the forbiddance of tackling and carrying the ball. With rugby supporters out of the way, the remaining body took swift action and formulated the first football association named The Football Association in England (FA).

Eight years thereafter, The Football Association managed to grow tremendously with 50 clubs. The FA was now comfortable to start the FA Cup, a gradual elimination of a losing team after each game until a winner was awarded.

In 1872, England and Scotland played the first organized match. The competition brought a huge crowd, which was not expected by The Football Association. As many matches continued throughout the years, the amount of spectators grew even more. However, there was a major problem concerning the players: professionalism. Although they were players, they were not considered professionals, meaning the players did not get paid for their prowess on the field. Many clubs (including their players) thought it was problematic and some kind of payment should be given, and rightfully so.

In fact, some players did get paid for their talents. According to historians, two Darwin players were the first to receive some payment for their football skills, payments not associated with The Football Association. To keep the association active and the clubs satisfied, the FA felt obligated to legalize professionalism in 1885.

After England formed its football association many other countries followed: Netherlands, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Argentina, Chile, Hungary, Germany, and many more. Soccer grew quickly and became popular worldwide.

With so many football associations worldwide, a governing body needed to oversee (and set a universal standard) them all and one was created at the start of the 20th Century. On May 21, 1904, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football) was founded in Paris - universally known as FIFA.

Today, FIFA embodies 208 national associations,

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