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with more than 300,000 plus clubs. Its headquarter is Switzerland. Joseph "Sepp" Blatter serves as the eighth and current president of FIFA. As a governing body, FIFA can penalize and suspend a team/association (or player) from international play if any wrongdoing is committed. For example, FIFA suspended the Greek Football Federation in 2006 because of government interference in the sport. Likewise, FIFA suspended Kenya Football Federation for government obstruction, but removed the ban in 2007 after the government agreed not to interfere in the sport. Basically, its many policies (on the field and off the field) exist to ensure the integrity/respectability of the game is not compromised.

Moreover, FIFA also sets rules for how the game should be played on the field. Soccer is rather an easy game to understand. Both teams have 11 players. Their goal is to try to drive and score the soccer ball into the goal cages, protected by a goalkeeper, at opposite ends. Only the goalkeeper can use his/her hands to prevent a goal. Players on the field can only use parts of their body to score, mainly feet and head. These are a few rules, but there are others.

The duration of a soccer match is 90 minutes: 45 minutes in the first half, and 45 minutes in the second half. When the first half comes to an end, the teams are given a break of fifteen minutes. However, the interval may be extended at the referee's discretion.

Allowance in time can also be given in either half for the following reasons: injury to player(s), removal of injured player(s), substitution(s), wasting time, etc. For example, if referees deem it appropriate to put more time on the clock at the end of the first half, or at the end of the game, then they will. In fact, it is very likely that time will be put on the clock after a game has reached its limit of 90 minutes.

During the normal playing time and the extra time given, if a team is tied (meaning a draw), then extra time is given until a team scores. The team that scores first wins the match. However, if neither team scores a winning goal during the extra period, then a shootout from the penalty mark will determine the winner.

The tie-breaker procedure is simple. Both teams select five players to kick from the penalty mark; the goalkeeper's job is to prevent a score. The kicks are taken interchangeably by the teams. If one team scores more goals than the other team could score, before both teams take five kicks, no more kicks are taken. In more concrete language, if the first 3 players of Team A score a goal, and the first three players of Team B fail to score a goal, then Team A wins the game.

However, if both teams score the same amount of goals with their five kicks, or have not scored any, then kicks are taken in the same order, interchangeably, until one team scores one goal more - rendering that team the winner.

The sport of soccer is adored by many; in fact, it takes the number one spot for the most popular sport in the world. It is called football in every country except the United States of America. Similar to retired NBA star Michael Jordan, Pele (Edison Arantes do Nascimento) of Brazil is known worldover, because he is considered the best soccer player that ever lived and most accomplished - scoring 1,281 goals in 1,363 games, according to FIFA. His superb talent aided his Brazilian team win three World Cups: 1958, 1962, and 1970.

Soccer is a sport that was present since humans inhabited the earth, and its popularity will ensure that it remains a fixture throughout the world. With its continuous growth, soccer will never die out, for it is a global phenomenon.

Aided Sources
1.) FIFA: www.fifa.com
2.) The Official Soccer Site:
http://www.drblank.com/slaw7.h tm

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