The word "
football", when used in reference to a specific game can mean any one of those described above. Because of this, much friendly controversy has occurred over the term
football, primarily because it is used in different ways in different parts of the English-speaking world. Most often, the word "football" is used to refer to the code of football that is considered dominant within a particular region. So, effectively, what the word "football" means usually depends on where one says it.
Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in which English is an official or primary language, 42 use "football" in their organizations' official names (only Canada, Samoa and United States use "soccer"). "Soccer" is the prevailing term for association football in the U.S, Canada, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand where other codes of football are dominant, but the name "soccer" (or "soccer football") was originally a slang abbreviation of "association". The term used for association football is going through a period of transition in recent times. In 2005, Australia's association football governing body changed its name from "soccer" to "football" to align with the general international usage of the term.
[67] In 2007, New Zealand followed suit citing "the international game is called football".
[68]
Generally
[clarification needed] around the world today
[when?] the word "football" and direct translations (such as Spanish
fútbol and German
Fußball/Fussball) is in widespread
[citation needed] use as the name for association football. In Francophone Quebec, where Canadian football is more popular, the sport of association football is known as
le soccer and the Canadian code as
football.
The game of football is any of several similar team sports, of similar origins which involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer". Unqualified, the word football applies to whichever form of football is the most popular in each particular part of the world, including American football, Australian rules football, Canadian football, Gaelic football, rugby league, rugby union and other related games. These variations are known as "codes."
