If we recently discovered the origin of golf in the pagan game, today we will discover the origin of football... in the 3rd century BC in China .
Modern football was created in England after the formation of the Football Association , whose 1863 rules are the basis of the sport today but the first records of cuju or tsu chu (literally kick a ball ) date from the 3rd century BC. They appear in a military manual that includes the game in the program of physical tests to which soldiers were subjected as training. The soldiers were divided into two teams and, without using their hands, they had to put in a ball of about 30-40 cm. in diameter (made of leather and stuffed with fur or feathers) in the goal contrary. The goal in question, which was not protected by a goalkeeper, was a hole cut out of a silk cloth and hung from the top of two bamboo poles... about 9 meters away . Therefore, a special skill was required to play this game… it was only made for gamers.
At first, tsu chu matches were only held between the military and during the Emperor's birthday celebrations, but during the Han dynasty , from 206 a. Until 220 C., the game became popular in such a way that it spread throughout China and any pretext to celebrate a match was already used. In the times of the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644) the tsu chu fell into oblivion... Could it be that the famous vases were in danger with the practice of tsu chu?
Another version of the origin of soccer... the Japanese game Kemari . (Thanks Chema)
Sources and image:Origins of football, Expert Football, Macau Historia