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15 things about football you probably didn't know

The quickest red card was given after just 2 secs!

Published 7th Jun 2016

Whether you call it football or soccer it's one of the most popular games in the world and has made some players celebrities in their own right.

After a bit of research we've gathered together 15 facts about the game which we reckon you probably don't know.

  1. The very earliest football type game was invented in China around 476 BC and consisted of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening, measuring only 30-40cm.
  1. During the First World War many munitions factories had their own women's football teams.

© PA Images

  1. Andrew Watson should really be more well known. He is widely considered as the first black footballer at international level, playing for Scotland, winning three caps in the 1880s.
  1. Aston Villa was created by four cricketers from the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel cricket team. They were looking for something to occupy them during the winter months and apparently saw an impromptu football game being played nearby giving them the idea.

© iStock

  1. When Korean footballer Ahn Jung-hwan scored and knocked Italy out of the 2002 World Cup he promptly lost his contract with Italian club Perugia. In a comment Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci said he was "ruining Italian football".
  1. The fastest red card in a football game was given after just 2 seconds to Lee Todd in 2000. As the whistle was blown to start the game he shouted, "F**k me, that was loud", to which he was immediately given a red card, despite protesting the decision saying, "I wasn’t swearing at the ref or anyone else. Anyone else would have done the same - he nearly blew my ear off."

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  1. In the 2010 World Cup the 'North Korean' supporters turned out to be selected members of the government and 'volunteers' from China.
  1. In a horrific turn of events in 1998 a football game in the DR of Congo came to an abrupt end when lightning struck the the ground and killed all 11 members of one team.

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  1. Despite football being the national sport of Greenland they are unable to join FIFA because they can't grow enough grass to the regulation standard.
  1. In 2013 20-month-old Bryce became the youngest ever professional signing. FC Racing Boxberg's coach said "The way Bryce kicks the ball: you do not see that very often. His ball control is incredible for somebody of his age."
  1. Lusail, the city due to host the 2022 World Cup Final game, hasn't been built yet.
  1. Sheffield FC were the world’s first ever football team and played Hallam FC in the first ever game at the world's oldest ground.
  1. The Vatican City has its own football team.
  1. Ronaldinho lost a £500,000 a year contract with Coca-Cola when he was spotted drinking Pepsi at a press conference.

© PA Images

  1. 149 - 0 is the highest scoreline in football ever recorded, it was between two teams in Madagascar. The losing team intentionally lost as a protest against refereeing decisions during a previous tournament.