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Soccer Soccer is one of the most popular games played in the world. The history of soccer dates back to almost 3000 years. In ancient China, Japan, Italy, Greece, and Persia it was one of the most popular pastimes. Even in South and Central America, a similar game by the name of ‘Tlatchi’ flourished. Soccer is a game that has evolved with time and has had a few minor changes, while still sticking to the main game principles (History of Soccer). During the ancient times, soccer was actually banned by some rulers, like Edward III, Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V due to the disruption it caused when people used to practice. They used to abandon military tasks and avoided honing their warring skills to play soccer instead. Soccer began to take form in England, where the first Football Association was founded. Eight years after it’s formation the Football Association had 50 member clubs. The spread of soccer outside England was due to the British influence on other countries. The associations that were formed outside England were Scottish FA (1873), FA of Wales (1875) and Irish FA (1880) (History of Soccer). The sudden matches that were organized resulted in attracting huge crowds and lead to mismanagement of several things. One of those was professionalism. However, professionalism was legalized in 1885 and players used to get paid and were given pay according to set rules. Other football associations were formed in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Such as, New Zealand (1891), Argentina (1893), Chile (1895), Switzerland, Belgium (1895), Italy (1898), Germany, Uruguay (1900), Hungary (1901), and Finland (1907). FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) was founded in Paris in May 1904 and it had seven founding members – France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The soccer community grew steadily and in 1912, 21 national associations got affiliated with FIFA. The first World Cup for soccer was held in 1930, and the number increased to 41. Today FIFA has 204 members in every part of the world (History of Soccer).