FOUL FOOTBALL tackles the subjects that other books leave on the bench. From the
first mad matches with a pig's bladder to the faithful fans and cracking competitions of the 21st Century, this glorious guide will give you the score!

If you'd been playing football when the game first began, though, number 5 would definitely have been your choice - because that
was what football was all about. There were very few rules. Stamping, hacking, and generally beating up the players on the other side was all part of the game.
It's a wonder the game didn't end up being called foot-brawl instead of football!
What's more, if you didn't end up in hospital you could end up in jail. Football was often banned because it was so rough. It's said that King Richard II stopped his soldiers playing a game of football - because he was afraid they'd all be too crocked to fight the French army!

Nowadays things are a bit different. Football is played the world over, by boys and girls, men and women. It's a great game, full of skill. There are strict rules, and the best footballers are those that everybody else is frightened of playing against because they're so good, not because they're big and mean and ugly (unless they play for a team of teachers ...)
Of course, this doesn't mean that you won't meet some pretty foul footballers in this book. You certainly will!
You'll meet:
- foul footballers and fair footballers
- fair teams and foul teams ... and their foul managers!
You'll read about:
- some fair trophy-winners ...
- and some foul flops!
And you'll even discover some frightening facts about:
- foul referees!
- foul fans!
So start reading ... but if you're reading in class, watch out for your teacher. You don't want to get fouled!