In most cases football is a reason for the world to come together. From The FIFA World Cup where nations go head to head in unity, to the UEFA Champions where nations get behind the best in the business. But there have also been tremendous tragedies at football matches, some of which cost lives.

National Stadium Disaster – 1964

The events that occurred at the National Stadium in Lima, Peru, are seen as the biggest football tragedy in history. During an Olympic qualifying match Peru went head-to-head with Argentina. It was already a heated event, given the often furious rivalry between the teams. The tension turned violent when Peru was disallowed 2 consecutive goals. Fans immediately assumed that match fixing was occurring and a deadly riot ensued.

The violent class was horrendous, taking the lives of 318 and injuring 500 more. Hopes are that such tragedy will never again unfold at a football match.

The Hillsborough Disaster – 1989

Sadly, many football tragedies are due to simple mismanagement at stadiums. Thankfully much more is done these days to control crowds. In 1989 anxious fans were waiting to enter Hillsborough Stadium. Liverpool was to face off against Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup match, and tensions were high. A gate was opened suddenly and thousands of fans rushed to enter. The stampede took 96 lives while 776 more were injured. In this case it perhaps should have been announced just how bad the overcrowding was. Many would probably have chosen to stay home and play Bingo for real money rather than risk their lives.

The Katmandu Disaster – 1988

In 1988 at the National Stadium in Katmandu tragedy unfolded due to unexpected weather. A total of 30,000 fans were packed into the stadium, eager to see Nepal fight it out against Bangladesh. Things went terribly wrong when a serious hailstorm began to tear through the crowds. Desperate to escape a battering from ice fans stampeded for the exits. A horrendous 93 were killed.

Port Said Stadium Disaster – 2012

One of the most recent tragedies occurred at Port Said Stadium in Egypt, 2012. A bitter rivalry had existed between fans of Al Masry and Al-Ahly for years. It turned out that this match was when the boiling point would finally be reached. Al Masry won the match 3-1, only for fans of the team to unexpectedly storm the field, cross to the opposite side, and attack their rivals with knives and broken bottles. The senseless riot resulted in 79 deaths and over 1,000 injuries. Local fans fiercely decry the riot to this day, and security has been dramatically stepped up at the stadium.

Estadio Monumental – 1968

Lastly, another that occurred due to poor planning, this time at a match between River Plate and Boca Juniors. Fans attempted to exit out a locked gate. Those trapped against the gate were crushed by those behind, resulting in 71 deaths. It is again a great blessing that stadiums are far better organised today, and such incidents are almost unheard of in recent years.

Football is widely considered to be one of the most physically taxing sports in the world. The game involves armour clad jocks hurtling towards each other at high speeds and wrestling over control of the ball. Looking at it completely objectively, it is easy to see why the sport would boast such a high injury rate. PubMed approximates that roughly 1.5 000 000 young men play football in the USA and that the country sees over 1.2 000 000 football-related injuries sustained annually.

But this is a big part of what American football is all about; it is a game of power, critical thinking, and peak athleticism. Injuries, much like most other sports, are part and parcel. They do not detract from what we love about the sport. But it does beg the question; what football game takes the cake for most injuries sustained? If you are interested in this bit of football history trivia, you have come to the right place because we are going to be talking about the notorious Body Bag Game.

The Background

Contrary to its hyperbolically morbid nickname, the Body Bag Game did not involve the death of any players nor did result in any life-altering injuries. The title is merely a moniker befitting the extravagant and hearty culture that surrounds American Football.

Hosted in 1990 on a cool Monday night in the middle of winter, the Washington Redskins faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium. Despite the Redskins being the more mature team with a deeper bag of professional footballing experience than the Eagles, their vitality was waning.

The Eagles, however, were stocked with an ensemble of young bucks looking to stake their claim within the annals of football history. And boy did they have bone to pick with their opponents. Three weeks prior, the Eagles had suffered a defeat at the hands of the Redskins. And now was the time for payback in what was to go on to become one of the more famous matches ever played.

How The Game Got Its Name

After scoring the first point of the game, the Eagles proceeded to consistently dominate throughout the playoff until they eventually secured their victory with the final score being 28 – 14 in their favour. For the team, the win was like hitting the jackpot playing the online slots Australia has to offer.

But during the course of this annihilation, no fewer than nine players on the Redskins side sustained an injury. Among the injured were the starting quarterback, Jeff Rutledge, as well as his backup, Stan Humphries. Much of the team’s demise can be attributed to the fact that it was starved of quarterbacks for most of the game.

The match got given its name from a quote that the Eagles’ coach made to the press as he surveyed all the injured Redskin players on the side of the pitch. Stoked by victory, he jokingly suggested that the Redskins would have to leave the stadium in body bags.

Conclusion

Football can get a bit crazy sometimes, but that is simply the nature of this sport we love so much. Hopefully you enjoyed learning this piece of football trivia. Even though people were injured, it is nevertheless an entertaining anecdote

Sometimes the game is beautiful. Other times it’s so controversial that it triggers a complete change of the game, or a dismantling of a team. The upside is that change is normally good, even if it is surrounded by drama and frustration.

Let’s take a look at football games that were particularly controversial.

West Germany Versus Austria

Our first controversial game took place during the opening round of the 1982 World Cup. West Germany was due to go head to head with Austria, which should have been an exciting affair. Alas it turned out to be a complete and total disaster. The match is now commonly referred to as the Disgrace Of Gijón.

The problem was that the previous games for the round had all already been played, and the results known. Hence, West Germany and Austria both knew that they could qualify. Assuming that West Germany simply won by a single goal. Assumptions were that Austria would fight to eliminate their long-time rivals, but that’s not what happened.

West Germany nailed a single goal in the first 10 minutes, after which both teams more or less just rode out the clock. Both teams qualified and Algeria was eliminated instead. Fans were outraged and FIFA changed the way the World Cup operated to counter the obvious problem. Had it been available at the time fans would likely have stayed home and played Bingo online for money instead.

Barbados Versus Grenada

If the last match on our list was a mess, this match in 1994 is a complete disaster. Barbados and Grenada were going head to head for the Caribbean Cup qualification. Only, once again poorly thought out rules resulted in a catastrophe. The Golden Goal rule was intended to avoid matches ending in a stalemate. If the match went to extra time a single goal would make the scoring team winners. Additionally, for reasons completely unknown, the goal would also count as 2.

Firstly, Barbados scored an own goal on purpose. The team was down 1, but knew that if the game went to extra time they could get a Golden Goal. This would give them 2 points; enough to make them qualifiers. On the other hand, after Barbados’s own goal, Grenada wanted the exact opposite. In Grenada’s case an own goal or a real goal would save them.

For a few minutes the home team field erupted into chaos as Grenada attempted to score on both sides. Naturally, the Golden Goal rule was removed.

Ireland Versus France

Last, we have the heart-breaking match between Ireland and France in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. The match came down to a single moment that caused international fan fury. Each side managed a goal during normal time, resulting in the dreaded extra time. During the last minute scuffles Thierry Henry did the unthinkable. He handballed twice, yet passed it and sealed Ireland’s fate.

The referee saw nothing. It wasn’t long after that FIFA implemented the Video Assistant Referee and football joined other sports that rely on tech for final calls.

The offside rule is one of the more technical aspects of the game, yet it's necessary to make sense of a majority of games in a season.

Without it, we wouldn't be able to understand what goes on when teams get closer than 50 yards from their opponents' goal.

The offside rule was first introduced back in 1883 by the Football Association (FA). The rule was formed to prevent players from consistently creeping around the opposition goal to look for scoring opportunities.

Long balls could be kicked directly toward teammates placed in the opposition goal area without the offside rule. This would demonstrate to be too effective, thereby lowering the component of skill and strategy in football games.

So, what is the offside rule?

A player receiving the ball while standing “beyond” the second-last opponent (usually a defender) is considered offside.

The Law 11 of the IFAB Laws of the Game 2022-23 states that:

It is not an offense in itself to be in an offside position.

A player is in an offside position if a part of the head, body or feet is in the opposition’s half (excluding the halfway line) and whatever part of the head, body or feet is closer to the opposition's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.

The offside rule can be confusing and frustrating at times, but I'm going to explain why it's essential in this post.

It is important to note that only the team with possession of the ball can be offside. Also, offsides in soccer can only occur on the attacking side of the field.

1. The offside rule prevents teams from simply camping out in front of the opposing team’s goal

Rather than most of the players camping out in front of the opposing team’s goal, they will now be more active throughout the game.

This creates more movement and strategies that need to be enforced in order to have the upper hand.

Instead of just having a boring and non-competitive game, the offside rule will force players to think outside the box.

2. Offsides in soccer allows players to be more creative in their passing

Players will no longer have to wait on one end of the field just to receive the ball and score a goal.

They will now have to come up with ways to outmaneuver their opponents and score from different angles with pinpoint precision.

This does not only apply to players but to coaches as well. It forces them to come up with an offensive play that will not violate the offside rule.

3. The offside rule forces defenders to remain alert and to pay attention to what is going on around them

Now that players on the offensive have to be more mindful of the offside rule, this allows them to create new offensive plays and score differently than usual.

What this means for the defensive side is that they will now have to remain alert and think fast on the fly to counter the opposing team’s plays.

This promotes a healthy way of engagement in soccer because both sides will have to predict and think of several outcomes depending on the play style executed by each side.

4. The offside rule means that the ball cannot simply be kicked up the field, as in rugby.

The offside rule is one of the most important aspects of football. It is responsible for making the game so fast, exciting and unpredictable.

The offside rule means that the ball cannot simply be kicked up the field, as in rugby. The player must be in between two defenders when a pass is made or a kick is taken. If not, then a defender may make a tackle on him without interfering with the play.

5. The offside rule brings defenders into the play, preventing lopsided matches where a team is always on the attack.

The offside rule prevents lopsided matches where a team is always on the attack. It also brings defenders into the play.

Additionally, it also stops teams who are dominating from simply kicking for a goal to get an early lead instead of trying to score more points with their own possession.

Final Thoughts

The offside rule is essential because it prevents teams from scoring too easily.

While the offside rule is simple to learn, it can be difficult to master and take time to understand. It adds another element of complexity, where a simple game could sometimes be viewed as having too little complexity.

But it does that in a way that brings about more fairness in the game, which is truly the goal of any additional rule or regulation.

Many people have argued that the offside rule is outdated and should be abolished.

However, if this rule was abolished it would make football a lot less interesting and the game would lose some core elements which make it so unique from most other sports.

Changing or removing the offside rule, football wouldn't be the same sport that we know and love.