The first international football match was played in 1872 between England and Scotland, although at this stage the sport was rarely played outside Great Britain. As football began to increase in popularity, it was held as a demonstration sport (with no medals awarded) at the 1900, 1904 and 1906 Summer Olympics before football became an official competition at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Organised by England’s Football Association, the event was for amateur players only and was regarded suspiciously as a show rather than a competition. The England national amateur football team won the event in both 1908 and 1912.

With the Olympic event continuing to be contested only between amateur teams, Sir Thomas Lipton organised the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy tournament in Turin in 1909. The competition is often described as The First World Cup,and featured the most prestigious professional club sides from Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The first tournament was won by West Auckland, an amateur side from north-east England that was invited after the Football Association refused to be associated with the competition. West Auckland returned in 1911 to successfully defend their title, and were given the trophy to keep forever, as per the rules of the competition.

In 1914, FIFA agreed to recognise the Olympic tournament as a “world football championship for amateurs”, and took responsibility for organising the event. This led the way for the world’s first intercontinental football competition, at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Uruguay won the tournament,before winning the gold medal again in 1928, with another South American team, Argentina, taking silver. In 1928 FIFA made the decision to stage their own international tournament. With Uruguay now two-time official football world champions and due to celebrate their centenary of independence in 1930, FIFA named Uruguay as the host country.

The 1932 Summer Olympics, held in Los Angeles, did not plan to include football as part of the programme due to the low popularity of football in the United States. FIFA and the IOC also disagreed over the status of amateur players, and so football was dropped from the Games.FIFA president Jules Rimet thus set about organising the inaugural World Cup tournament to be held in Uruguay in 1930. The national associations of selected nations were invited to send a team, but the choice of Uruguay as a venue for the competition meant a long and costly trip across the Atlantic Ocean for European sides. Indeed, no European country pledged to send a team until two months before the start of the competition.Rimet eventually persuaded teams from Belgium, France, Romania, and Yugoslavia to make the trip. In total 13 nations took part — seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America.

A spin-off tournament, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, was first held in 1991. It is similar to the men’s tournament in format, but so far has not generated the same level of interest.

While the co-hosts have a wealth of young talent, expected to do well on familiar sub-continental wickets, their fortunes will depend on how their four senior players perform. India will bank on these four aces to come to the party, if and when there’s a crisis, in the form of a batting collapse, or a long unbroken partnership by rival batsmen:

1. Sachin Tendulkar: With the departure of Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar is the only player with a solid defensive technique that could give his partner at the crease the luxury of going for his shots in the comfort that Sachin at the other end won’t throw away his wicket. And with the tendency of the Indian middle-order to wobble, when confronted by a competitive rival attack, this is a strategy that should assist India’s title bid this year.

2. Virendra Sehwag: Here’s a batsman who can win matches off his own bat, and is not subject to the pressures of ordinary players, irrespective of the situation. For instance, Sehwag was the only player who went for the target,in the 2003 World Cup final, when Australia set India 360 to win. And although India were bowled out in the 39th over, their run-rate was 6 an over, thanks to Sehwag’s blistering innings. While Sehwag is at the crease, rival bowlers worry about how long they are likely to be punished, because there’s only one way he plays, no matter what the situation. Sehwag is the ace you need when chasing an exceptionally big target because even a quick 50 from him can reduce the asking rate and make life easier for the others. And I have not even spoken about Sehwag’s usefulness as a bowler.

3. Harbhajan Singh: There’s a good reason why Harbhajan has kept his place in the Indian team despite being involved in several controversies. There’s no alternative to Bhajji in the spin department. Also, his fierce competitive spirit and his latter-day success with the bat make him an even more valuable player.

4. Zaheer Khan: I have always maintained that Zaheer is India’s most valuable player at this year’s world cup. But the bowler’s fitness is a worry, and if for any reason he is not fit to play in the knock out matches, from the quarter-finals onwards, India can bid goodbye to their world cup hopes. Without Zaheer, the bowling appears toothless. Nehra, the only other bowler who can lead the attack,is extremely inconsistent and has his own fitness worries. As for the rest, Praveen and Munaf play good supporting roles, at best. Especially on Indian flat-beds, the thought of Munaf’s 122 kmph missiles should have rival batsmen licking their lips in anticipation. So it should all boil down to how India play in their last three games. The Indian think tank should preserve Zaheer for those matches, and avoid playing him a

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be featuring fourteen teams and about 200 cricket players from around the world. It is the most in any world cup till date. However, the favorites this time are India, Sri Lanka Australia and South Africa, which are also expected to be as the ultimate semifinalists. England is also a probable semi-final team but the dates on which their matches are to be held are a little unfavorable to their plans and can be considered a bit of hard luck for the team. Still there is a good chance for them and we will hope for it to happen but still good signs are here and so let’s hope for the best.

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