"Football is the most universal of all the Olympic team sports. A ball can be made out of anything, a match played on almost any surface, by teams of almost any size. Goals can be painted on a wall, made from a pair of oil drums, or in the classic instance of childhood football, jumpers for goalposts. The rules are uncomplicated, with the obvious exception of the offside rule, which few people, including most referees, fully understand."
— Mark Perryman, Why the Olympics Aren’t Good for Us
