ENGLAND fans were in despair until midfielder Jude Bellingham’s injury-time goal at the Euros on Sunday.
But did you know the gesture that has become all too familiar between soccer supporters really goes back thousands of years?
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From why we wear football scarves to the Three Lions symbol, Alex Lloyd reveals the secret stories behind 11 of the game’s wonderful traditions. . .
1. Our Celtic the ancestors were a fearsome bunch. But although they did not shy away from the Romans, they were concerned that the sky it can fall when something bad happens.
That’s why they started putting their hands on their heads to protect themselves in times of worry.
Two millennia later, we still do this in football.
Body language experts say the reaction is an attempt to feel safer, smaller and hidden.
two. The red card is a universal symbol of foul play, first used in the 1970 Mexico World Cup thanks to English referee Ken Aston.
He took inspiration from traffic lights and introduced colors to communicate decisions between teams that speak different languages.
3. Football chants have their roots in traditional folk songs and storytelling. Experts cite them as a modern example of “blason populaire,” where humorous stereotypes about rivals are invoked to create social cohesion in a group.
The world’s oldest football song still in use is believed to be On The Ball City, sung by Norwich City fans.
4. Mascots like Arsenal’s Gunnersaurus owe their existence to a much more intellectual pastime.
The Oxford English Dictionary lists the first recorded use of “mascot” in 1880 in a French opera of the same name, about a person being a symbol of good luck or “lucky charm.”
5. Playing a game can be compared to going into battle, so it’s no wonder the Three Lions crest has military roots. 12th century English soldiers carried banners with three golden lions on a red background to inspire them to be brave.
The emblem was adopted by the FA in 1863.
6. In the 19th century, brass bands were hired to entertain crowds during breaks in matches and raise spirits.
Many stadiums still beat the drums at games to this day.
7. It is believed that striped scarves began appearing around the 1930s. Traditionally, winter coats were made of dark material, so fans wore accessories in their team’s colors as a more practical symbol of support than a rosette or rattle in the colder months.
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8. Wearing football shirts was a player’s privilege until the 1973-74 season, when the Admiral brand sold the first replica of the shirt, to Leeds United.
Teams like Liverpool now earn £113 million a year from kit and merchandise sales.
9. The numbers one to 11 were first added to the backs of shirts to identify players’ positions when Arsenal played Sheffield Wednesday at home in 1928.
Since the 1954 World Cup, they have gradually evolved so that players have their own numbers, which often do not influence their position. Some are a “lucky” or significant number.
10. Singing Abide With Me before the FA Cup final dates back to 1927, when Cardiff beat Arsenal 1-0.
The hymn, written in 1847 by Anglican clergyman Henry Francis Lyte as he was dying of tuberculosis, reminds both sides to remain united, even in defeat.
11. Whoever wins Euro 2024 can guarantee that the captain will celebrate by raising the medal in the air.
This triumphant gesture began by accident at the 1958 World Cup, when Brazilian captain Hilder-aldo Bellini heard photographers asking for a better view of the Jules Rimet Trophy and held it up.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
