The act of preventing an opponent from passing/shooting by closing down, restricting space and steering them to a weaker position.

A French term to describe a player who joins a club during a season.

Name given to the World Football Championship after 1930 when it ceased to be an Olympic sport, as it was considered professional. The tournament had the peculiarity that the first country to win the cup three times, whether consecutively or not, was to keep it. The cup was named after Jules Rimet, the president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954 and the promoter of the championship. Another unusual fact about it was that it was not a cup but a 32-centimetre high gold statuette weighing over four kilos, made by the French sculptor Abel Lafleur and representing winged Victory. The trophy itself also led a hazardous life outside sport: during World War II, it was saved from Nazi plunderers by an Italian soldier, who kept it under his bed. Then, in 1966, it was stolen in London, a few days before the World Cup was due to start, and was found by chance by a dog. It finally disappeared for good after Brazil had won it after their World Cup victories in 1958, 1962 and 1970. It was stolen and thought to have been melted down for its four kilos of gold, never to be seen again.

The Japanese Professional League, which was founded in 1991. The League was set up by the former Japan Soccer League (JSL) and the Football Association of Japan (FAJ) in order to reinvigorate the sport in this country. Sixteen clubs are part of the First Division, and a second division was added in 1999. The clubs are all linked to former JSL clubs and owned by major Japanese businesses.