Football Glossary

A-B | C-D | E-F | G-H | I-K | L-N | O-Q | R-S | T-V | W-Z

I

Innjury

(to be) Inept: showing no skill, clumsy, poor

Example: Another inept performance by England against the Czech Republic.

Injury: When a player is hurt

Example: Ronaldo will miss the start of the season through injury.

Injury time: The time added on by the referee after 90 minutes (also: stoppage/added time)

Example: Manchester United scored twice in injury time in the Champions league final in 1999.

(an) International: Used when describing a game between two countries or to describe a player who has played for his/her country

Example: (1) Most Premier League managers are against the ideas of international friendlies. (2) Bentley moved to Tottenham to improve his chances of being a regular international player.

(to be) In the bag: Looking to be safe, result of the game does not appear to be in danger

Example: The game looked to be in the bag until Riise scored the own goal in the 94th minute against Chelsea.

(to be) In the doldrums: To be at a low point

Example: Italian football was in the doldrums after the ‘Calciopoli” scandal in 2006.

(to be) In with a shout: To have a chance of winning

Example: Despite spending lots of money during pre-season, Spurs fans do not think their team is in with a shout of winning the title.

J

Jinx: A curse or something that brings you a run of bad luck

Example: Tottenham’s jinx against Chelsea (over 20 matches without a win) ended with a 2-1 win at home last year (EFF: podcast 18).

Journeyman: A player that has played for many clubs without being a star at any of them

Example: John Burridge played for 15 different clubs but never for his country – a real >journeyman

K

The Kop

(to) Kick out (be kicked out): to be thrown out of a game or competition

Example: PSG have been kicked out of next year’s League Cup competition in France.

Kit: What the players wear when playing (shirt, shorts and socks)

Example: Teams tend to change their kit designs every two years to make more money.

Keepy uppy: the skill of juggling with a football using feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders, and head, without allowing the ball to hit the ground.

Example: How many keepy ups can you do? | The men’s keepy uppy record is held by Dan Magness who kept a regulation football aloft for 24 hours (an estimated 250,000 touches).

The Kop: This is the stand where traditionally the most vociferous Liverpool fans used to stand. Sometimes used to describe all Liverpool fans (though other stadiums have a ‘Kop’, it is generally associated with Liverpool.

Example: The Kop generally have a good reputation as knowledgeable fans that appreciate good football so they sometimes applaud the opposition as well as their own side.