Finger football, which looks like a "playing house" game, also has a complete set of game rules.
For many Chinese, the summer of 2002 belonged to the World Cup.
In that year’s World Cup in Korea and Japan, the national football team qualified from the qualifiers for the first time, which ignited the Chinese people’s enthusiasm for football. It also brought many football-related peripheral activities to the surface as a substitute for real football. , "Flicking Finger Football" was the most popular one on campus at that time.
The children put on plastic sneakers on their right index and middle fingers, used their hands instead of their feet in pairs, cooperated with their teammates on the tabletop court, and finally relied on their fingers to "kick" the football into the opponent's goal. , this alternative table football became a popular game in the school at that time.
In June 2002, the Chinese national team flew to South Korea to prepare for their first World Cup journey. In addition to the athletes, there were also 20 teenagers accompanying them. As another tradition of the World Cup, they will Will serve as the flag bearer for the Chinese team at the opening ceremony.
The reason why these 20 children stood out from the crowd of fans was the finger-snap football that was popular across the country at that time.
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In the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, riding on the football craze brought about by the Chinese team’s qualifying, Coca-Cola, the sponsor of the event, started a project that later appeared to be quite successful. marketing activities.
As a long-term partner of the World Cup, Coca-Cola usually produces limited edition Cokes with special packaging based on the venue, stars, mascots and other themes of each event, as an "affordable product for everyone" "Drinks, this strategy can naturally expand the popularity of the event and the brand.
However, during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, in order to respond to the craze of national football in the country, Coca-Cola also set its sights offline. In addition to organizing folk football events, Coca-Cola has launched a more lightweight "finger-flick football" for amateurs who are younger, lack sufficient venue space, or have little knowledge of football.
For the Chinese people at that time, although the national team qualifying ignited the "football dream" of many people, due to limitations of venues, time, personnel and other factors, it was difficult for office workers and students to It is still a luxury to go to a green field to play a 90-minute football match.
In order to make football consistent with Coca-Cola's popular tone at the time, Coca-Cola introduced a 10-minute "finger-flick football" sport that can be played with just your fingers and a table.
Although it looks like a "playing house" in the football circle, just like the real game of football, Finger Football has a complete set of rules, from game time and venue to corner kicks and foul kick mechanisms. , and even the players’ foul regulations have been officially explained in detail:
While having complete rules and gameplay, Coca-Cola has also made great efforts to promote this new sport, not only as a football element but also as a frequent Appeared in Coca-Cola's TV commercials, and also invited Twins, a popular Hong Kong group at the time, to endorse the campaign.
With large-scale publicity by manufacturers, "Finger Flick Football" became a highly regarded popular sport on campus at that time. Mastering this game that only requires fingers and a tabletop was also regarded by many teachers and parents. It is a symbol of the all-round development of your children's "moral, intellectual and physical".
In reports at the time, many media called it a project with “good prospects” and was also considered a sign of the “football craze” in our country. Official competitions of "Finger Flick Football" have been held in many regions. Due to its low entry threshold and strong competitiveness, coupled with the influence of the World Cup at that time, the sport was very popular. At that time, Xi'an was the only competition area where the participating teams were already More than a thousand.
As the highest honor of the competition, it was officially announced that 20 players will be selected from championship teams from various places to go to South Korea to serve as flag bearers for the 2002 World Cup. Since the national football team also successfully advanced to the World Cup at that time, game, thus giving the flag bearer that year a more special meaning - this was the first time for a Chinese teenager to escort his team in the World Cup.
Unfortunately, with the disastrous defeat of the Chinese team in the World Cup, this short-lived national enthusiasm also quickly faded.
As the largest organizer of the event, Coca-Cola has achieved the expected publicity effect with this sport. Official enthusiasm is no longer there, and it is difficult for private players to persist in this sport. "Finger-finger football" eventually became a phenomenon that only existed for a generation. A game of memories.
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In foreign countries where table football is more popular, players have also experienced the rise and fall of this sport.
In Europe and South America, another form of table football - Subbuteo - was once popular among fans.
Similar to finger flick football, this sport requires the use of fingers and is also played on the desktop. The only difference is that Subbuteo adds a large number of player models with different shapes. Players need to flick players in different positions. , move the football indirectly and shoot it into the opponent's goal.
In 1947, Peter Adolf, a retired British veteran, invented this tabletop game that later became very popular. At that time, his original intention of making this game was very straightforward:
As the world The first sport, football has spawned derivatives such as "star cards" with collection and trading value. However, apart from viewing, these cards have no actual entertainment function. Therefore, Peter hopes to make the collections in people's hands three-dimensional and become A prop that can truly be used for entertainment and competition.
By combining player models with a semicircular base, Peter created the world's earliest finger-flick football. Players can not only line up their troops on the football field like a real coach, but also "operate" their favorite players to defeat their opponents. Not only that, individual player models also have certain collection value. Toy manufacturers launch player models with different themes every year.
In countries where football culture is prevalent, Subbuteo has also been popular among fans as "the most popular football simulation game". Not only are many current players loyal to it, but even team coaches have used its mini-court to deduce tactics.
In an era before the rise of electronic games, Subbuteo was the only sport that allowed players to control their favorite players and allow stars from different eras to compete on the same field. Although there are no differences in player models in terms of strength and attributes, for fans at the time, it was enough to see famous players from different eras such as Pele, Beckenbauer, and Maradona teaming up in their living rooms. The blood is boiling.
In addition to collection and entertainment value, Flicker Football also has its own professional league. In 1963, the International Federation of Finger Flickers Football was formally established, referred to as FISTF. This is an international organization similar in nature to FIFA, which is responsible for formulating unified rules of the game and planning international events.
Seven years after the establishment of FISTF, the first Finger Finger Football World Cup was successfully held in London, England. The first tournament included "no touching a player three times in a row" and "goalkeepers need to use special joysticks." General rules such as "Operation"; it also stipulates the frequency of the event being held every four years.
But as the saying goes, things are changing. After the 1980s, people's attention has gradually been attracted by a more realistic and operational form of entertainment, and that is video games.
In 1984, Ocean Software produced the first football-type video game, "Match Day". Since then, this kind of entertainment project that can be operated by players, has more visual impact, and also restores the stars of different eras has become a new choice for fans.
As a symbol of the old era, tabletop games like Subbuteo have been slowly forgotten by young people. Although the official association of the event, FISTF, is still active, the four-year World Cup has also been adjusted to an annual event. But the average age of contestants over the years has exceeded 40 years old. “The inability to attract young people to join” is the reality that this once popular sport is encountering.
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In fact, even if the influence of electronic games is not considered, "finger-flick football" is no longer the best choice for tabletop sports. In event venues such as bars, table football with lever operation will always be the more popular table sport.
In China twenty years ago, finger-flicking football was a marketing tool used by event sponsors to enhance brand influence; in Europe, where electronic games had not yet appeared, finger-flicking football was a simple toy that exerted both entertainment and collection value. .
And history always repeats itself - in May this year, another blockchain platform announced that it would launch a series of football-themed NFT digital tokens to commemorate the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Official It is also claimed that these virtual items have collectible value:
No matter what era, there may be special football derivatives. I just don’t know if in the digital age, the real football movement symbolized behind these derivatives is getting farther and farther away from people.