If you're in Europe and you get invited to a football game, don't expect to see tackles and helmets and goal posts. In Europe, "football" means "soccer," a sport that has been around since the 1800s. Players primarily use their feet (and sometimes their heads) to get the ball down field into the opponent's net.
Soccer play is intense and physical and so are soccer fans. For many fans, soccer is a matter of national pride. In fact, violence at soccer games has led to hundreds of spectator deaths in South America and Europe. As soccer's popularity continues to grow around the world, salaries are also growing for the game's star athletes.