a glossary of football terms in German, English and French
A glossary
of football terms
in German english and french
Kic k -off! A glossary of football terms in German, English and French.
Edited and published by the British Council Switzerland, 2008
Foreword The cultural importance of football manifests itself impressively through language. Football inspires fans around the world to come up with chants and rhymes in order to cheer their team on and there seems to be no end to the number of imaginative and colourful ways in which football is talked about in different languages. On the occasion of the EURO 08 being hosted in Switzerland, we seized the opportunity and compiled a list of terms you will be likely to hear in arenas in the host cities of Bern, Basel and Zürich. As the Switzerland office of the British Council, the UK’s organisation for cultural relations, we do hope that beyond being a nice read at halftime, our booklet will inspire a few discussions across cultural borders and
in that way help further mutual understanding and respect between fans. While this glossary has been designed with an English-speaking reader in mind, we trust that it will be useful and enjoyable for readers from countries across Europe, and indeed, from within Switzerland. We would like to thank the British Embassy in Berlin for providing as a starting point for this booklet a list of football terms that they compiled for the World Cup 06. We are also indebted to the British Embassy in Bern for their support of this project and to Thomas Helbling for providing inspiration and valuable contacts. We hope you enjoy our glossary and – may the best team win!
Caroline Morrissey, Director British Council Switzerland
Abpfiff (m) final whistle F: Coup de sifflet final (m) Abpfiff zur Halbzeit = Half-time whistle. Abpraller (m) rebound F: Ricochet (m) Er hat den Abpraller eingeköpft = He headed in on the rebound. Abseitsfalle (f) off-side trap F: piège du hors-jeu (m) In die Abseitsfalle laufen = Run into the off-side trap. Mit der Abseitsfalle arbeiten = Play the off-side trap. Abstauber (m), Abstaubertor (n) tap-in, poacher’s goal F: Balle perdue (f), but par hasard (m) Der FC St. Gallen verlor in den Schlussminuten ganz un
glücklich durch einen Abstauber von Marco Streller = FC St. Gallen was very unlucky to lose by a goal poached by Marco Streller in the closing minutes.
Abstieg (m) relegation F: Relégation (f) Sich vor dem Abstieg retten = To escape relegation.
abwehren to parry, save F: Défendre Der Torhüter hat den Schuss mit den Füssen abgewehrt = The goalkeeper parried the shot with his feet.
Angstgegner (M)
bogey team F: Bête noire (f) England trifft auf Angstgegner Portugal in der Qualifikation = England will encounter Portugal, their bogey team, in the qualifying round.
Anpfiff (m), Anstoss (m) kick-off F: Coup de sifflet initial (m), coup d’envoi (m) Den Anstoss ausführen/pfeifen = To kick off/start the game. 10
Aufstellung (f), Mannschaftsaufstellung (f) line-up, team line-up F: Composition (f), composition de l’équipe (f) Er will die Mannschaftsstellung erst eine Stunde vor Spielbeginn bekannt geben = He does not intend to announce the line-up until an hour before the match starts.
Ausgleich (m) equaliser F: Egalisation (f) Den Ausgleich erzielen = To equalise, score the equaliser. 11
Auslosung (f) draw F: Tirage au sort (m) Die Auslosung wird im Fernsehen live übertragen = The draw will be shown live on television. Auswärtsspiel (n) away game F: Match à l’extérieur (m) Den Deutschen steht in Rumänien ein schweres Auswärtsspiel bevor = The Germans face a tough away game in Romania. Baku This is where, on 31 August 1996, the Swiss national team suffered its most painful defeat against Azerbaijan (0:1).
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Bauerntrick (m)
farmer’s trick,
Cruyff turn F: Attrape-nigaud (m) Quick change of direction, named after Johan Cruyff, a legendary Dutch national player in the 1970s.
Bananenflanke (f), Bananenschuss (m) curving cross, banana shot, Beckham bender F: Centre en banane (m), tir en banane (m) For a banana shot the player puts spin on the ball so that it flies in a curved trajectory and lands in front of the opponent‘s goal – 13
where, ideally, it‘s headed into the goal by a teammate. bänkeln (dial.) to be on the bench F: Faire du banc Thierry Henry ist derzeit ausser Form und muss deshalb heute das Spiel von der Ersatzbank aus verfolgen = Thierry is out of form at the moment and will be on the bench today. Befreiungsschlag (m) clearance kick F: Dégagement (m) Den Ball mit einem Befreiungsschlag aus dem Torraum bringen = Kicking the ball from within scoring range. Bicicletta (f) bicycle Kick F: Bicicletta (f), bicyclette (f) Italian for bicycle. The term is derived from the player‘s two legs 14
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looking as if pedalling a bicycle. The German synonym ’Fallrückzieher‘ for the same move, on the other hand, emphasises the bravery of letting yourself fall on your back when executing this move.
decken To Mark F: Couvrir In der zweiten Halbzeit wurde Raul besser gedeckt = Raul was better marked in the second half.
mailbox
Doppelpass (m) one-two, wall pass F: Une-deux (m) Mit einem einzigen Doppelpass hat Portugal die gesamte Abwehr der Griechen ausgespielt = With one single wall pass, Portugal passed through the whole Greek defense.
Challenge League (f) The second highest league in the Swiss Championships.
Einwechslung (f) substitution F: Changement de joueur (m) Die Fans forderten die Einwechslung von Asamoah = The fans were calling for Asamoah to be brought on.
Briefkasten (m) F: Rubrique de journal (f) Long-range shot under the crossbar.
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Ehrengoal (m) consolation goal F: Sauver l’honneur Just how much consolation a ’consolation goal‘ is to the players of the losing team is difficult to say – but it‘s certainly better than not scoring one at all.
Englische Woche (F)
English week F: Semaine anglaise (f) A term used in Switzerland and Germany – but not in England – to refer to a week in which there are games on weekdays as well as at the weekend.
Episkyros (greek) Sometimes the word ’Episkoinos‘ is also used, meaning ’game‘ and 18
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’engaging in something collectively’. Episkyros was played by the Ancient Greeks, around 2000 BC, usually in the nude, using linen and hair wrapped in string or inflated pig bladders as balls. ‘Erlebe Emotionen’ ‘experience emotions’ F: ‘Vis tes émotions’ Official slogan for the EURO 08. Europameister (m) European champions F: Champion d’Europe (m) Europameister Griechenland wurde ein triumphaler Empfang in Athen bereitet = European champions Greece were given a triumphant reception in Athens. 20
Fahrstuhlmannschaft (f) elevator team, yoyo-team F: équipe qui prend l’ascenseur (f) A team that has been promoted and relegated in short succession. Fehlpass (m) misdirected pass F: Mauvaise passe (f) Das Tor resultierte aus einem Fehlpass im Mittelfeld = The goal resulted from a misdirected pass in midfield.
Flanke (f) cross, centre F: Centre (m) David Beckham ist berühmt für seine präzisen Flanken von der rechten Seite = David
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Beckham is famous for his precise crosses from the right. Freundschaftsspiel (n) friendly game/match F: Match amical (m) Das Freundschaftsspiel Schweiz gegen Niederlande endete, zur Überraschung vieler, mit einem 2:1-Heimerfolg für die Schweiz = Surprisingly, Switzerland beat the Netherlands 2:1 in a friendly match. Fussballfeld (f) football pitch F: Terrain de football (m) The length of a pitch for international adult matches is between 100–110 metres (110–120 yards) and the width is in the range of 64–75 metres (70–80 yards).
Fussball gegen Rassismus in Europa (FARE) Football against Racism in Europe (FARE) F: Football contre le racisme en Europe (FARE) FARE fights all forms of discrimination in football, whether in the stadium, on the pitch or in the changing rooms. Gastgeber (m), Gastgeberland (n) host, host country F: Hôte (m), pays hôte (m) Switzerland will host the EURO for the first time in 2008.
gestrecktes Bein (N)
foot up F: Pied en avant (m) Ein gestreck-
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tes Bein gegen den Torwart war für den Schiedsrichter Anlass genug, die rote Karte zu zeigen = A foot up against the goalkeeper was reason enough for the referee to show the red card. Glückstreffer (m) lucky shot, fluke shot F: But chanceux (m) Mit einem Glückstreffer in der letzten Minute stellten die Deutschen den bisherigen Spielverlauf auf den Kopf = Thanks to a lucky shot in the last minute, the Germans turned the course of the game upside down. Grasshoppers Name of the team based in Zürich, which holds the record for winning 24
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the most Swiss championship titles as well as the most Swiss cup titles. Grätsche (f) sliding tackle F: Grand écart (m) A sliding tackle from behind is called a scything tackle. Only legitimate if you aim for the ball. Often combined with an innocent shrug and suprised facial expression in the direction of the referee: ”Can‘t imagine why he fell“.
Hackentrick (m)
back-heel
F: Croche-pied (m) Tor des Monats schoss Rabah Madjer per Hackentrick für den FC Porto im Finale des
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Europapokals der Landesmeister = Rabah Madjer scored the goal of the month with a back-heel for FC Porto in the European Champions Cup final. Halbzeitpause (f), Pause (f) half-time break, interval F: Pause de la mi-temps (f), pause (f) One early use of half-time was to allow for two football teams to play half of the game by familiar rules, and half by the rules of their opponents. Heber (m) lob F: Lob (m) Er sah den Torhüter zu weit vor seinem Kasten und setzte den Ball mit einem perfekten Heber ins Tor = He saw that the keeper was too far off his line and 27
placed the ball into the goal with a perfect lob. Holz (n) woodwork F: Bois (m) In der ersten Halbzeit traf er nur Holz – einmal die Querlatte und zweimal den Pfosten = In the first half he hit only the woodwork – the crossbar once and twice the post.
Hopp Schwiz! go, Switzerland! F: Hop Suisse! This is how Swiss supporters cheer for their team.
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Istanbul In Istanbul, the Swiss national team qualified for the World Cup 2006 and infamously came to blows with members of the Turkish team. Joggeli Nickname for the St. Jakob stadium in Basel, one of the venues of the EURO 08 in Switzerland. Kemari (japanese) Non-competitive, early form of football still played in Japan today where players pass round a ball in a circle, not letting it touch the ground. Kemari literally means ’to kick with your foot a ball made from leather and cloth, wrapped with a string’. 29
Kerze (f) skyer F: Chandelle (f) Eine Kerze fabrizieren = To sky the ball.
Kopfball (m)
header F: Frappe de la tête (f) Kurz vor dem Schlusspfiff hat er per Kopfball den verdienten
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Ausgleich erzielt = He scored the deserved equaliser with a header shortly before the final whistle. Kreuz (n) ‘cross’ F: Croix (f) Schuss an oder unter das Lattenkreuz = Shot at or under the corner of the goalpost. Latte (f), Querlatte (f) bar, cross-bar F: Latte (f), barre transversale (f) Frank Lampard schiesst,
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der Ball prallt von der Unterseite der Latte ab und auf den Boden = Frank Lampard shoots, the ball hits the under-side of the bar and bounces down onto the ground. Letzigrund Name of the EURO 08 stadium in Zürich.
Mittelstürmer (m)
centre forward F: Avant-centre (m), centre-avant (m) Marco van Basten, the current coach of the Dutch national selection, used to be an agile and powerful centre forward who scored many goals.
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Nati (F) Short for ’national team’. This is what the Swiss call their national team. Niederlage, ehrenvolle (f) honorable defeat F: Défaite honorable (f) A speciality of the Swiss nationalteams of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Notbremse (f) ziehen ‘emergency break’, to commit a tactical foul, professional foul F: Tirer le frein à main Sometimes a desperate defender may resort to this measure to stop a forward on a clear run to the goal – this move is, however, a mandatory red card offence.
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Pfosten (m), Torpfosten (m) post, goal-post F: Poteau (m), poteau de but (m) Zwischen den Pfosten bleiben/stehen = Stay/play in goal Pfosten im kurzen Eck = Near post Pfosten im langen Eck = Far post Den Pfosten streifen = Graze the post. Querpass (m) square pass F: Passe transversale (f) Das Spiel war langweilig: zu viele Querpässe und zu wenige Torszenen = The game was boring: too many square passes and not enough sixyard box action. Rasenheizung (f) under-soil heating F: Chauffer la pelouse Under-soil heating prevents snow from staying 34
on the pitch in winter and speeds growth of the grass in autumn. Raumdeckung (f) zone marking F: Marquage de zone (m) In zone marking, the defender covers an area of the pitch rather than marking one opponent. Often used in a 4-4-2 formation.
Röstigraben (m)
rosti ditch F: Röstigraben (m) It has been suggested that this metaphorical trench, allegedly separating Swiss German from Swiss French culture, does not stop short of the Swiss national team. Neither does globalisation, so perhaps future language
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problems will be solved by introducing English as the team language. Rote Laterne (f) ‘red lantern’ F: Lanterne rouge (f) The team that has the doubtful honour of ’holding the red lantern‘ is the team at the very bottom of the table.
Schere (f)
scissors-kick F: Ciseau (f) See also ‘Bicicletta‘. When a player kicks a ball in mid-air backwards and over his/her own head, making contact with the ball above waist level. We strongly recommend you use padding, should you decide to attempt this at home.
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Schiedsrichter (m)
referee, ref F: Arbitre (m) The chief official makes all final decisions, acts as time-keeper, calls all fouls and starts and stops play. He is often the one who gets the blame if one team loses, and indeed, also if the other team loses.
schinden (Zeit) to play for time F: Jouer la montre Die beiden Auswechslungen in den letzten Minuten des Spiels dienten hauptsächlich dazu, Zeit zu schinden und das Unentschieden zu retten = Two substitutions were made in the final minutes of the game in order to play for time and to secure a draw. 37
Schiri, Telefon! ‘Referee, phone call!’ F: Arbiiitre!!! (excl.) One of the friendlier ways in which fans may call out to a (seemingly) inattentive referee.
Schlusspfiff (m)
final whistle F: Coup de sifflet final (m) Der Schlusspfiff ging in einem Jubelschrei unter = The final whistle was drowned in a triumphant cheer.
Schweizer Riegel (m) Swiss Bar F: Verrou suisse (m) Ultra-defensive tactic later known as Catenaccio, which was developed in 38
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the 30s by the former manager of the Swiss national team, Karl Rappan. Schwalbe (f) ‘martin’ (the Bird), a blatant dive F: Simuler une faute Alex Frei machte eine Schwalbe um einen Penalty zu provozieren, doch der Schiedsrichter ging nicht darauf ein = Alex Frei took a dive to provoke a penalty, but the referee let the game continue. Skischuh (m) ski boot F: Les deux pieds dans l’même sabot Less than flattering nickname used in Switzerland to refer to a technically limited player. Any skier who has ever walked down an icy slope in ski boots will know the feeling. 40
Spiel um die goldene Ananas (n) ‘match for the golden pineapple’ F: match pour du beurre (m) This expression is sometimes used in Switzerland and Germany when referring to a match from which nothing is to be gained. Where the expression comes from is difficult to say – but the bottom line is clear: if the prize is a pineapple, it really doesn‘t matter who wins.
Spielfeld (n)
Pitch F: Terrain de jeu (m) During a game, the coach is not allowed on
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the pitch. The rule doesn‘t say anything about pacing up and down the sidelines and yelling at the players, however.
national football team. Queen‘s Park FC have played there since 1873, which makes it the oldest football venue in the world.
Spitzguuge (f/dial.) toe-cap shot F: pointu (m) A shot executed with the toe-cap. This is the first shot kids learn when they start to play football – it‘s not elegant, but it does the trick.
Standardsituation (f) set situation F: Coup de pied arrêté (m), coup franc (m) Both Hakan Yakin and Alex Frei of the Swiss national team are known for their skill in scoring from set situations.
Spuck-Affäre (f) spitting affair F: affaire du crachat (f) Disgraceful chapter in the history of Swiss football, written during the Euro 04 when forward Alex Frei spat on Steven Gerrard‘s jersey. Stadion (n) stadium F: Stade (m) Hampden Park in Glasgow is home to the Scottish 42
Stehplätze (m/pl) terraces F: Places debout (m/pl) There has been a debate in the UK whether the Premier League should bring back terraces, which were banned from all stadiums for security reasons twenty years ago. 43
Strafraum (m) penalty area/box F: Surface de réparation (f) In the case of a free kick outside the penalty area, all opposing players must keep at least ten yards from the ball. The trick is to move just a tiny bit closer when the referee is looking the other way.
Töggelikasten (m/dial.) foosball table F: Baby-foot (m) Table football – also called foosball, table soccer, baby-foot, bar football or gettone – is popular with men and women alike and one of the most popular ’pub sports‘ in Switzerland.
Super League (f) The Swiss Premier League.
Titanen (m/pl)
titans F: Titans (m/pl) Nickname for the very sucessful former Under-21 Swiss national selection.
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Torraum (m) goal area, six-yard area/box F: Surface de but (f) The goalie is in control of the six-yard area and mustn’t be attacked by his opponents there. Trainer (m) coach, manager F: Entraîneur (m) Sir Alex Ferguson, the present manager of Manchester United, is not only a football coach but also the owner of the internationally acclaimed race horse ’Rock of Gibraltar‘. Transfersumme (f) transfer fee F: Montant du transfert (m) Allegedly the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player was the 72 million Euros paid on 9 July 46
2001 for the transfer of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus Turin to Real Madrid.
tschutten (dial.) to play football F: Shooter Derived from the English word ’shoot‘ – but perceived by most Swiss as an authentic Swiss German word.
Tsu’Chu Tsu‘ Chu, sometimes spelt Cuju, is the Chinese predecessor of modern day football and the earliest version of this game for which there is historical evidence. Tsu‘ Chu was practised as a military excercise in the Han Dynasty, in which a round 47
ball with feathers was kicked through a small opening.
tunneln to nutmeg F: Faire un petit pont Er tunnelte den Torwart = He nutmegged the goalkeeper.
Unentschieden (n) draw F: Match nul (m) Ein Unentschieden erreichen = To draw, get a draw Auf Unentschieden spielen = To play for a draw 48
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Torloses Unentschieden = Goalless draw Gegen jemanden ein Remis erzielen = Hold someone to a draw. Umkleidekabine (f), Kabine (f) dressing rooms, changing rooms F: Vestiaires (m/pl), cabine (f) Jemanden frühzeitig in die Kabine schicken = To send someone for an early shower. Wankdorf (n) Name of the old stadium in Bern where the ’miracle of Bern‘ took place: in the World Cup finals on 4 July 1954, the German national team miraculously defeated the national team of Hungary.
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Weitschuss (m) long-range shot F: Tir de loin (m) Philippe Senderos versuchte es mit einem Weitschuss aus dreissig Metern = Philippe Senderos attempted a longrange shot from 30 metres out.
Wembley-Tor (n) Wembley goal F: but de Wembley (m) Geoff Hurst scored the famous ‘Wembley goal‘ during the 1966 World Cup final in London. Wölfe (m/pl) wolves F: Loups (m/pl) Nickname for the Swiss national team during the 80s, alluding to the name of the coach, Paul Wolfisberg. 51
Xamax (n) Name of the team from Neuchâtel, derived from the name of one of its former team members Max ’Xam’ Abegglen. Young Boys (m/pl) Name of the Bernese team.
Zweikampf (m)
tackle F: Un contre un (m), duel (m) Einen Zweikampf gewinnen / verlieren = Win/lose a tackle.
Impressum Imprint Kick-off! A glossary of football terms in German, English and French. © British Council Switzerland 2008 Adapted from a web-based glossary compiled by the British Embassy in Berlin for the World Cup 06. Concept, adaptation Additional text French translation Graphic design Illustrations Printed by
British Council Switzerland, Stefan Wanzenried Sandro Spadini, Redaktion ZWÖLF The Guardian, UK Syntax, Zürich Atelier Gerhard Blättler, Bern Magi Wechsler, Zürich Vetter Druck, Thun
www.britishcouncil.org/switzerland-euro2008.htm
[email protected]
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