无所不在的“FIFA” 是什么？

     看世界杯的时候，经常看到“FIFA”的字样在眼前飞舞。FIFA 指的是国际足球联合会，简称国际足联。这个机构的英文全称是International Federation of Association Football。不过FIFA的缩写是从法语来的，全名叫Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

     soccer 这个词的起源跟牛津大学有关，从1875年开始，牛津大学就很流行给什么东东加个-er的尾缀，这个尾缀还被叫做Oxford "-er"。于是rugby就被简称为rugger，其他足球运动被简称为footer，而足球就被称为socker(八成因为踢足球的都穿短袜吧)。后来因为拼写规则的原因，socker的拼法被soccer 所取代，就是我们今天称为英式足球的拼写了。

2014世界杯球队的有趣英文绰号

话说，看世界杯球赛要准备的可不仅是啤酒和零食，对各球队的绰号有所了解也是很必要的。不然，解说员一会儿说“红魔”，一会儿说“三狮军团”， 听不明白多着急啊。

BRAZIL: "CANARINHO" ("LITTLE CANARY")

巴西：金丝雀

Named for the squad's famously bright yellow kits. Other less popular nicknames include the just-as-colorful "Verde-Amarela" ("The Green and Yellow"), "Samba Kings" for the nearly-dancing footskills of the team's players, and the boastful "Pentacampe es" ("The Five Time Champions," apparently a moniker that's subject to change).

巴西的这个绰号来源于他们鲜黄色的球衣。其他不太知名的绰号还有：用颜色来代表的“黄绿金军团”、代表巴西队足球技术的“桑巴之王”，以及稍显炫耀的“五星巴西”（这个称呼今年很有可能会发生变化哦）。

CROATIA: "VATRENI" ("THE BLAZERS")

克罗地亚：刀锋战士（这个起的真霸气）

Also known as Bilic's Boys as of late, deriving their second nickname from the surname of former head coach Slaven Bilic.

克罗地亚队后来也被称为“比利奇的孩子们”，这个绰号来源于他们的前任主教练斯拉文 比利奇。

CAMEROON: "LES LIONS INDOMPTABLES" ("THE INDOMITABLE LIONS")

喀麦隆：非洲雄狮

North Cameroon and North Nigeria split the Bénoué-Gumti lion conservation project, which seeks to preserve the region's lion population.

喀麦隆北部与尼日利亚北部分别管辖境内的狮子保护中心，该中心旨在维持该地区的狮子数量。

SPAIN: "LA FURIA ROJA" ("THE RED FURY")

西班牙：红色怒火

The Spanish side earned their most popular nickname in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, where they won a silver medal and popularized the tiki-taka style of playing.

西班牙队的这个绰号是在1920年夏季奥运会上他们获得男足银牌后被叫开的，在那届奥运会上他们的tiki-taka战术（以精准短传为基础来追求极致控球的足球战术）得以普及。

NETHERLANDS: "CLOCKWORK ORANGE"

荷兰：橙衣军团（发条橙）

The Dutch squads of the 1970s became known for their knack for precision passing, winning them a nickname for their brand of Total Football, a pastiche on the country's famous national color.

20世纪70年代的荷兰军团以精准的传球著称，为他们标志性的全攻全守足球战术博得了这样一个绰号，这个绰号是对荷兰国家足球队球衣颜色的体现。

AUSTRALIA: "SOCCEROOS"

澳大利亚：袋鼠军团

Journalist Tony Horstead coined the portmanteau of a nickname in 1967 while covering the team's goodwill tour to South Vietnam, borrowing the back end of the name from one of Australia's best-known inhabitants.

一位名叫Tony Horstead的记者在1967年报道澳大利亚足球队对越南南部的友好访问期间首创了这样一个合成词，将soccer（足球）一词与澳大利亚最知名的动物kangroo（袋鼠）

词组合而成。

COLOMBIA: "LOS CAFETEROS" ("THE COFFEE GROWERS")

哥伦比亚：咖啡种植户

The Colombians' moniker riffs on one of the nation's largest exports.

哥伦比亚队的绰号反应了该国最大的出口产品。

GREECE: "PIRATIKO" ("THE PIRATE SHIP")

希腊：海盗船

Though an unlikely pairing at first glance, Greek sportscasters spawned the name during a telecast of an upset victory against Portugal in the Euro 2004 tournament. The tournament's opening ceremony, hosted by Greece, flaunted a pirate ship. Inspired, Greek color commentator Georgios Halakis said the team had to "become pirates and steal the victory."

虽然第一眼看上去，这个绰号和希腊国家队并不相配，不过，这个绰号是希腊体育转播员在转播2004年欧洲杯对阵葡萄牙的比赛时首次使用的。那场比赛中，希腊意外获胜。2004年欧洲杯开幕式在希腊举办，开幕式展示了一艘海盗船。希腊评论员受此启发，称希腊队要“变身海盗，夺取胜利”。

ENGLAND: “THREE LIONS”

英格兰：三狮军团

Named thusly for the trio of lions present on England's national football team crest — and the English coat of arms. It's a traditional emblem dating back to the reign of Richard the Lionheart.

三狮军团之名来源于英格兰国家足球队队服胸标和袖标上的三只狮子。这个传统的标识可以追溯到狮心王理查（理查一世）统治时期。

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: "ZMAJEVI" ("DRAGONS")

波黑：龙之队

The team's nickname often referred to by international media is a little less ferocious than the popular Bosnian nickname: "Zlatni Ljiljani," or "Golden Lilies," for the lily native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, also appearing on the Bosnian coat-of-arms.

国际媒体提到波黑队时使用的这个绰号没有“金色百合”那个绰号凶猛，百合花是波黑出产的，他们队服的袖标上也是百合花。

NIGERIA: “SUPER EAGLES"

尼日利亚：非洲雄鹰

Erstwhile known as the "Green Eagles," the nickname comes from the eagle perched atop a soccer ball on the Nigerian national football team crest. Nigeria adopted the name after a controversial loss at the hands of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations final.

尼日利亚队以前被称为“绿色雄鹰”，这个绰号来源于尼日利亚国家足球队胸标上那只站在足球顶端的雄鹰。1988年非洲国家杯决赛中，尼日利亚队在争议声中负于非洲雄狮喀麦隆队，之后便开始使用这个绰号。

PORTUGAL: “SELEC O DAS QUINAS" ("TEAM OF THE FIVE")

葡萄牙：五盾之队

The team is nicknamed for the five shields present on the national football team crest.

这个绰号来源于葡萄牙国家队队服胸标上的五个盾牌。

GHANA: “BLACK STARS”

加纳：黑色之星（非洲黑星）

In another nod to the team's national flag, Ghana's team name references the eponymous black star that the country's flag sports in its center.

加纳队的绰号是对该国国旗的致敬，加纳国旗中央就是一颗黑星。

UNITED STATES: “THE YANKS"

美国：美国大兵

Informally shortened from the colloquial term "Yankees," other Team USA nicknames include "The Stars and Stripes" and, well, "Team USA."

这个绰号是对Yankees（美军）的非正式说法，美国队其他的绰号还有“星条旗”以及“美国之队”。。呃。

BELGIUM: “RED DEVILS”

比利时：欧洲红魔

The nickname was first used by journalist Pierre Walckiers after a flurry of impressive victories in 1906 against France and the Netherlands — Belgium's uniforms prominently feature red.

1906年，比利时在对阵法国和荷兰时取得胜利后，一位名叫皮埃尔 沃启尔的记者首先使用了这个绰号，比利时队的球衣主体颜色是红色。

ALGERIA: “LES FENNECS" ("THE DESERT FOXES")

阿尔及利亚：沙漠之狐

Algeria is more than 80 percent desert (which probably makes for rough soccer conditions.) The titular fennec is a small, nocturnal fox native to Northern Africa.

阿尔及利亚80%以上都是沙漠（踢球的环境实在不太好）。沙漠狐是一种体型小，多在夜间活动的狐狸，为北非地区物种。

SOUTH KOREA: "TAEGUK"

韩国：太极虎

The taeguk (the yin and yang symbol front-and-center on the national flag) is a symbol of balance. The team has also been labeled as "The Reds" for their crimson team kit—the team's official supporters, started in 1995, banded together as "The Red Devils."

太极（韩国国旗上的阴阳标识）是平衡的标识。因为球衣为红色，韩国队有时也被称为“红队”。自1995年起，韩国队的官方支持团队开始称其为“红魔”。