Translating the Rules of Football in South America, 1863-1914

This article explores the early history of Association Football in South America through the case study of the first translations of the rules of the game from English into Portuguese and Spanish. It demonstrates, by means of a comparison of the different temporalities and contexts of these documents, the connected and transnational nature of the sport. This has often been neglected in national paradigm studies of football pioneers and the first matches, clubs and leagues. The study of the translators suggests new avenues for the study of the interlinked histories of sport, politics and culture.