A strange little side quest
Goal! South Africa belongs to a much longer story of play than a browser tab might suggest. The penalty kick entered football's laws in 1891 and was nicknamed the 'kick of death' in its early days. The broader history adds one more wrinkle. Basketball became an Olympic medal sport in 1936, while women’s basketball joined the Olympic programme in 1976. That long chain of experiments is part of why football still feels fresh when a game finds the right twist.
