Association Football Terminology - C

C

• CAF: initialism for the Confederation of African Football, the governing body of the sport in Africa.
• Cap: appearance of a player for a national team. Originates from the traditional presentation of a cap to British players who made international appearances.
• Captain: player chosen to lead a team, and in a match to participate in the coin toss before the start of play. Also known as a skipper.
• Caretaker manager: person chosen to perform managerial duties when no permanent manager is installed.
• Catenaccio: tactical system that puts an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organised and effective backline defence to prevent goals.
• Caution: see yellow card.
• Centre circle: 10-yard radius circle around the centre spot.
• Centre spot: mark in the centre of the pitch from which play is started at the beginning of each half, and restarted following the scoring of a goal.
• Challenge: see tackle.
• Channel: empty space between the fullback and the central defender when a defense is playing with a back four. Wide-playing strikers are said to operate "in the channels".
• Champions League: annual confederation-wide tournament involving the champions and other successful teams from that confederation's domestic leagues. The term can refer to the tournaments held in the AFC, CAF, CONCACAF or OFC, but is most commonly used in reference to the competition held by UEFA. The CONMEBOL equivalent is the Copa Libertadores.
• Chance: situation where an attacking player can shoot at goal, with a realistic prospect of scoring. Also known as an opportunity.
• Chip: shot hit with the intention of the ball going over the goalkeeper and into the goal.
• Christmas tree: see 4–5–1
• Clausura: see Apertura and Clausura
• Clean sheet: when a goalkeeper or team does not concede a single goal during a match.
• Clearance: when a player kicks the ball away from the goal they are defending.
• Club: collective name for a football team, and the organisation that runs it.
• Co-ownership: system whereby two football clubs own the contract of a player jointly, although the player is only registered to play for one club.
• CONCACAF: acronym for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, the governing body of the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean; pronounced "kon-ka-kaff".
• CONMEBOL: acronym for the South American Football Association, the governing body of the sport in South America; pronounced "kon-me-bol".
• Corner flag: flags are placed in each of the four corners of the pitch to help mark the boundaries of the playing area.
• Corner kick: kick taken from within a one-yard radius of the corner flag; a method of restarting play when a player puts the ball behind their own goal line without a goal being scored.
• Corridor of uncertainty: a cross or pass which is delivered into the area in front of the goalkeeper and behind the last line of defence.
• Counter-attack or counterattack: see break.
• Cross: delivery of the ball into the penalty area by the attacking team, usually from the area between the penalty box and the touchline.
• Crossbar: horizontal bar across the top of the goal.
• Cruyff turn: type of turn named after Dutchman Johan Cruyff; designed to lose an opponent.
• Cuauhtemiña: skill move attributed to Mexican player Cuauhtémoc Blanco, which he performed notably at the 1998 World Cup. When multiple players attempted to tackle him, he trapped the ball between his feet and jumped over them, releasing the ball in the air and landing with it under control.
• Cup competition: knockout competition in which teams compete for a trophy, the winners of each game eliminating the losers from the competition. A cup final sees the two remaining teams play a match, which can be two-legged, for the trophy.
• Cup tie: match in a cup competition.
• Cup-tied: where a player is ineligible to play in a cup competition because they have played for a different team earlier in the same competition.
• Curl: see bend.
• Curva: curved stands behind the goals in a football stadium, usually home to fanatical fans, or "ultras".
• Custodian: alternative term for a goalkeeper.