The original Subbuteo tabletop game simulated what sport?

Association football! It is a clever way of using weighted figures to flick up and down the board that serves as the pitch. There are rules for who has control of the ball and as long as the figurine touches the ball after a flick they still have control. However, if the ball touches an opposing player after the ball is hit, then possession changes sides. Sounds intriguing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subbuteo

Can you believe that there is even a Subbuteo World Cup? Take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ5RMFM6fAU