Я люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

This is a very common point of confusion.

The verb болеть has a few related meanings:

• болеть = to be ill / sick
• болеть = to hurt / ache
• болеть за кого-что = to root for / support, especially in sports

So:

• Я болею. = I’m sick.
• У меня голова болит. = My head hurts.
• Я болею за эту команду. = I support this team.

The sports meaning comes from the idea of caring emotionally or worrying intensely about someone’s success.

Because болеть за takes the accusative case.

So:

• эта команда = nominative, this team
• эту команду = accusative, used after за in this meaning

Both words change because команда is feminine singular:

• эта → эту
• команда → команду

So:

• Я болею за эту команду. = I root for this team.

This is a good phrase to memorize as a unit:

• болеть за + accusative

Because любить also takes the accusative case, but футбол is an inanimate masculine noun, and for those nouns the accusative singular is usually the same as the nominative singular.

So:

• nominative: футбол
• accusative: футбол

That is why you get:

• Я люблю футбол.

Compare with a feminine noun, where the form changes more clearly:

• Я люблю музыку.
  Here музыка becomes музыку in the accusative.

Yes. In Russian, любить is very commonly used for things you generally like very much, including:

• sports
• hobbies
• food
• activities

So Я люблю футбол is completely natural.

Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• I love football
• I really like football

Russian любить is often broader in use than English love.

They express two different ideas:

• Я люблю футбол = I love football
  This means you like the sport in general.

• Я болею за эту команду = I support/root for this team
  This means you are a fan of one particular team.

So the sentence combines:

1. a general interest in the sport
2. loyalty to a specific team

That combination is very natural.

Yes, it could be omitted.

Russian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Both of these are possible:

• Я люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.
• Люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

The full version with Я is slightly more explicit and can sound more natural when the sentence stands alone or when you want to emphasize I.

No, Russian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The version here is the most neutral:

• Я люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Футбол я люблю и болею за эту команду.
  This emphasizes football.

• За эту команду я болею.
  This emphasizes this team.

The basic meaning stays similar, but the focus changes.

For learners, the original order is the safest and most natural to use first.

Because both parts share the same subject: я.

Russian, like English, can connect two verbs with и when the same person is doing both actions:

• Я люблю футбол
• (Я) болею за эту команду

These combine naturally into:

• Я люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

Repeating я in the second part is usually unnecessary.

Yes, both are imperfective:

• любить
• болеть

They are used here because the sentence describes:

• a general preference
• a habitual attitude
• an ongoing state

You are not talking about a single completed action. You are talking about something that is generally true about you.

So imperfective is exactly what Russian normally uses here.

Yes, often that is a very natural English translation.

Possible translations include:

• I support this team
• I root for this team
• I’m a fan of this team

The exact English choice depends on style:

• root for sounds especially natural in American English
• support is very common in British English and in general sports language
• be a fan of is broader and slightly less action-focused

But in Russian, болеть за is the normal sports expression.

You could, but it means something a little different.

• Люблю эту команду = I love this team
• Болею за эту команду = I support / root for this team

The first one expresses strong affection. The second one specifically marks you as a supporter.

In sports contexts, болеть за is usually the more precise phrase.

Because Russian has no articles like English a/an/the.

So Russian does not need separate words for:

• the football
• the team
• a team

Instead, Russian uses context, word order, and words like этот / эта / это / эти when needed.

Here:

• футбол simply means football
• эту команду means this team

The word эту helps make the team specific.

In Russian, футбол normally means soccer.

If someone means American football, they usually say:

• американский футбол

So in this sentence, Я люблю футбол would normally be understood as I love soccer if you are using American English, or I love football in British English.

A useful pronunciation guide is:

• Я люблю́ футбо́л и боле́ю за э́ту кома́нду.

Main stresses:

• люблю́
• футбо́л
• боле́ю
• э́ту
• кома́нду

A rough English-style approximation:

• ya lyu-BLYU fʊt-BOL ee ba-LYE-yu za EH-tu ka-MAN-du

Not perfect, but enough to get started.

A few tips:

• я is pronounced like ya
• лю in люблю is soft
• ею in болею sounds roughly like ye-yu

It is natural.

A Russian speaker could absolutely say:

• Я люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

It sounds like a normal statement about someone’s interests and sports loyalty.

The only thing that might change in real conversation is that people often drop я:

• Люблю футбол и болею за эту команду.

But the full sentence is completely normal and correct.