BlueIsTheColour
Player Valuation: £8m
I went to Florence last weekend, we did a Segway tour and our guide was telling us about an annual game of historic football that is played in the city square there every year in June....it dates back to the 1500's. A team from each of the 4 areas of the city compete and the idea is to get the ball over the opponents goal line, the rules are that there are no rules.....we watched a youtube video of it and its brutal, I cant believe that they still play it today. These pics are from 2015 I think.
The pics don't really do it justice, youtube it..........
Is this the most violent sport in the world? 27-a-side football match where players can punch, kick and wrestle their way to victory
Covered in tattoos, stripped to the waist, and wearing little more than tape on their knuckles as they punch and kick each other in the dirt - you may be forgiven for thinking these men are crazed convicts taking part in some brutal, prison-yard sport.
In fact they are all athletes taking part in the annual Calcio Storico - or 'historic football' - match in the Italian city of Florence, a sport so brutal that, upon seeing it played in 1574, King Henry III of France declared it was 'too small to be a war and too cruel to be a game'.
Split into two teams of 27, players are allowed to use any means necessary in order to get the ball down the opponents' end of the field, before throwing in into a thin net spanning the width of the pitch in order to score.
Scroll down for video
Hands on: The annual Calcio Storico - or 'historic football' - tournament takes place every June in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence and sees two teams of 27 play a no-rules game of football
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Brutal: Players are allowed to use any means to get the ball from one end of the field to the other, including punching, kicking and wrestling - all done without gloves or helmets
+28
Relentless: Matches are played on a dirt pitch for 50 minutes straight without any stoppages, even if players have to be stretchered off the field by medics waiting in the wings
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+28
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No-holds barred:From the first whistle the teams begin fighting in often savage contests in an effort to tire the opponents out and punch a hole in the opposition defences before the ball carrier attempts to score
The players will train throughout the year in order to be fit for the match, which lasts for 50 minutes without any breaks, even if players have to be stretchered off the field by medics.
The teams consist of four goalkeepers and three fullbacks, whose job it is to stop attacking players from scoring, five halfbacks who play towards the front of the field, and 15 forwards who stand toe-to-toe along the centre line.
From the first whistle the forwards begin fighting - punching, kicking, tripping, and wrestling with each other in a brutal display designed to punch a hole in the opposition defences, but which often descends into an all-out brawl.
Chaos: Despite often descending into an all-out fight, the game does have a referee and six linesmen who are charged with keeping the peace (pictured here in yellow), though their efforts often prove futile
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Sport: Players score by throwing or kicking the ball into a long, thin net spanning the width of the pitch (picture here, in front of the crowd)
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Fierce: Four teams compete in the tournament from the four districts of Florence - Santa Croce, in blue, Santa Maria Novella, in red, Santo Spirito, in white, and San Giovanni in green (pictured, a Santo Spirito, left, and a San Giovanni player, right)
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History: The trousers worn by the competitors are supposed to resemble those used in medieval times, when the game was played between rival houses and wealthy barons
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Ancestry: The modern incarnation of the Calcio Storico began in 1930, at a carnival to mark the anniversary of the siege of Florence by the French, and the tradition continues to this day
Though it may not look it at times, there is a referee and six linesmen who attempt to keep the peace, but at any one time they have dozens of fights to deal with, and players have been known to get knocked out before they can be reached.
The exact history of the Calcio is unknown, although a sport similar to the one played each June in Florence was popular with soldiers of the Roman Army, before the city of Florence was even founded in 59AD.
While it was likely played in Florence throughout the 15th Century, the first recorded game took place in 1530 as Florentines played a match in Piazza Santa Croce despite the city being under siege by French troops.
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Fighting talk: While the official rules for the Calcio Storico state that players may use any means necessary, in practice the competitors can - and do - get sent off for 'violent behaviour'
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Fighting dirty: The floor of the Piazza Santa Corce is covered in dirt for the event, supposedly to mirror how it used to be when the sport was first played - these days it is in fact covered with stone
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Down and out: A player is tackled to the ground during the brutal annual Calcio Storico football match in the city of Florence
The modern game evolved from a match played in 1930, during celebrations to mark the siege of Florence, and was played by four teams from the four corners of the city - Santa Croce, in blue, Santa Maria Novella, in red, Santo Spirito, in white, and San Giovanni in green.
Keeping in touch with the sport's ancient roots, the square in front of the Santa Croce church is covered in dirt and the teams dress up in medieval-style costumes bearing their colours.
A short series of knockout matches are then played, before the two best teams are pitted against one-another in the final, which this year was between Santo Spirito and San Giovanni - with Santo Spirito emerging the victors.
The pics don't really do it justice, youtube it..........
Is this the most violent sport in the world? 27-a-side football match where players can punch, kick and wrestle their way to victory
- Calcio Storico - 'historic football' - tournament takes place every June in historic square in Italian city of Florence
- Teams of 27 are allowed to use 'any means necessary' to get ball to opponents' end of the field in order to score
- Players punch, kick and wrestle one another, wearing no gloves or padding, with matches lasting 50 minutes
- Show the sport in 1573, King Henry III of France said it was 'too small to be a war and too cruel to be a game'
Covered in tattoos, stripped to the waist, and wearing little more than tape on their knuckles as they punch and kick each other in the dirt - you may be forgiven for thinking these men are crazed convicts taking part in some brutal, prison-yard sport.
In fact they are all athletes taking part in the annual Calcio Storico - or 'historic football' - match in the Italian city of Florence, a sport so brutal that, upon seeing it played in 1574, King Henry III of France declared it was 'too small to be a war and too cruel to be a game'.
Split into two teams of 27, players are allowed to use any means necessary in order to get the ball down the opponents' end of the field, before throwing in into a thin net spanning the width of the pitch in order to score.
Scroll down for video
Hands on: The annual Calcio Storico - or 'historic football' - tournament takes place every June in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence and sees two teams of 27 play a no-rules game of football
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Brutal: Players are allowed to use any means to get the ball from one end of the field to the other, including punching, kicking and wrestling - all done without gloves or helmets
+28
Relentless: Matches are played on a dirt pitch for 50 minutes straight without any stoppages, even if players have to be stretchered off the field by medics waiting in the wings
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
No-holds barred:From the first whistle the teams begin fighting in often savage contests in an effort to tire the opponents out and punch a hole in the opposition defences before the ball carrier attempts to score
The players will train throughout the year in order to be fit for the match, which lasts for 50 minutes without any breaks, even if players have to be stretchered off the field by medics.
The teams consist of four goalkeepers and three fullbacks, whose job it is to stop attacking players from scoring, five halfbacks who play towards the front of the field, and 15 forwards who stand toe-to-toe along the centre line.
From the first whistle the forwards begin fighting - punching, kicking, tripping, and wrestling with each other in a brutal display designed to punch a hole in the opposition defences, but which often descends into an all-out brawl.
Chaos: Despite often descending into an all-out fight, the game does have a referee and six linesmen who are charged with keeping the peace (pictured here in yellow), though their efforts often prove futile
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Sport: Players score by throwing or kicking the ball into a long, thin net spanning the width of the pitch (picture here, in front of the crowd)
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Fierce: Four teams compete in the tournament from the four districts of Florence - Santa Croce, in blue, Santa Maria Novella, in red, Santo Spirito, in white, and San Giovanni in green (pictured, a Santo Spirito, left, and a San Giovanni player, right)
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
History: The trousers worn by the competitors are supposed to resemble those used in medieval times, when the game was played between rival houses and wealthy barons
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Ancestry: The modern incarnation of the Calcio Storico began in 1930, at a carnival to mark the anniversary of the siege of Florence by the French, and the tradition continues to this day
Though it may not look it at times, there is a referee and six linesmen who attempt to keep the peace, but at any one time they have dozens of fights to deal with, and players have been known to get knocked out before they can be reached.
The exact history of the Calcio is unknown, although a sport similar to the one played each June in Florence was popular with soldiers of the Roman Army, before the city of Florence was even founded in 59AD.
While it was likely played in Florence throughout the 15th Century, the first recorded game took place in 1530 as Florentines played a match in Piazza Santa Croce despite the city being under siege by French troops.
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Fighting talk: While the official rules for the Calcio Storico state that players may use any means necessary, in practice the competitors can - and do - get sent off for 'violent behaviour'
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Fighting dirty: The floor of the Piazza Santa Corce is covered in dirt for the event, supposedly to mirror how it used to be when the sport was first played - these days it is in fact covered with stone
- SHARE PICTURE
Copy link to paste in your message
+28
Down and out: A player is tackled to the ground during the brutal annual Calcio Storico football match in the city of Florence
The modern game evolved from a match played in 1930, during celebrations to mark the siege of Florence, and was played by four teams from the four corners of the city - Santa Croce, in blue, Santa Maria Novella, in red, Santo Spirito, in white, and San Giovanni in green.
Keeping in touch with the sport's ancient roots, the square in front of the Santa Croce church is covered in dirt and the teams dress up in medieval-style costumes bearing their colours.
A short series of knockout matches are then played, before the two best teams are pitted against one-another in the final, which this year was between Santo Spirito and San Giovanni - with Santo Spirito emerging the victors.
