One opponent was snatching the ball

Calcio storico may sound familiar to the ear. However, in fact calcio storico is the type of sport that you must ever play. This sport originated in Italy and was created during the Renaissance of Italy.

Calcio storico is played by two teams who fight in the field to fight for their respective teams and attack the opponent's goal. Ordinary football, hockey, lacrosse, rugby, and American football are pioneered by the sport.

In the game, calcio storico has its own uniqueness: hard, real, and fierce. "That's why so many people come to watch," said Carla Vanucci, an Italian photographer who watched the game and had photographed the match three years ago.

The rules of the game, two teams of 27 players each starting the match on different sides of the field. The ball is placed in the middle. For 50 minutes, the muscular men trying to dribble each other against the opponent's goal.

Formerly, only natives of Florence were allowed to attend this match. But now the government allows two nonlocal people to join each team. As the game progressed, the whole audience focused on the players' "hand battles".

In one of the matches in June, a team recruited a professional mixed martial athlete from England. The man struggled until he was covered in blood and almost fainted. However, he still gets up and resumes his "battle".

Many "victims" arise from this sport. Players often leave the field with bloody faces, broken limbs, even bones poking out of their skin.

With such sacrifices, they do not want a reward that can be quantified. Like other sports, the most worthy price is victory.

Does calcio storico affect the development of modern sports, or just remove it? The answer: maybe both. However, a better question might be why Italians like such bloody sports played out in the open, like Piazza Santa Croce in Florence.

Apparently, there is a huge cultural pride in the history of the game. Vanucci said, "This is a way to free the" animal "side of the public and the players."

A violent battle is usually considered a crime. However, it seems the government knows better what the public wants.

This news has been aired on nationalgeographic.co.id dated July 25, 2017 with the title: "Calcio Storico, Sports" Bloody "Football Pioneer"