Calcio fiorentino, Blues vs Whites on June 24

FLORENCE, ITALY – White and Blue will be among the final of the Calcio fiorentino (Historical Football) scheduled on June 24. The Blues of Santa Croce have in fact beaten 11 to 0, the Reds of Santa Maria Novella in the game yesterday night. The Whites of Santo Spirito have previously passed the Greens of San Giovanni.

Calcio fiorentino was an early form of football that originated in 16th century Italy. The Piazza Santa Croce of Florence is the cradle of this sport, that became known as giuoco del calcio fiorentino (“Florentine kick game”) or simply calcio (later being the name applied to soccer in Italian).

The official rules of calcio were published for the first time in 1580 by Giovanni de’ Bardi, a Florentine count. Just like Roman harpastum, it was played in teams of 27, using both feet and hands. Goals could be scored by throwing the ball over a designated spot on the perimeter of the field. The playing field is a giant sand pit with a narrow slit constituting the goal, running the width of each end. There is a main referee, six linesmen and a field master. Each game is played out for 50 minutes with the winner being the team with the most points or ‘cacce’.

Originally, calcio was reserved for rich aristocrats, who played every night between Epiphany and Lent. In the Vatican, even Popes, such as Clement VII, Leo XI and Urban VIII were known to play. The modern version allows tactics such as head-butting, punching, elbowing, and choking, but forbids sucker punching and kicks to the head. (CC)