If you think that Italian men should be described as gentleman, refined, etc., then you go to Florence to watch a classic football game, which will absolutely subvert your view. This is not a football game in the traditional sense, but a football game that is close to hand-to-hand combat.
Team members come from all walks of life
Florence in central Italy is not only the capital of Tuscany, but also the birthplace of the Renaissance. There is the Uffizi Gallery, which houses a large collection of paintings by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, and the world-famous sculpture "David" in the Academy Gallery, with its perfect proportions and exquisitely crafted swordsmanship. Exquisite skills of the ancients. Such a strong cultural heritage has nurtured people who love freedom and are polite. Their enthusiasm and friendliness are what I feel in my daily life until I watched a bloody "football match" in a hot afternoon. Later, I discovered that they can also be wild and brave.
In the distant 16th century, the Florentines, who had just overthrown the Medici family, were besieged by Charles V's Grand Legion. In order to protect the fruits of victory, facing the hungry and cold family of women and children, the guardians of the city are no longer silent. They mocked the enemy and showed their unyielding will. They held the classic football match that has been passed down in the Plaza de Santa Croce. Because the square is located in the center of the city and the terrain is low, the enemy stationed on the mountain outside the city can clearly see everything that happens on the square, and the fierce competition scene makes opponents daunting.
In order to see this alternative football game, I came to Florence. On the day of the game, the whole city was empty. I was walking in a stone-paved alley, and the usually crowded street suddenly became empty. But the famous Plaza de Santa Croce is full of people, and the temporary stands built around are already crowded with people. The traditional flag dance performance is in the center of the square to warm up the competition. The performers wear various styles of medieval costumes and throw flags representing various regions into the sky.
There are a total of 4 teams, representing the 4 historic districts of Florence, wearing red, blue, green and white uniforms. Each team has 27 people participating in the competition. The two-by-two winning teams compete in the finals on June 24 to compete for the final winner, and this day is also the local San Giovanni festival commemorating the city's patron saint. In each team, there are carefully selected strong men, as well as short but extremely flexible scorers. These team members are not professional athletes. Among them are bakery owners, company executives and so on. They usually devote themselves to their professional fields and gather together for short training after work. One of the team members said: "We are all from all walks of life. The work background is not important. All the team members come together out of love for the game. This is not only the tradition of the city, but also the glory of the family. Many of us The grandparents and fathers of the players also participated in the game."
The arena is a 100-meter-long, 50-meter-wide rectangular field, surrounded by barbed wire to isolate the arena from the audience, and the ground in the arena is paved with soft sand. The barbed wire on both sides of the long side is the bottom line. Players can use any means such as wrestling and fighting to bring the ball to the opponent's bottom line to score. The goal of the game is to chase victory.
Hand-to-hand combat in pursuit of glory
Young and all-blooded male cheerleaders climbed up the net wall about 5 meters high before the start of the game. They were shirtless and sat on the top of the wall, shouting slogans to cheer for the team and demonstrating to the opponent. The executive who announced the start of the game rushed out of the field as soon as he finished blowing his whistle, because the players here would soon stage a full martial arts, and those strong men directly waved their fists and ran towards their opponents. The collision between the muscles made the audience excited. They abandoned their smiles and grace, shouted loudly, and cheered. Most of the two teams on the court scrambled together, and the dexterous scorer flickered on the court looking for opportunities. Every scoring will cause deafening cheers from the fans. Only by constantly knocking down the opponent to score can the fans gain more respect and love.
There are no substitutes in the classical football game. Each team has 27 players on the field. In the fierce game, injuries often occur, and the medical staff standing on the side of the field often need to use a stretcher to carry the injured out of the field. I talked to a player who was lifted off the court before. He just woke up from a coma. I asked him "Will you remember the opponent who knocked you out", he laughed and said, "No, this It's just a game, we are all friends off the court."
The 50-minute game passed quickly. When the whistle sounded for the end, the players who were still fighting on the court a second before got up from the ground and hugged each other. Even if their noses were bleeding, they smiled and wiped things. They crossed their backs and walked out of the field, completely devoid of the violent scenes of the game. Only a swig at night can they have fun.
Facing doubt, stick to tradition
Is it appropriate to hold such a fierce competition in a modern civilized society? Injuries occur every year, why is it still held? With these questions, I interviewed the organizers of the game. They said that “In the initial game, there were very serious injuries due to gambling and other reasons, but now we are also revising the rules, such as banning elbows on the head, etc. .
Affected by the epidemic, this event, which has lasted for hundreds of years, was cancelled last year. According to reports, this year's game plan was postponed to September, but whether it can be held by then depends on many uncertain factors. The organizer said, “In 1530, we were facing an enemy, but now we are facing a virus. This is a new enemy, and it is terrifying, but we still want to bring people back to people through such fierce competitions. Come hope."
