The Most Brutal Sport in the World is Set to Begin

The Calcio Fiorentino, considered by many to be the most brutal sport in the world, is set to begin in less than a week.

On June 1th, the first game of Calcio Fiorentino will be played. This sport, a mix of rugby, football, and MMA, has been called the most brutal sport in the world. Teams from the four neighborhoods of Florence will compete not for money, fame or even a trophy. Calcio Fiorentino players compete only for pride.

The official rules of the most brutal sport in the world were created in 1580, but is has likely been played for much longer. In one of the most famous Calcio Fiorentino matches, Florence played in defiance of Charles V, who had sent troops to siege the city in 1530.

In 1574, Florence put on a Calcio game in honor of Henry III of France who was visiting. The King gave his impression of the game by stating it was “too small to be a real war and too cruel to be a game.” Hundreds of years later, the game is still played largely the same. Rules are extremely limited, and hospitalization for at least some of the athletes involved seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Even the most brutal sport in the world has rules

Watching a Calcio Fiorentino match will likely give you the impression that this game has absolutely no rules. Many of the players seem content to engage in wild brawls with the rival team, seemingly unaware that the object of this game is to score goals. The truth is this game has strict guidelines that the athletes must follow, and training for the most brutal sport on earth takes months.

The four teams involved in the Calcio Fiorentino are from the four different neighborhoods of Florence. Over a weekend in early June, the first two games are played to determine who will be in the finals, which is always played on June 24th.

Each match lasts 50 minutes, with no player substitutions and no breaks. Each team has 27 players. The objective for many of the players more adept at fighting is specifically to injure the rival team enough for them to be forced out of the game. To put it simply, the less players on the other team, the easier it is to score.

Every goal scored equals one point for that team, but players must be careful when shooting. A missed goal means half a point for the other team. In terms of fighting, the rules are akin to the early days of the UFC. Punching, kicking, elbowing, grappling are all allowed. Certain rules have been adopted to prevent serious injuries such as no biting, hitting to the groin, or blindsiding an opponent from behind.

Although it does not seem possible to bet on Calcio Fiorentino, fans of this spectacle can wager their money on more mainstream sports that are similar. Check out GamingZion’s list of online sportsbooks in the US to find a list of the best websites offering betting lines for popular sports such as MMA, football, and rugby.

What do you think of Calcio Fiorentino? Is it the most brutal sport in the world? Leave your comment below, and make sure to keep with all the news relating to sport and gambling on GamingZion’s gambling news page!