Killer Football – Script
00:17 – 00:38
Narrator: Florence, Italy’s beautiful art capital, and once a year Florence, one of the world’s most elegant cities, puts on one of the most violent events around. On St John’s Day – June 24th – the Grandio Santa Croce Square is the venue for the final of ‘Calcio Storico’ old football. Calcio Storico dates from 1530 and is a mix of rugby and soccer but the rules are nowhere near as strict.
00:40 – 00:50
Narrator: On the morning of the finals, Simone Scarpolini, the trainer of the Santa Maria Novella Reds – one of the two teams competing for the title - comes to inspect the pitch.
00:51 – 01:03
Simone: Calcio Storico is something that burns inside you; it’s hard to explain. It’s an ancient Florentine game, it’s like a drug – you feed it deep down and once you’re hooked it never leaves you.
01:10 – 01:18
Simone: It’s the strongest emotion I’ve ever felt in my life and I’m not the only one. I think it’s the same for everyone out on the sand out in the Square.
01:21 – 01:33
Narrator: On the sand there will be 54 Cacchanti – the players – split into two teams, Red and Blue. Each team represents a part of the city. The Reds think you’ve got to be a player down to the bone. Paulo certainly thinks so.
01:33 – 01:47
Paulo: You’ve got to be a Cacchenti in your heart; otherwise you wouldn’t go out there. It’s very tough on the Square and once you’re out there it really shakes you.
01:50 – 01:58
Narrator: But before they get shaken up, the Reds listen to Simone’s finally instructions. Amid the concentration and the pressure, the trainer’s words echo in the players’ heads.
02:05 – 02:27
Narrator: In the changing rooms they put on their Renaissance pants in memory of the first match in 1530. The players are finally ready to go out onto the pitch. The Santa Maria Novella Reds are facing the Santa Croce Blues before a crowd of 5000. The teams won their qualifying matches against two other districts of the city. It’ll be a 50-minute battle with no breaks and practically no-holds barred.
02:31 – 02:42
Narrator: For all 54 athletes the opening moments are 100% physical, the idea being to weaken your opponents any way you can. There are no substitutes so if a player is lost to injury you’re one man down.
02:45 – 03:03
Narrator: Six referees, armed only with a feathered hat, try to calm things down but the red cards are only brought out for kicks from behind. The game was invented in 1530 whilst Florence was besieged by the French. Tired and starving, the Florentines started playing ball to take their minds off it. It was a show of strength and courage and nothing’s changed.
03:25 – 03:28
Narrator: That’s no way to win!
03:37 – 03:45
Narrator: To score goals – known as ‘cacce’ – you have to put the ball in a metre high net as wide as the pitch. The Blues are the first to score. After each goal the teams change ends.
03:48 – 04:01
Narrator: Outnumbered, the Reds are suffering but won’t give up. In the boiling summer weather it’s almost full scale warfare. All over the field player’s wrestle, tackle and run in all directions. There’s nothing like this anywhere else.
04:05 – 04:11
Narrator: It’s a fantastic final, a match to remember. Both sides fight to hold their ground, win the match and impress the entire city.
04:14 – 04:25
Narrator: In the past the game has been played by some famous figures – several members of the Medegi family and even three Florentines who went on to become Popes – Clement VII, Leo IV and Urban VIII.
04:56 – 05:07
Narrator: At the end of the free for all, the Blues beat the Reds – winning the final by six goals to three. Things are still tense even after the match. Despite his team losing, Simone thinks the day belongs to Calcio Storico.
05:10 – 05:20
Simone: That was real Calcio Storico, it’s been congratulations all round. We haven’t had a match like that for years, I’m really pleased. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and work on getting back here next year.