Meatball Monday

You think we have it hard when it comes to getting equipment to play sports, while here’s a new and different sport that’s only for those who have a passion for winning

This sport is commonly known as Sepak Bola Api in Indonesian and played locally by the students to welcome the month of Ramadan.

It’s sort of like a game of football or soccer as it is known in European Countries with one exception – the ball is on fire and the players play barefoot.

Fireball Soccer is a more extreme sport as this sport tests the courage of students in East Java and the sport is celebrated in the Yogyakarta, Bogor, Tasikmalaya and Papua regions of Indonesia.

It’s not your regular soccer ball, but rather the ball is made from a coconut from a palm tree and is soaked in kerosene.

Some (depending on who you ask) say they bathe or soak the coconut ball for a week and others say that it only takes 30 minutes so that the fireball will burn for the full duration of the game.

Apparently they have pre-game rituals and they are vital things to do by the players to make the game far more appealing to the players and spectators alike.

It is said that they soak all the players in salt and non-flammable spices, say a little player and start kicking the ball with their bare feet.

Then they light the coconut on fire and it’s game on for all the players in the match.

It is reported that all of the players are said to train their spirit and go through a special ritual that apparently makes them impervious to fire.

It is said that over a period of time it’s become (sort of) a ritual for young men playing to prove or test their manliness.

Players follow set rituals prior to the match, including fasting. It is said that after completing all these rituals, players would no longer be terrified of the fire and play the game well.

I wonder if they have throw-ins for balls that go out of bounds.