23. In 1440, the Bishop of Tréguier banned football and threatened to excommunicate people caught playing it
Football used to be a far different, vastly more violent, game than modern soccer. Until the 19th century, ‘football’ involved hundreds of players in two teams physically fighting over a pig’s bladder. The game’s only rule said that you won a game by carrying the ball to a predetermined point. Mob violence, widespread destruction, and even death commonly accompanied a game. Kings across Europe banned football on many occasions, but none went so far as the Bishop of Tréguier. In 1440, he banned the ‘dangerous and scandalous’ sport in his diocese. Anyone ignoring the bishop’s law faced ex-communication!
