Swamp soccer world cup sees teams clash in knee-deep bog

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Swamp soccer world cup sees teams clash in knee-deep bog
A player's face is covered in mud after a match of swamp soccer during the Swamp Soccer World Cup
A player's face is covered in mud after a match of swamp soccer during the Swamp Soccer World CupAFP
The annual swamp soccer world cup saw players this weekend fight for the ball in deep quagmires, with more than 100 teams gathered in the wetlands of central Finland.

"Finns are crazy about this event," said Jussi Kiiskila, one of the organisers of the event in Hyrynsalmi, adding that the number of international teams was rising.

Encircled with spectators on pathways made of wooden planks, the pitch itself is a patch of swamp delineated by a white boundary line.

Since the fields are formed by the forces of nature, each one possesses its own unique characteristics.

While others are drier, some fields may see the players crawl around in the waist-deep muck.

A team scores a goal during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World Cup in the swamps of Vuorisuo in Hyrynsalmi
A team scores a goal during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World Cup in the swamps of Vuorisuo in HyrynsalmiPhoto by Alessandro RAMPAZZO / AFP

"We get stuck in the swamps and we lose our shoes in the swamps and so on but we just try to get the ball to the goal," said Siri from the team Lahen Stolit, which won the women's professional category.

Their group included national team players, but even the professionals struggle to score in the mud.

Players vie for the ball during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World Cup
Players vie for the ball during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World CupAFP

"One of the biggest challenges is when you're playing defence and you're really behind the player you should play against and you are just stuck," Riina from Lahen Stolit said.

Invented in 1998, the idea for swamp soccer originated from the Nordic country's top cross-country skiers who used to incorporate swamps into their summertime training, Kiiskila explained.

Players vie for the ball during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World Cup in the swamps of Vuorisuo in Hyrynsalmi municipality
Players vie for the ball during a match of swamp soccer on July 15, 2023 at the Swamp Soccer World Cup in the swamps of Vuorisuo in Hyrynsalmi municipalityPhoto by Alessandro RAMPAZZO / AFP

"You have to be quite fit because it's really hard and sometimes you can't run, you have to crawl," Siri said.

To date, Hyrynsalmi has seen teams from England, the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, Scotland and Iceland taking part in the event.

In this year's tournament, German team Jugendclub Lindenau won the gold medal in the men's professional category.

While most of the rules are consistent with traditional soccer, there are only five players on the field, as well as a goalkeeper, and the playing time consists of two halves of 10 minutes each.

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