Fireball Soccer is a game of football (soccer) except the ball is on fire! Known locally as Sepak Bola Api, it is a unique game played by Indonesian students to welcome the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar; the month the Quran was revealed.
The month is celebrated by fasting and extra prayers. Each day will have a different event and represent a historical piece.
Fireball Soccer is a more extreme sport than the regular soccer matches.
Just like in the regular game, two teams of 11 eleven players kick a ball and try to shoot it in the opposing goal but in this case, the ball is on fire!
It is said that the sport is used to test the courage of students in East Java. The sport is celebrated in the Yogyakarta, Bogor, Tasikmalaya, and Papua regions of Indonesia.
The fireball is made from a coconut from a palm tree soaked in kerosene. Some say they bathe the coconut ball for a week, while others say just 30 minutes so the fireball will burn for the duration of the game.
The pre-rituals before the game are vital things to do by the players. They light the coconut on fire, soak all the players in salt and non-flammable spices, say a little prayer, and start kicking the ball with their bare feet.
Apart from physical strength and skill, Sepak Bola Api players also need to train their spirit and go through a special ritual that supposedly makes them impervious to fire.
They fast for 21 days before the big match, recite their aurad-aurad (special prayers), avoid foods cooked with fire and those containing elements of life, and go through “matigeni” (fasting one day and night without sleep).
After going through all the stages, players no longer fear fire so they play barefoot and even use their torsos and heads to handle the ball.
