Argentina football fans play human foosball developed during coronavirus pandemic

Professional football may have been cancelled in Argentina due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn't stopped fans from enjoying the sport... while socially distancing, of course.

Think table football, but for humans. Called 'metegol humano' in Argentina, 12 rectangles are mapped out with chalk on a 'pitch' and each player is restricted to their own space, in which they can dribble inside or pass to another socially-distanced team-mate.

With quarantine guidelines in Argentina restricting outdoor activities to 10 people, each team consists of five players. Each player must clean their shoes and hands and sign an affidavit on the state of their health before entering the field. They are then allowed to play without a mask.

Associated Press report that amateur teams Vende Humo FC and Los Mismos de Siempre tried out the new form of football on Wednesday at the Play Futbol 5 in Pergamino, where the game was devised.

"Now I feel free and happy, getting together again with friends and playing soccer," Martin Rodriguez, a Vende Humo FC defender, said. "If it were up to me, I would do this from Monday to Monday.

"It is about paying attention and keeping the distance the game allows us. We have to know how far we can go. We cannot go over the line.

Gustavo Ciuffo, owner of the Play Futbol 5 complex, said: "Soccer for Argentines is as important as mate [popular drink in the country]."