1954: The day UFOs stopped play

Sixty years ago a football match ground to a halt when unidentified flying objects were spotted above a stadium in Florence. Did aliens come to earth? If not, what were they? It was 27 October 1954, a typically crisp autumn day in Tuscany. The mighty Fiorentina club was playing against its local rival Pistoiese. Ten-thousand fans were watching in the concrete bowl of the Stadio Artemi Franchi. But just after half-time the stadium fell eerily silent – then a roar went up from the crowd. The spectators were no longer watching the match but were looking up at the sky, fingers pointing. The players stopped playing, the ball rolled to a stand-still. One of the footballers on the pitch was Ardico Magnini – he […] Read More