Soccer isn't too rough for school children, Italy's highest court ruled Monday.
The game is safe for kids to play even though it isn't a PE requirement, the Cassation Court ruled, rejecting a complaint by a middle-school student who broke his arm in the mid-1990s.
The now-adult student, identified as Eduardo M., has been arguing for years that soccer is "a violent sport for which schools should require parental consent and doctor's certificates proving people are fit enough to play".
Rejecting that argument, the Cassation judges said soccer "does not have particularly dangerous characteristics".
The ruling, which upheld lower-court verdicts, gives no further recourse to Eduardo M., who sustained his injury when he tripped over the ball.
