Upvote:5
You must remember that (in example of Serbia) during Ottoman Empire, late 19th century country was mostly dotted with villages, town population were small.
Here is one example of game played in villages:
http://www.srbijuvolimo.rs/media/k2/items/cache/7c7c638ef981276293e3733a3f885395_L.jpg
Game looks somehow like modern football game, but rules were different from football game as we know it today.
Use google.com translate to get some information from text:
Text mentions this book from 1868 "Srpske narodne igre, koje se zabave radi po sastancima igraju" use google search too.
Title of book can be roughly translated as "Serbian Folk Games Played For Fun"