Samba de janeiro5/16/2023 ![]() Brutality and savagery are commonplace and there is a history of violent and tragic events which are etched in the minds of loyal supporters of each. Not that this has diluted the hatred - far from it. In the 1970s and 1980s, Roma tended to veer to the left of the political spectrum, so much so that Brazilian midfielder Falcao was compared to Chairman Mao in a song, but in recent decades hardcore fans, aka ultras, of both clubs have had right-wing factions. The game was abandoned (Photo: New Press/Getty Images) Riot police mass on the side of the pitch during the Rome derby in March 2004. As recently as 2019, ahead of a game against Milan, supporters made a banner that read ‘Honour to Mussolini’ and performed fascist salutes, which you still see at any Lazio game. Those fans are a minority, but an extremely vocal one. Lazio have a notorious history of far-right, pro-fascist and racist incidents dating back to the era of Benito Mussolini, who was said to support the club, and which very much still go on today. If we broaden the discussion to the region, the proportions change, but the fact remains that Romanisti are more numerous.” According to recent research, for every four Romanisti in the city, there is one Laziali. “Today, the reality is much more nuanced and there is not such a clear division. “Romanisti mock Laziali by saying that they are from the countryside,” Austini adds. Roma followed in 1927 when the ruling National Fascist Party ordered the merger of three clubs - La Roman, La Fortitudo, L’Alba - into one, creating a side with a larger fanbase than Lazio, who resisted the call and stayed independent.ĭamiano Tommasi of Roma and Lazio’s Alessandro Nesta compete for possession in a Derby della Capitale in 2001 (Photo: Grazia Neri/Allsport)īattle lines were instantly drawn, with Roma occupying the city and Lazio, still with fewer fans today, tending to draw their support from the wider region that Rome sits in and gives them their name. “For instance, if Roma were to win the league and Lazio were to win the Europa League in the same season, Roma fans wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the celebration.” “The happiness of one fanbase coincides with the sadness of the other, their destinies are always intertwined. “What sets the Rome derby apart from the others is that the rivalry between the two teams from the city lasts all year long,” says Italian freelance journalist Alessandro Austini, who has covered football in Rome for 20 years. If you’re not in the title race, the derby is unquestionably the biggest game of the season. ![]() So when the actual trophy is so painfully rare, being the best club in the city becomes a far more pressing, and achievable, priority. Roma have finished as runners-up on 14 occasions, Lazio on eight. That’s fewer than Genoa (nine), Torino (seven), Bologna (seven) and Pro Vercelli (seven, the most recent in 1921-22). Combined, its two top clubs have won it just five times (Roma three, Lazio two). Unlike the aforementioned Inter, Milan and Juventus (74 Italian league wins between them), the championship doesn’t come to Italy’s capital very often. The Derby della Madonnina - the Milanese derby between Internazionale and AC Milan - will generate greater recognition globally with its more successful clubs and its iconic colours, while rivalries in Il Derby dei Campioni (the derby of the champions) between Milan and Turin’s Juventus and the Derby d’Italia (Inter-Juventus) carry historical weight and are akin to Liverpool vs Manchester United in England.īut Roma vs Lazio, with meaty political and geographical context, feels different. This is considered by many to be the fiercest rivalry in Italian football, with good reason. These are the last words he speaks for the duration of our journey. I may as well have told him I’ve just slept with his partner, and then stolen his milk delivery on the way out. ![]() ![]() “Well… my ticket is with the Lazio fans… so… I guess… Lazio?”Īndrea’s demeanour immediately darkens. Andrea is waiting for an answer… it’s mano a mano. ![]() Saying ‘no one’ here is the coward’s way out, neutrality has no place on this day. It’s a straight choice, no middle ground… Democrat or Republican, India or Pakistan, ketchup or mayo (the secret answer there is: both). “Si, si (we’re giving off serious ‘Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds’ vibes here).” “Si, grazie,” The Athletic replies, immediately using up 50 per cent of a painfully limited Italian vocabulary. The Athletic had previously been exuberantly welcomed into this taxi by its grinning, convivial driver Andrea, who couldn’t look any more Italian with his upturned collar, sunglasses and dark, shortly-cropped hair. ![]()
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