CLUB RIVALRIES 101
I know some of you are new to football, and are thinking about selecting a team to follow in club football. But before you do, I think its probably wise to know a little about club rivalries, so you don't end up supporting two teams that hate each other.
Because although you can do that, and no one will stop you, its not advisable, unless you have wank-repelling body lotion or something. Because you will get grief. Club football is not as all-encompassing as International football - it isn't usually ok to like several teams, especially not if they play in the same league. People usually like one team per league. Most people only follow one or two leagues. Obviously this is not a hard and fast rule, but I've noticed some butthurt from people who have received adverse reactions for saying they like both Barca and Real Madrid, or Liverpool and Man Utd, and not understanding why this is a problem. Hopefully this post will clear things up.
So....
CLUB RIVALRIES 101
I'm not going to talk about every single club rivalry, instead I'm going to talk about the ones that will prob affect people in this comm, because I don't think we're going to have many Barcelona/Espanyol joint supporters for example. So if you have one that isn't featured, feel free to post it in the comments and I'll link to it when I see it :) I also know nothing about the Bundesliga, so if anyone would like to do their rivalries, I would be eternally grateful.
If you're one of the TL:DR crowd, you might not want to read this.
LA LIGA
Barcelona - Real Madrid
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barça and Real Madrid is known as El Clásico. From the start, the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and other tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians. From the early days of football in Spain the two clubs were seen as representatives of the Spanish State and Catalonia, as well as the two cities themselves which have moved in different directions culturally speaking. Though Spain's first socialist party was founded in Madrid, almost all the ideas that have shaped country's modern history - republicanism, federalism, anarchism, syndicalism and communism - have tended to be associated with Barcelona. On the other hand, Madrid is the seat of the government and of the royal family.
During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), all regional cultures were openly suppressed, for instance all of the languages spoken in Spanish territory, except Spanish (Castilian) itself, were officially banned. Symbolising the Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became 'more than a club' (Més que un Club) for the Catalans. According to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, the best way for the Catalans' to demonstrate their identity was by joining Barça. It was less risky than joining a clandestine anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.
During the 1950s, the rivalry was intensified further when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stéfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in the subsequent success achieved by the club. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the European Cup, Real Madrid winning in 1960 and Barça winning in 1961. In 2000, the rivalry was reinforced following the controversial decision by Luís Figo to leave Barça and sign for Real Madrid. The two teams met again in the 2002 UEFA Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid, the eventual champion, won the clash dubbed by Spanish media as the Match of the Century. As the two biggest and most successful clubs in the Spanish league, the rivalry is renewed on an annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The rivarly was amplified to unprecedented heights in August 2009 as Real Madrid, in response to FC Barcelona caputuring the treble of League, Cup and Champions League, ushered in a new era of Galacticos with the acquisition of back to back FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'or winners Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso among other stars, with expenditure totalling €300 million, while Barcelona also signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to add to their already all star cast, thereby creating an arrayed star studded face off.
Source #1 and Source #2.
I also know some people have a soft spot for Atleti (because of Torres) when they support Real Madrid. Here's why they probably shouldn't do that...
Atletico Madrid - Real Madrid
Real Madrid's nearest neighbour is Atlético Madrid, and a rivalry is shared between fans of both football teams. Although Atlético was originally founded by three Basque students in 1903, it was joined in 1904 by dissident members of Madrid FC. Further tensions came because initially Real supporters came from the middle class while the Atlético supporters were drawn from the working class. Today these distinctions are largely blurred.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are clubs with contrasting identities and very different fates. Historically, Real Madrid have long been seen as the establishment club. On the other side, the Rojiblancos were always characterized by a sentimiento de rebeldía (a sense of rebellion) although, during the early Francisco Franco years, it was Atlético that was the preferred team of the regime, being associated with the military airforce, until the regime's preferences moved towards Real Madrid in the 1950s.
Certainly, the dictatorial state sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's European Cup trophies at a time when Spain was internationally isolated - "Real Madrid are the best embassy we ever had," said one minister. Such perceptions have had an important impact on the city's footballing identities, tapping into the collective consciousness. In this vein, Atlético fans were probably the originators, and are the most frequent singers, of the song "Hala Madrid, hala Madrid, el equipo del gobierno, la verguenza del país" ("Go Madrid, go Madrid, the government's team, the country's shame").
Between 1961 and 1989, when Real dominated La Liga, only Atlético offered it any serious challenge, winning Liga titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. In 1965, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. Real Madrid's record against Atlético in more recent times is very favorable. A high point coming in the 2002-03 season, when The Whites clinched the La Liga title after an impressive victory at Atlético 0-4 at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
Source #1 and Source #2.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
The English Premier League (EPL from here on in) is host to probably the most well known of all footballing rivalries, namely...
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Probably the most well known rivalry, Liverpool vs. Manchester United has been a game to see for a long time. This is such a popular rivalry because these are the two most successful teams in England, with more than 110 trophies combined. Although in days past fan violence was prominent, these days it’s rare to see fights break out. Both clubs hail from the North West of England. The fixture is usually played at midday, due to both media (TV) interest and to discourage fans from drinking before the game.
The rivalry can be considered as a manifestation of one which already had existed between the two cities since industrial times. During this time both were competing with each other for supremacy of the north-west, with Manchester famous for its manufacturing prowess while Liverpool was famous for the importance of its port. Once the Manchester Ship Canal was built, ships could bypass Liverpool and transport goods directly into Manchester. This caused job losses at the Port and resentment from the local people of Liverpool. Both the crests of Manchester United and Manchester City display a ship representing the canal. During the late 1970's and 1980's, the two cities had been in decline due to the downturn of industries. Liverpool FC's domination in this time gave their fans something to cheer but led to local Manchester people feeling annoyed as their team were going through one of their worst periods in history.
Both clubs claim the title of 'the Greatest English Football Club', having won a total of 58 and 57 major trophies respectively. Liverpool dominated English football during the 1970s and 1980s, claiming the league title eleven times and the European Cup on four occasions during that period, including winning a treble of the League, and the League and European cups in 1984. Manchester United however, have dominated the 1990s and 2000s, winning the league title eleven times, a European Continental Treble (European Cup, the Premiership and the FA Cup) in 1999, two domestic Doubles and The European Double of the Premier League and European Cup in 2008. Both clubs are also the two most successful English sides in European competition, with Liverpool having been European champions 5 times, and Manchester United 3 times. With Manchester United's victory in the Premier League season 2008-09, the two clubs are tied with 18 league titles in England. Despite Liverpool's success in England, they have never won the Premier League since its founding in 1992. Winning the League Cup in 2010, Manchester United set a new English record of 33 domestic honours - moving one clear of the Merseysiders for the first time.
As well as competing on the football pitch, both teams are also two of the biggest-earning, and widely-supported, football clubs in the world.
The rivalry has extended to the players as well. United striker Wayne Rooney, a product of Liverpool's city rivals Everton described how he grew up hating Liverpool FC although he is from Liverpool. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard took a film crew on tour of his home where he showed off a collection of football shirts he had swapped with opposing players as part of the after match routine. He pointed out that there was no Manchester United shirts in there and that he would never have one of them in his house. Manchester United's Gary Neville has been publicly vocal in the past with regards to his dislike of Liverpool. Following a fixture where John O'Shea scored a stoppage time winner in front of the Kop in 2007, Neville described O'Shea's achievement as "a lifelong dream" for himself. Neville was berated by Liverpool fans for his role in celebrating in front of them in 2006, kissing the crest on his jersey and appearing to shout angrily towards the fans. The look of passionate hate on his face led to an FA review. He has headbutted Steve McManaman in the past leading to the fans singing a song proclaiming "he hates scousers".
The rivalry between the two clubs has become so intense that since the 1964 transfer of Phil Chisnall from United to Liverpool, no player has been transferred. Some players, however, have played for both clubs, but having played elsewhere between each tenure, such as Paul Ince (playing for Internazionale in between) and Peter Beardsley (Vancouver Whitecaps and Newcastle United) and more recently Michael Owen (Real Madrid and Newcastle United).
Source #1 and Source #2.
Arsenal - Spurs
This picture alludes to the fact that Spurs produce commemorative videos every time they beat Arsenal. Even producing DVDs for a draw.
Often known as the North London Derby,It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general ongoing rivalry between the clubs.
A proper rivalry between the two teams did not begin until 1913, when Arsenal moved from the Manor Ground, Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, just four miles from Tottenham's White Hart Lane; by doing so, they became Tottenham's nearest neighbours and thus began a natural local rivalry. The two teams first faced each other as "north London" clubs (although Tottenham was technically in Middlesex until incorporated into Greater London in 1965) in a War Relief Fund friendly on August 22, 1914 at White Hart Lane; although Arsenal were in the Second Division and Tottenham in the First, Arsenal won 5-1. They would go on to meet regularly during World War I in the London Combination, the regional wartime competition of the time.
The rivalry escalated in 1919 when, after World War I, the First Division was to be expanded by two teams, and the League held a meeting of the clubs to decide the two clubs by means of a vote. 19th-placed Chelsea, who would otherwise have been relegated, were allowed to stay and thus they took the first of the two spots. The second spot could have been awarded to 20th-placed Tottenham, or Barnsley, who had finished 3rd in the Second Division, but Arsenal (along with four other clubs) also bid for the place, despite their only finishing 6th in Division Two.
After an endorsement by League President and chairman of Liverpool John McKenna on account of their longer membership of the League, Arsenal won the vote by eighteen votes to Spurs' eight (Barnsley got five, Wolves four, Nottingham Forest three, Birmingham two and Hull City one) and were thus elected to the First Division, thus creating resentment amongst fans of Spurs.
Arsenal fans have a celebration day related to the North London rivalry. Arsenal fans celebrate St. Totteringham's day which is the day in the season when Tottenham cannot mathematically finish above Arsenal on the league table.
Source #1 and Source #2 - I really recommend this one, to get a true feeling of the hatred between the clubs.
Liverpool - Everton
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England. It is the longest currently running top flight derby in England, having been at that level since 1962 when Liverpool were promoted to the First Division (later the Premier League) for the last time.
Traditionally, the Merseyside Derby was referred to as The Friendly Derby because of the large number of families who have both Reds and Blues supporters in them
There are a number of reasons for the "friendly derby" tag. Firstly the clubs are situated in the north of the City and very close to each other (less than a mile), with only Stanley Park separating the two. Everton actually played at Anfield, which is now Liverpool's ground before a rent dispute with the ground owners saw Everton relocate to Goodison Park and the formation of Liverpool F.C. From 1902 to 1932 the two clubs even shared the same matchday programme. Today there are no evident geographical, political, social, or religious divides as in other derbies, although for many years a sectarian divide did exist within the city. It is unclear how (if at all) this influenced the support bases of the two clubs and more recent research has indicated that it was more likely to be a political allegiance that influenced support. During the 1950s and 1960s Everton were coined as the Catholic club mainly as a result of successful Irish players Tommy Eglington, Peter Farrell and Jimmy O'Neill as well as manager Johnny Carey. This, in turn caused Liverpool to be thought of as Protestant club. However it should be noted that this notional divide was never seen as a basis for supporting a certain side as is the case with Celtic and Rangers. In truth both teams have strong support from all denominations as well as many fans from Presbyterian North Wales and Catholic Ireland. Most importantly, the actual clubs themselves did not act to strengthen sectarian divides and in fact both clubs stem from a Methodist origin.
HOWEVER, in recent years, as football has gone global, Merseyside football has gone parochial, bitterly, bitterly so. Where once, in the 1980s, Everton and Liverpool supporters revelled in a unique friendly rivalry, these days they cannot stand each other. The atmosphere, once likened to a love-in, is now as poisonous and as spiteful as any in England. It is not as corrosive as those in Glasgow or in Istanbul or in certain South American cities - yesterday’s match in Montevideo between Nacional and Peñarol ended with 53 arrests and one supporter in intensive care after a shooting - but the friendly derby has given way to the kind of rancorous hostility to which this fixture once proved a welcome antidote.
Source #1 and Source #2.
Manchester City- Manchester United
The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. As with any major football rivalry, gloating and banter between the two sets of fans is commonplace. United fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. United's Old Trafford ground lies just outside the city boundaries in the borough of Trafford, although Manchester United did form in Newton Heath and played there for many years.
Before the Second World War, many football supporters in Manchester watched City one week and United the next. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and following both teams became uncommon.
The first Old Trafford derby of the new millennium saw the culmination of a long standing feud between Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland. The feud started in 1998, when United captain Keane suffered a cruciate ligament injury when clean through on goal, being chased down by Haaland (then playing for Leeds, a team that also have an unpleasant rivalry with United). As Keane lay on the ground, Haaland accused him of feigning injury. Three years later, in the derby match of April 2001, Haaland was the City captain. Late in the game, Keane made a knee-high tackle on Haaland, for which he received a red card. In his autobiography, published in 2002, Keane admitted that the challenge was a premeditated attempt to injure, an admission which resulted in a £150,000 fine and a five-match ban. Subsequent to the incident, Haaland had a long struggle with knee problems and retired in 2002. Haaland initially stated that his injury problems were not related to the challenge, but later received medical advice which suggested the challenge aggravated an earlier injury.
Recently, Carlos Tevez has inflamed the inter-city rivalry, but leaving United and joining City, sparking Rio Ferdinand to offer this quote, "Carlos said he wanted to respect the fans by not joining Liverpool, but he thought it was OK to then join Manchester City,' said Ferdinand. 'That just shows what the biggest rivalry really is.'"
Source #1 and Source #2.
Arsenal - Manchester United
Although this rivalry has lessened in recent years, the Arsenal F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry is a notable rivalry in English football, as both clubs are recognised as having great history and traditions. Many of the clashes in recent years between the two teams have been due to the perceived enmity between managers Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Although the two clubs had previously contested many important matches, such as the 1979 FA Cup Final, the rivalry is generally perceived by the media to have begun with a notorious match at Old Trafford in 1990, which resulted in both clubs being docked points in the 1990-91 league championship. Alex Ferguson has stated that he believes that the rivalry predates this, however, to a match in January 1987 when David Rocastle was sent off for retaliating against a foul by Norman Whiteside.
Another key point in this rivalry was during 2003-2004 Premier League season. During this year Arsenal went on to win the league with an amazing unbeaten record. They were labeled as "The Invincibles" and during their first game with Manchester United, they drew 0-0 at Old Trafford. The next game between these two clubs was held at Highbury, which resulted in a 1-1 tie. At the end of the season, Arsenal ended with 90 points while Manchester United finished with 75 points in the third position. Arsenal eclipsed Manchester United and truly began a hatred between the two clubs. Even famous arguments and fights occurred between players, such as Patrick Viera and Roy Keane.
Long-standing hostilities between Manchester United and Arsenal reached a new boiling point in October 2004, when Sir Alex Ferguson's men ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten sequence in the Premiership. United won 2-0 in a match that has since been nicknamed the "battle of the buffet".
The action was tempestuous enough on the field, with Arsenal's forward José Antonio Reyes saying: "In all my sporting life, I have never received so many kicks as I did in Manchester. It was the hardest match I have played." The game swung United's way after a disputed penalty award but it was after the match that the sparks, and the food, really flew.
In a scuffle in the tunnel between players and staff on both sides, a slice of pizza was hurled at Ferguson. The former Arsenal defender Ashley Cole describes the shock of the incident in his autobiography: "This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush ... all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off this famous, puce face and roll down his nice black suit."
Source #1 and Source #2.
SERIE A
Internazionale - AC Milan
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in football world. Along with the Rome and Turin derbies, it is widely considered one of the major crosstown derbies in the Serie A, so much so that only selected referees may officiate whenever these teams meet. It is a biannual fixture in the Italian football league Serie A; however, the derby has also taken place in the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League. It's the only derby in Europe played by two teams which has been champions of Europe and of the World.
In 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split and the foundation of F.C. Internazionale Milano. In the past, Inter was seen as the club of the Milan bourgeoisie (nicknamed bauscia, a milanese term meaning "braggart"), whereas Milan was the working-class team (nicknamed casciavit, meaning in the milanese dialect "screwdriver", with both reference to the blue-collar worker, and to "awkward") and was supported mainly by workers, trade unionists and migrants from Southern Italy.[citation needed]. However in the recent years this difference has mitigated, since Milan is now owned by current conservative Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and Inter is owned by a centre-left businessman, Massimo Moratti.
During the 1960s, Inter was the more successful club, winning the European Cup twice in a row and the Intercontinental Cup twice in a row. However during the late 1980s and the 1990s Silvio Berlusconi's Milan was the more dominant team, with many victories both in Italy and in the European competitions.
Another notable rivalry era was in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Dutch trio of Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit played for Milan and the German trio of Andreas Brehme, Jürgen Klinsmann and Lothar Matthäus defended the Inter colors. Even though in that period Milan were dominating Italian and European football, this rivalry is mainly remembered for a famous 1990 World Cup match: the Dutch team had entered the competition as one of the favourites based on the fact that they had won the previous European Championship in 1988, and the trio had enjoyed great success at Milan at the European level with back-to-back European Cup titles in 1989 and 1990. Milan had won the 1988 Scudetto and Inter captured that title the following year.
When the Netherlands met Germany in the World Cup, the match was played at the home ground of Inter and Milan, the San Siro, and for many it seemed like a national team version of Milan derby. The high tempered game ended in defeat for the Dutch as Rijkaard got sent-off after spitting on German forward Rudi Völler. Germany won the game 2-1 with two of the Inter players Klinsman and Brehme scoring, a moral victory for Inter fans.
The most infamous of the derby matches between Milan and Inter was the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on April 12, 2005.
With Milan leading 1-0 (and 3-0 on aggregate) thanks to an early Andriy Shevchenko goal, Inter's hardcore supporters became infuriated after a second-half Esteban Cambiasso goal was controversially disallowed by referee Markus Merk who, moments later, booked Cambiasso for dissent, due to the fact that he had just whistled an Inter player for a foul on Milan keeper Dida. Bottles and various debris were subsequently thrown onto the pitch, but soon escalated to lit flares. As Dida attempted to clear bottles in order to take a goal kick, a flare hurtled down from the upper deck and struck the Brazilian on the back of his right shoulder. Merk halted the match at the 74th minute. After a thirty-minute delay in which firefighters were called in to remove the burning flares from the pitch, the match was restarted. Dida, however, was unable to continue, and was substituted by Christian Abbiati. Less than a minute later, though, Merk finally abandoned the match after more flares and debris rained down. The match was awarded as a 3-0 victory, totaling a 5-0 aggregate, to Milan.
Dida suffered bruising and first-degree burns to his shoulder, though he did not miss any game time. Meanwhile, Inter were fined €200,000 (£132,000) - the largest fine ever handed down by UEFA - and were ordered to play their first four Champions League matches behind closed doors in the 2005-06 season as punishment.
It is called "Derby della Madonnina" in honour of one of the main sights of the city of Milan, the statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the Duomo, which is usually called "Madonnina".
Source.
Roma - Lazio
The Derby della Capitale also known as il Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city, Lazio and Roma. It is considered to be the fiercest derby in the country ahead of the other major local derbies, Derby della Madonnina (Milan derby) and Derby della Mole (Turin derby), and one of the greatest and hotly contested capital derbies in Europe. The derby has been historically marked by massive crowds, excitement, violence and - recently - racist banners in the crowd.
Two extreme incidents in particular have left their mark on the history of this fixture. In 1979, Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli was hit in the eye and killed by a flare fired by a Roma fan from the opposite end of the stadium, becoming the first fatality in Italian football due to violence, and in 2004 an unprecedented event occurred when the Roma ultras forced the game to be suspended after spreading false rumors among the crowd that a child had been killed by the police prior to the beginning of the game. In the recent derby on December 2009, the referee stopped play for some seven minutes just 13 minutes into the first half due to fireworks being thrown onto the pitch.
The locals like to say that the Derby della Capitale is "much more than just a game". Roma was founded as a result of a merger between three teams, Roman, Alba-Audace and Fortitudo, ordered by the Fascist regime and initiated by Italo Foschi. It was the intention of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to create a unified and powerful Roman club to challenge the dominance of Northern clubs. Thanks to the influence of Fascist general, Giorgio Vaccaro, Lazio were the only major team from Rome to resist the merger, thus a kind of rivalry emerged from the very early years of the coexistence in the same city. The first game, won by Roma, was held on December 8, 1929 and the rivalry quickly grew between the teams. While the fans of both teams loathe the arrogance of the major teams of northern Italy, it is obvious that they detest each other much more, and due to the fact that Lazio and Roma have not won numerous trophies in comparison to the giants of the north, the derby is a chance to prove who is dominant in the capital. Historically, Roma take their support from the southern left-leaning part of Rome, while Lazio's support tends to come from the wealthier northern, and politically right-wing, districts of the Italian capital, hence there are no socio-economic distinctions between their fans.
The devout regionalism, that is perceived throughout the country, is one of the reasons that make the derby more heated, as the fans view it as a battle between two clubs fighting for the right to represent the city in the rest of the country. The Roman derby has been the scene of several actions related to the socio-economic status of the fan bases. Lazio's ultras often use swastikas and fascist symbols on their banners and they have displayed racist behaviour in several occasions during the derbies. Jewish population of Rome has been targeted, because the majority of the Jewish of Rome are supporters of Roma and the richest group of the Capital. This was most notably displayed at a derby of the season 1998-99 when laziali unfurled a 50-metre banner around the Curva Nord that read, "Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses". Black players of Roma have often been receivers of racist and offensive behaviour; a banner that Lazio's ultras had once displayed claimed that Roma is a "Team of blacks followed by Jews" in response to "Team of sheep followed by shepherds" displayed by Roma's ultras. Officially, the club has distanced itself from these fans, who make up a minority, and fights to combat these kind of actions. Roma fans have also been known to hold up racist banners from time to time.
The derby on March 21, 2004 was abandoned, four minutes into the second half, with the score tied at 0-0, when a riot broke out in the stands and the president of the Italian Football League, Adriano Galliani, ordered referee Roberto Rosetti to suspend the match.
The riots, including literal exchanges of fireworks, began with the spreading of a rumour that a boy had been killed by a police car just outside the stadium. This story was spread to the players when three leaders of Roma's ultras walked onto the pitch to speak with Francesco Totti, the Roma captain. These ultras threatened Totti, who was audibly heard over the TV broadcast as having received a death threat. Totti then asked for the match to be called off, at which point Adriano Galliani was reached by the referee by mobile phone - from the pitch - and ordered the game postponed.
After the match was postponed a prolonged battle among fans and between fans and police ensued, with stands being set on fire and people fleeing the stadium, eventually resulting in over 13 arrests and over 170 injured among the police alone. Police resorted to tear gas after fans continued throwing fireworks and started burning cars and motorbikes outside the stadium. Following the aftermath, during which it became apparent that the rumour of the boy's death was false, many theories arose as to why the ultras wanted the game suspended. It is believed that the ultras simply wished to attack police, and more importantly, give a demonstration of the strong political power which they wield. The match was replayed on March 28 and ended in a 1-1 draw with no crowd trouble. The draw also meant that Roma had probably squandered its last chance at catching up with eventual championship winners Milan.
Source.
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Flamengo - Fluminense
The Rio de Janeiro Derby
The Flamengo- Fluminense rivalry is the biggest rivalry in Brazilian club football. The rivalry is commonly referred to as Fla-Flu or Flu-Fla, depending on where your allegiances lie. Both teams play at the iconic Maracanã stadium and have little difficulty in packing the 95,000 seat stadium to the rafters. That is nothing compared to the day in 1963 when 177,020 came to watch a game. In the 1960s and 70s the two sides regularly attracted over 100,000 fans to their games. This gives you an idea of the extent of the Fluminense - Flamengo rivalry. Since safety measure were introduced, crowds of this size haven’t been as common. The world record football match attendance between clubs is a Fla 0-0 Flu with 194,603 people in attendance in 1963. Flamengo is the most successful team in Rio State Championship by one championship. Flamengo has won it 31 times while Fluminense has won 30. However, at the national level, the difference is larger. Flamengo has won 6 Brazilian National Championships (one is the 1987 Copa União), and 2 Brazilian Cups. Fluminense has won 1 Brazilian National Championship, 1 Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa and 1 Brazilian Cup.
The rivalry between these two clubs began in October 1911, when a group of dissatisfied players from Fluminense left the club, and went to Flamengo, which at the time had no football section. The first Fla-Flu ever was played the following year, on July 7, 1912 at Laranjeiras stadium. Fluminense won this match 3-2, with 800 people in attendance.
As is the case with many football rivalries, this one has its roots in a class distinction. Flamengo was the team of the people, whereas Fluminense is the team for the middle and upper classes. Flamengo wear red and black and have the vulture as their mascot. Fluminense play in green, white and claret are known as Tricolor carioca.
Source #1 and Source #2
Argentine Primera División
Boca Juniors - River Plate
The Superclásico is known worldwide as one of the fiercest and most important derbies. In April 2004, the English newspaper The Observer put the Superclásico at the top of their list of "50 sporting things you must do before you die", saying that "Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about".
Buenos Aires has the largest concentration of football clubs in the world. However, the two most famous ones in the city and Argentina are Boca Juniors and River Plate. The two clubs are only 7km away from each other and it's estimated that 73 percent of the Argentine population are either a River Plate of Boca Junior fan. While the two clubs share the same city, they could not be more opposite.
The two clubs both have origins in La Boca, the working class dockland area of Buenos Aires, with River being founded in 1901 and Boca in 1905. However, River moved to the affluent district of Núñez in the north of the city in 1925. Since then Boca Juniors has been known as the club of Argentina's working class or the people's club, with many Boca fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community. Boca fans are actually known as Xeneizes (Genoese). By contrast, River Plate became known by the nickname, Los Millonarios (The Millionaires), with a supposedly upper-class support base. Both clubs do though have supporters from all social classes.
The Superclásico is particularly noted for the passion of the fans, with what the BBC describe as "a sea of colourful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks." Both sets of supporters sing passionate chants aimed at their rivals, often based on popular Argentine rock band tunes. Each stadium, Boca's La Bombonera and River's El Monumental are known to bounce with the simultaneous jumping of the fans. At times the matches have been known to end in fights between the violent factions on both sides or with the police.
Boca fans refer to River supporters as gallinas (chickens) claiming the lack of guts of River fans and players. Despite the fact that their club traces back its roots to La Boca, River fans refer to their Boca rivals as los chanchitos (little pigs) because they claim their stadium, located in the less affluent La Boca area, smells most of the time, as well as bosteros (manure collectors) a reference to the smell of a polluted river in La Boca. Another infamous slur, coined in the late 1990s over remarks of Boca's forward Diego Latorre, is to brand Boca Juniors as "The Cabaret", due to the alleged aspiration of some players to steal the limelight.
On 23 June 1968 in El Monumental after a match between the two teams 71 fans were killed in a crush at gate 12 and 150 fans injured. The disaster was the worst football related incident in the history of Argentine football and the majority of the dead were teenagers and young adults. The average age of the victims was 19.
There are various claims as to what exactly happened that day. Some claim that the disaster happened after Boca Juniors fans threw burning River flags from the upper tiers of the stadium, causing a stampede of their own fans in the lower tier. Others claim that it happened after River fans arrived at the Boca section, causing the stampede of the visiting fans. Yet others claim that gate 12 was locked, or would not open at the time, and that the fans at the back did not hear the ones at the front telling them to stop coming out. William Kent, River's former president, claimed that the police were the culprits, as they began repressing Boca fans after they had thrown urine at them from the stands. Some witnesses claim that the turnstiles to the exit were blocked by a huge iron pole.
After three years of investigation a government enquiry found no-one guilty, much to the disappointment of the families of the victims. Since the tragedy, the gates at El Monumental have been identified by letters instead of numbers. At the end of the 1968 season the 68 football clubs in the Argentine Football Association collected 100,000 pesos for the families of the deceased.
Source #1 and Source #2.
Scottish Premier League
Rangers - Celtic
he Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.
The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. A newspaper report stated that both sets of players "got on so well that you would believe that they were old firm friends." However, William J. Murray states that the term derives from the commercial benefits of the two clubs' rivalry, which were viewed with distaste in some quarters in the early days of the game. Another theory is that the term "The Old Firm " occurred during the early 20th century when the two clubs began to dominate the Scottish football competitions.
The rivalry between Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic - known collectively as the Old Firm - is historically tied up in religion. Celtic were formed in 1888 by Irish Catholic immigrants who began emigrating to the West of Scotland in the 1840s and their descendants.
Rangers, who were formed in 1873, have always been perceived as "the Protestant club" and Celtic "the Catholic club". Up until 1989, when Mo Johnston signed for them, Rangers had never fielded a high-profile Catholic player.
The two clubs are the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 67 Scottish Cups and 94 Scottish League championships (as of May 2009). Interruptions to their ascendancy have occurred infrequently, most recently with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United in the first half of the 1980s and other times happening in the 1890s and 1950s. Starting with the 1995-96 season, the Old Firm clubs finished in the top two places in every season until 2005-06, when Heart of Midlothian finished second ahead of Rangers. As of 28 February 2010, Rangers and Celtic had played each other 387 times, with Rangers winning 155 matches, Celtic 139 matches and 93 draws.
The ferocity of the rivalry has made it rare for a player to represent both teams during his career. Players who have played for both sides of the Old Firm include Alex Bennett, Scott Duncan, Robert Campbell, George Livingstone - these players played before the intensity of the rivalry had started/before 1912 - Alfie Conn, Maurice Johnston, Kenny Miller, Steven Pressley and Mark Brown.
In 1980, fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1-0 victory in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden. This remains the worst invasion onto a football pitch ever reported.There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played in May 1999 at Celtic Park. A missile was thrown from a Celtic section of the ground and struck referee Hugh Dallas, forcing the game to be stopped while he received medical treatment. At least four Celtic fans invaded the field of play to confront Dallas during the game, and more missiles were thrown at players on the pitch after the game.
The Old Firm rivalry fuels many assaults on Old Firm Derby days, and some deaths in the past have been directly related to the aftermath of Old Firm matches. An activist group that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, admissions to hospital emergency rooms increase ninefold over normal levels.
Phew, apologies for any ommissions/innaccuracies. As I said before, please post other footballing rivalries if I've missed them. I'm sure we all love to hear about drama anyway. I know there is a lack of Chelsea, before anyone complains. Its just that everyone has had a feud with Chelsea at some point and I really couldn't be bothered to include them all.
Also, here is a list of every footballing rivalry out there, if you're interested.
Because although you can do that, and no one will stop you, its not advisable, unless you have wank-repelling body lotion or something. Because you will get grief. Club football is not as all-encompassing as International football - it isn't usually ok to like several teams, especially not if they play in the same league. People usually like one team per league. Most people only follow one or two leagues. Obviously this is not a hard and fast rule, but I've noticed some butthurt from people who have received adverse reactions for saying they like both Barca and Real Madrid, or Liverpool and Man Utd, and not understanding why this is a problem. Hopefully this post will clear things up.
So....
CLUB RIVALRIES 101
I'm not going to talk about every single club rivalry, instead I'm going to talk about the ones that will prob affect people in this comm, because I don't think we're going to have many Barcelona/Espanyol joint supporters for example. So if you have one that isn't featured, feel free to post it in the comments and I'll link to it when I see it :) I also know nothing about the Bundesliga, so if anyone would like to do their rivalries, I would be eternally grateful.
If you're one of the TL:DR crowd, you might not want to read this.
LA LIGA
Barcelona - Real Madrid
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barça and Real Madrid is known as El Clásico. From the start, the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and other tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians. From the early days of football in Spain the two clubs were seen as representatives of the Spanish State and Catalonia, as well as the two cities themselves which have moved in different directions culturally speaking. Though Spain's first socialist party was founded in Madrid, almost all the ideas that have shaped country's modern history - republicanism, federalism, anarchism, syndicalism and communism - have tended to be associated with Barcelona. On the other hand, Madrid is the seat of the government and of the royal family.
During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), all regional cultures were openly suppressed, for instance all of the languages spoken in Spanish territory, except Spanish (Castilian) itself, were officially banned. Symbolising the Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became 'more than a club' (Més que un Club) for the Catalans. According to Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, the best way for the Catalans' to demonstrate their identity was by joining Barça. It was less risky than joining a clandestine anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.
During the 1950s, the rivalry was intensified further when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stéfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in the subsequent success achieved by the club. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the European Cup, Real Madrid winning in 1960 and Barça winning in 1961. In 2000, the rivalry was reinforced following the controversial decision by Luís Figo to leave Barça and sign for Real Madrid. The two teams met again in the 2002 UEFA Champions League semi-final. Real Madrid, the eventual champion, won the clash dubbed by Spanish media as the Match of the Century. As the two biggest and most successful clubs in the Spanish league, the rivalry is renewed on an annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The rivarly was amplified to unprecedented heights in August 2009 as Real Madrid, in response to FC Barcelona caputuring the treble of League, Cup and Champions League, ushered in a new era of Galacticos with the acquisition of back to back FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'or winners Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso among other stars, with expenditure totalling €300 million, while Barcelona also signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to add to their already all star cast, thereby creating an arrayed star studded face off.
Source #1 and Source #2.
I also know some people have a soft spot for Atleti (because of Torres) when they support Real Madrid. Here's why they probably shouldn't do that...
Atletico Madrid - Real Madrid
Real Madrid's nearest neighbour is Atlético Madrid, and a rivalry is shared between fans of both football teams. Although Atlético was originally founded by three Basque students in 1903, it was joined in 1904 by dissident members of Madrid FC. Further tensions came because initially Real supporters came from the middle class while the Atlético supporters were drawn from the working class. Today these distinctions are largely blurred.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are clubs with contrasting identities and very different fates. Historically, Real Madrid have long been seen as the establishment club. On the other side, the Rojiblancos were always characterized by a sentimiento de rebeldía (a sense of rebellion) although, during the early Francisco Franco years, it was Atlético that was the preferred team of the regime, being associated with the military airforce, until the regime's preferences moved towards Real Madrid in the 1950s.
Certainly, the dictatorial state sought to make political capital out of Real Madrid's European Cup trophies at a time when Spain was internationally isolated - "Real Madrid are the best embassy we ever had," said one minister. Such perceptions have had an important impact on the city's footballing identities, tapping into the collective consciousness. In this vein, Atlético fans were probably the originators, and are the most frequent singers, of the song "Hala Madrid, hala Madrid, el equipo del gobierno, la verguenza del país" ("Go Madrid, go Madrid, the government's team, the country's shame").
Between 1961 and 1989, when Real dominated La Liga, only Atlético offered it any serious challenge, winning Liga titles in 1966, 1970, 1973 and 1977. In 1965, Atlético became the first team to beat Real at the Bernabéu in eight years. Real Madrid's record against Atlético in more recent times is very favorable. A high point coming in the 2002-03 season, when The Whites clinched the La Liga title after an impressive victory at Atlético 0-4 at the Vicente Calderón Stadium
Source #1 and Source #2.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
The English Premier League (EPL from here on in) is host to probably the most well known of all footballing rivalries, namely...
Liverpool vs Manchester United
Probably the most well known rivalry, Liverpool vs. Manchester United has been a game to see for a long time. This is such a popular rivalry because these are the two most successful teams in England, with more than 110 trophies combined. Although in days past fan violence was prominent, these days it’s rare to see fights break out. Both clubs hail from the North West of England. The fixture is usually played at midday, due to both media (TV) interest and to discourage fans from drinking before the game.
The rivalry can be considered as a manifestation of one which already had existed between the two cities since industrial times. During this time both were competing with each other for supremacy of the north-west, with Manchester famous for its manufacturing prowess while Liverpool was famous for the importance of its port. Once the Manchester Ship Canal was built, ships could bypass Liverpool and transport goods directly into Manchester. This caused job losses at the Port and resentment from the local people of Liverpool. Both the crests of Manchester United and Manchester City display a ship representing the canal. During the late 1970's and 1980's, the two cities had been in decline due to the downturn of industries. Liverpool FC's domination in this time gave their fans something to cheer but led to local Manchester people feeling annoyed as their team were going through one of their worst periods in history.
Both clubs claim the title of 'the Greatest English Football Club', having won a total of 58 and 57 major trophies respectively. Liverpool dominated English football during the 1970s and 1980s, claiming the league title eleven times and the European Cup on four occasions during that period, including winning a treble of the League, and the League and European cups in 1984. Manchester United however, have dominated the 1990s and 2000s, winning the league title eleven times, a European Continental Treble (European Cup, the Premiership and the FA Cup) in 1999, two domestic Doubles and The European Double of the Premier League and European Cup in 2008. Both clubs are also the two most successful English sides in European competition, with Liverpool having been European champions 5 times, and Manchester United 3 times. With Manchester United's victory in the Premier League season 2008-09, the two clubs are tied with 18 league titles in England. Despite Liverpool's success in England, they have never won the Premier League since its founding in 1992. Winning the League Cup in 2010, Manchester United set a new English record of 33 domestic honours - moving one clear of the Merseysiders for the first time.
As well as competing on the football pitch, both teams are also two of the biggest-earning, and widely-supported, football clubs in the world.
The rivalry has extended to the players as well. United striker Wayne Rooney, a product of Liverpool's city rivals Everton described how he grew up hating Liverpool FC although he is from Liverpool. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard took a film crew on tour of his home where he showed off a collection of football shirts he had swapped with opposing players as part of the after match routine. He pointed out that there was no Manchester United shirts in there and that he would never have one of them in his house. Manchester United's Gary Neville has been publicly vocal in the past with regards to his dislike of Liverpool. Following a fixture where John O'Shea scored a stoppage time winner in front of the Kop in 2007, Neville described O'Shea's achievement as "a lifelong dream" for himself. Neville was berated by Liverpool fans for his role in celebrating in front of them in 2006, kissing the crest on his jersey and appearing to shout angrily towards the fans. The look of passionate hate on his face led to an FA review. He has headbutted Steve McManaman in the past leading to the fans singing a song proclaiming "he hates scousers".
The rivalry between the two clubs has become so intense that since the 1964 transfer of Phil Chisnall from United to Liverpool, no player has been transferred. Some players, however, have played for both clubs, but having played elsewhere between each tenure, such as Paul Ince (playing for Internazionale in between) and Peter Beardsley (Vancouver Whitecaps and Newcastle United) and more recently Michael Owen (Real Madrid and Newcastle United).
Source #1 and Source #2.
Arsenal - Spurs
This picture alludes to the fact that Spurs produce commemorative videos every time they beat Arsenal. Even producing DVDs for a draw.
Often known as the North London Derby,It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general ongoing rivalry between the clubs.
A proper rivalry between the two teams did not begin until 1913, when Arsenal moved from the Manor Ground, Plumstead to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, just four miles from Tottenham's White Hart Lane; by doing so, they became Tottenham's nearest neighbours and thus began a natural local rivalry. The two teams first faced each other as "north London" clubs (although Tottenham was technically in Middlesex until incorporated into Greater London in 1965) in a War Relief Fund friendly on August 22, 1914 at White Hart Lane; although Arsenal were in the Second Division and Tottenham in the First, Arsenal won 5-1. They would go on to meet regularly during World War I in the London Combination, the regional wartime competition of the time.
The rivalry escalated in 1919 when, after World War I, the First Division was to be expanded by two teams, and the League held a meeting of the clubs to decide the two clubs by means of a vote. 19th-placed Chelsea, who would otherwise have been relegated, were allowed to stay and thus they took the first of the two spots. The second spot could have been awarded to 20th-placed Tottenham, or Barnsley, who had finished 3rd in the Second Division, but Arsenal (along with four other clubs) also bid for the place, despite their only finishing 6th in Division Two.
After an endorsement by League President and chairman of Liverpool John McKenna on account of their longer membership of the League, Arsenal won the vote by eighteen votes to Spurs' eight (Barnsley got five, Wolves four, Nottingham Forest three, Birmingham two and Hull City one) and were thus elected to the First Division, thus creating resentment amongst fans of Spurs.
Arsenal fans have a celebration day related to the North London rivalry. Arsenal fans celebrate St. Totteringham's day which is the day in the season when Tottenham cannot mathematically finish above Arsenal on the league table.
Source #1 and Source #2 - I really recommend this one, to get a true feeling of the hatred between the clubs.
Liverpool - Everton
The Merseyside derby is the name given to any football match contested between Everton and Liverpool football clubs, the two most successful clubs from the city of Liverpool in England. It is the longest currently running top flight derby in England, having been at that level since 1962 when Liverpool were promoted to the First Division (later the Premier League) for the last time.
Traditionally, the Merseyside Derby was referred to as The Friendly Derby because of the large number of families who have both Reds and Blues supporters in them
There are a number of reasons for the "friendly derby" tag. Firstly the clubs are situated in the north of the City and very close to each other (less than a mile), with only Stanley Park separating the two. Everton actually played at Anfield, which is now Liverpool's ground before a rent dispute with the ground owners saw Everton relocate to Goodison Park and the formation of Liverpool F.C. From 1902 to 1932 the two clubs even shared the same matchday programme. Today there are no evident geographical, political, social, or religious divides as in other derbies, although for many years a sectarian divide did exist within the city. It is unclear how (if at all) this influenced the support bases of the two clubs and more recent research has indicated that it was more likely to be a political allegiance that influenced support. During the 1950s and 1960s Everton were coined as the Catholic club mainly as a result of successful Irish players Tommy Eglington, Peter Farrell and Jimmy O'Neill as well as manager Johnny Carey. This, in turn caused Liverpool to be thought of as Protestant club. However it should be noted that this notional divide was never seen as a basis for supporting a certain side as is the case with Celtic and Rangers. In truth both teams have strong support from all denominations as well as many fans from Presbyterian North Wales and Catholic Ireland. Most importantly, the actual clubs themselves did not act to strengthen sectarian divides and in fact both clubs stem from a Methodist origin.
HOWEVER, in recent years, as football has gone global, Merseyside football has gone parochial, bitterly, bitterly so. Where once, in the 1980s, Everton and Liverpool supporters revelled in a unique friendly rivalry, these days they cannot stand each other. The atmosphere, once likened to a love-in, is now as poisonous and as spiteful as any in England. It is not as corrosive as those in Glasgow or in Istanbul or in certain South American cities - yesterday’s match in Montevideo between Nacional and Peñarol ended with 53 arrests and one supporter in intensive care after a shooting - but the friendly derby has given way to the kind of rancorous hostility to which this fixture once proved a welcome antidote.
Source #1 and Source #2.
Manchester City- Manchester United
The Manchester derby is the name given to football matches between Manchester City and Manchester United. As with any major football rivalry, gloating and banter between the two sets of fans is commonplace. United fans point out that City have gone several decades without winning a major trophy, whereas City fans claim United do not actually come from Manchester. United's Old Trafford ground lies just outside the city boundaries in the borough of Trafford, although Manchester United did form in Newton Heath and played there for many years.
Before the Second World War, many football supporters in Manchester watched City one week and United the next. After the war, a stronger rivalry developed and following both teams became uncommon.
The first Old Trafford derby of the new millennium saw the culmination of a long standing feud between Roy Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland. The feud started in 1998, when United captain Keane suffered a cruciate ligament injury when clean through on goal, being chased down by Haaland (then playing for Leeds, a team that also have an unpleasant rivalry with United). As Keane lay on the ground, Haaland accused him of feigning injury. Three years later, in the derby match of April 2001, Haaland was the City captain. Late in the game, Keane made a knee-high tackle on Haaland, for which he received a red card. In his autobiography, published in 2002, Keane admitted that the challenge was a premeditated attempt to injure, an admission which resulted in a £150,000 fine and a five-match ban. Subsequent to the incident, Haaland had a long struggle with knee problems and retired in 2002. Haaland initially stated that his injury problems were not related to the challenge, but later received medical advice which suggested the challenge aggravated an earlier injury.
Recently, Carlos Tevez has inflamed the inter-city rivalry, but leaving United and joining City, sparking Rio Ferdinand to offer this quote, "Carlos said he wanted to respect the fans by not joining Liverpool, but he thought it was OK to then join Manchester City,' said Ferdinand. 'That just shows what the biggest rivalry really is.'"
Source #1 and Source #2.
Arsenal - Manchester United
Although this rivalry has lessened in recent years, the Arsenal F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry is a notable rivalry in English football, as both clubs are recognised as having great history and traditions. Many of the clashes in recent years between the two teams have been due to the perceived enmity between managers Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Although the two clubs had previously contested many important matches, such as the 1979 FA Cup Final, the rivalry is generally perceived by the media to have begun with a notorious match at Old Trafford in 1990, which resulted in both clubs being docked points in the 1990-91 league championship. Alex Ferguson has stated that he believes that the rivalry predates this, however, to a match in January 1987 when David Rocastle was sent off for retaliating against a foul by Norman Whiteside.
Another key point in this rivalry was during 2003-2004 Premier League season. During this year Arsenal went on to win the league with an amazing unbeaten record. They were labeled as "The Invincibles" and during their first game with Manchester United, they drew 0-0 at Old Trafford. The next game between these two clubs was held at Highbury, which resulted in a 1-1 tie. At the end of the season, Arsenal ended with 90 points while Manchester United finished with 75 points in the third position. Arsenal eclipsed Manchester United and truly began a hatred between the two clubs. Even famous arguments and fights occurred between players, such as Patrick Viera and Roy Keane.
Long-standing hostilities between Manchester United and Arsenal reached a new boiling point in October 2004, when Sir Alex Ferguson's men ended Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten sequence in the Premiership. United won 2-0 in a match that has since been nicknamed the "battle of the buffet".
The action was tempestuous enough on the field, with Arsenal's forward José Antonio Reyes saying: "In all my sporting life, I have never received so many kicks as I did in Manchester. It was the hardest match I have played." The game swung United's way after a disputed penalty award but it was after the match that the sparks, and the food, really flew.
In a scuffle in the tunnel between players and staff on both sides, a slice of pizza was hurled at Ferguson. The former Arsenal defender Ashley Cole describes the shock of the incident in his autobiography: "This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush ... all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off this famous, puce face and roll down his nice black suit."
Source #1 and Source #2.
SERIE A
Internazionale - AC Milan
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in football world. Along with the Rome and Turin derbies, it is widely considered one of the major crosstown derbies in the Serie A, so much so that only selected referees may officiate whenever these teams meet. It is a biannual fixture in the Italian football league Serie A; however, the derby has also taken place in the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League. It's the only derby in Europe played by two teams which has been champions of Europe and of the World.
In 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split and the foundation of F.C. Internazionale Milano. In the past, Inter was seen as the club of the Milan bourgeoisie (nicknamed bauscia, a milanese term meaning "braggart"), whereas Milan was the working-class team (nicknamed casciavit, meaning in the milanese dialect "screwdriver", with both reference to the blue-collar worker, and to "awkward") and was supported mainly by workers, trade unionists and migrants from Southern Italy.[citation needed]. However in the recent years this difference has mitigated, since Milan is now owned by current conservative Prime Minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and Inter is owned by a centre-left businessman, Massimo Moratti.
During the 1960s, Inter was the more successful club, winning the European Cup twice in a row and the Intercontinental Cup twice in a row. However during the late 1980s and the 1990s Silvio Berlusconi's Milan was the more dominant team, with many victories both in Italy and in the European competitions.
Another notable rivalry era was in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Dutch trio of Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit played for Milan and the German trio of Andreas Brehme, Jürgen Klinsmann and Lothar Matthäus defended the Inter colors. Even though in that period Milan were dominating Italian and European football, this rivalry is mainly remembered for a famous 1990 World Cup match: the Dutch team had entered the competition as one of the favourites based on the fact that they had won the previous European Championship in 1988, and the trio had enjoyed great success at Milan at the European level with back-to-back European Cup titles in 1989 and 1990. Milan had won the 1988 Scudetto and Inter captured that title the following year.
When the Netherlands met Germany in the World Cup, the match was played at the home ground of Inter and Milan, the San Siro, and for many it seemed like a national team version of Milan derby. The high tempered game ended in defeat for the Dutch as Rijkaard got sent-off after spitting on German forward Rudi Völler. Germany won the game 2-1 with two of the Inter players Klinsman and Brehme scoring, a moral victory for Inter fans.
The most infamous of the derby matches between Milan and Inter was the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal on April 12, 2005.
With Milan leading 1-0 (and 3-0 on aggregate) thanks to an early Andriy Shevchenko goal, Inter's hardcore supporters became infuriated after a second-half Esteban Cambiasso goal was controversially disallowed by referee Markus Merk who, moments later, booked Cambiasso for dissent, due to the fact that he had just whistled an Inter player for a foul on Milan keeper Dida. Bottles and various debris were subsequently thrown onto the pitch, but soon escalated to lit flares. As Dida attempted to clear bottles in order to take a goal kick, a flare hurtled down from the upper deck and struck the Brazilian on the back of his right shoulder. Merk halted the match at the 74th minute. After a thirty-minute delay in which firefighters were called in to remove the burning flares from the pitch, the match was restarted. Dida, however, was unable to continue, and was substituted by Christian Abbiati. Less than a minute later, though, Merk finally abandoned the match after more flares and debris rained down. The match was awarded as a 3-0 victory, totaling a 5-0 aggregate, to Milan.
Dida suffered bruising and first-degree burns to his shoulder, though he did not miss any game time. Meanwhile, Inter were fined €200,000 (£132,000) - the largest fine ever handed down by UEFA - and were ordered to play their first four Champions League matches behind closed doors in the 2005-06 season as punishment.
It is called "Derby della Madonnina" in honour of one of the main sights of the city of Milan, the statue of the Virgin Mary on the top of the Duomo, which is usually called "Madonnina".
Source.
Roma - Lazio
The Derby della Capitale also known as il Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city, Lazio and Roma. It is considered to be the fiercest derby in the country ahead of the other major local derbies, Derby della Madonnina (Milan derby) and Derby della Mole (Turin derby), and one of the greatest and hotly contested capital derbies in Europe. The derby has been historically marked by massive crowds, excitement, violence and - recently - racist banners in the crowd.
Two extreme incidents in particular have left their mark on the history of this fixture. In 1979, Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli was hit in the eye and killed by a flare fired by a Roma fan from the opposite end of the stadium, becoming the first fatality in Italian football due to violence, and in 2004 an unprecedented event occurred when the Roma ultras forced the game to be suspended after spreading false rumors among the crowd that a child had been killed by the police prior to the beginning of the game. In the recent derby on December 2009, the referee stopped play for some seven minutes just 13 minutes into the first half due to fireworks being thrown onto the pitch.
The locals like to say that the Derby della Capitale is "much more than just a game". Roma was founded as a result of a merger between three teams, Roman, Alba-Audace and Fortitudo, ordered by the Fascist regime and initiated by Italo Foschi. It was the intention of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini to create a unified and powerful Roman club to challenge the dominance of Northern clubs. Thanks to the influence of Fascist general, Giorgio Vaccaro, Lazio were the only major team from Rome to resist the merger, thus a kind of rivalry emerged from the very early years of the coexistence in the same city. The first game, won by Roma, was held on December 8, 1929 and the rivalry quickly grew between the teams. While the fans of both teams loathe the arrogance of the major teams of northern Italy, it is obvious that they detest each other much more, and due to the fact that Lazio and Roma have not won numerous trophies in comparison to the giants of the north, the derby is a chance to prove who is dominant in the capital. Historically, Roma take their support from the southern left-leaning part of Rome, while Lazio's support tends to come from the wealthier northern, and politically right-wing, districts of the Italian capital, hence there are no socio-economic distinctions between their fans.
The devout regionalism, that is perceived throughout the country, is one of the reasons that make the derby more heated, as the fans view it as a battle between two clubs fighting for the right to represent the city in the rest of the country. The Roman derby has been the scene of several actions related to the socio-economic status of the fan bases. Lazio's ultras often use swastikas and fascist symbols on their banners and they have displayed racist behaviour in several occasions during the derbies. Jewish population of Rome has been targeted, because the majority of the Jewish of Rome are supporters of Roma and the richest group of the Capital. This was most notably displayed at a derby of the season 1998-99 when laziali unfurled a 50-metre banner around the Curva Nord that read, "Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses". Black players of Roma have often been receivers of racist and offensive behaviour; a banner that Lazio's ultras had once displayed claimed that Roma is a "Team of blacks followed by Jews" in response to "Team of sheep followed by shepherds" displayed by Roma's ultras. Officially, the club has distanced itself from these fans, who make up a minority, and fights to combat these kind of actions. Roma fans have also been known to hold up racist banners from time to time.
The derby on March 21, 2004 was abandoned, four minutes into the second half, with the score tied at 0-0, when a riot broke out in the stands and the president of the Italian Football League, Adriano Galliani, ordered referee Roberto Rosetti to suspend the match.
The riots, including literal exchanges of fireworks, began with the spreading of a rumour that a boy had been killed by a police car just outside the stadium. This story was spread to the players when three leaders of Roma's ultras walked onto the pitch to speak with Francesco Totti, the Roma captain. These ultras threatened Totti, who was audibly heard over the TV broadcast as having received a death threat. Totti then asked for the match to be called off, at which point Adriano Galliani was reached by the referee by mobile phone - from the pitch - and ordered the game postponed.
After the match was postponed a prolonged battle among fans and between fans and police ensued, with stands being set on fire and people fleeing the stadium, eventually resulting in over 13 arrests and over 170 injured among the police alone. Police resorted to tear gas after fans continued throwing fireworks and started burning cars and motorbikes outside the stadium. Following the aftermath, during which it became apparent that the rumour of the boy's death was false, many theories arose as to why the ultras wanted the game suspended. It is believed that the ultras simply wished to attack police, and more importantly, give a demonstration of the strong political power which they wield. The match was replayed on March 28 and ended in a 1-1 draw with no crowd trouble. The draw also meant that Roma had probably squandered its last chance at catching up with eventual championship winners Milan.
Source.
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Flamengo - Fluminense
The Rio de Janeiro Derby
The Flamengo- Fluminense rivalry is the biggest rivalry in Brazilian club football. The rivalry is commonly referred to as Fla-Flu or Flu-Fla, depending on where your allegiances lie. Both teams play at the iconic Maracanã stadium and have little difficulty in packing the 95,000 seat stadium to the rafters. That is nothing compared to the day in 1963 when 177,020 came to watch a game. In the 1960s and 70s the two sides regularly attracted over 100,000 fans to their games. This gives you an idea of the extent of the Fluminense - Flamengo rivalry. Since safety measure were introduced, crowds of this size haven’t been as common. The world record football match attendance between clubs is a Fla 0-0 Flu with 194,603 people in attendance in 1963. Flamengo is the most successful team in Rio State Championship by one championship. Flamengo has won it 31 times while Fluminense has won 30. However, at the national level, the difference is larger. Flamengo has won 6 Brazilian National Championships (one is the 1987 Copa União), and 2 Brazilian Cups. Fluminense has won 1 Brazilian National Championship, 1 Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa and 1 Brazilian Cup.
The rivalry between these two clubs began in October 1911, when a group of dissatisfied players from Fluminense left the club, and went to Flamengo, which at the time had no football section. The first Fla-Flu ever was played the following year, on July 7, 1912 at Laranjeiras stadium. Fluminense won this match 3-2, with 800 people in attendance.
As is the case with many football rivalries, this one has its roots in a class distinction. Flamengo was the team of the people, whereas Fluminense is the team for the middle and upper classes. Flamengo wear red and black and have the vulture as their mascot. Fluminense play in green, white and claret are known as Tricolor carioca.
Source #1 and Source #2
Argentine Primera División
Boca Juniors - River Plate
The Superclásico is known worldwide as one of the fiercest and most important derbies. In April 2004, the English newspaper The Observer put the Superclásico at the top of their list of "50 sporting things you must do before you die", saying that "Derby day in Buenos Aires makes the Old Firm game look like a primary school kick-about".
Buenos Aires has the largest concentration of football clubs in the world. However, the two most famous ones in the city and Argentina are Boca Juniors and River Plate. The two clubs are only 7km away from each other and it's estimated that 73 percent of the Argentine population are either a River Plate of Boca Junior fan. While the two clubs share the same city, they could not be more opposite.
The two clubs both have origins in La Boca, the working class dockland area of Buenos Aires, with River being founded in 1901 and Boca in 1905. However, River moved to the affluent district of Núñez in the north of the city in 1925. Since then Boca Juniors has been known as the club of Argentina's working class or the people's club, with many Boca fans coming from the local Italian immigrant community. Boca fans are actually known as Xeneizes (Genoese). By contrast, River Plate became known by the nickname, Los Millonarios (The Millionaires), with a supposedly upper-class support base. Both clubs do though have supporters from all social classes.
The Superclásico is particularly noted for the passion of the fans, with what the BBC describe as "a sea of colourful flowing banners, screams and roars, chanting, dancing and never-ending fireworks." Both sets of supporters sing passionate chants aimed at their rivals, often based on popular Argentine rock band tunes. Each stadium, Boca's La Bombonera and River's El Monumental are known to bounce with the simultaneous jumping of the fans. At times the matches have been known to end in fights between the violent factions on both sides or with the police.
Boca fans refer to River supporters as gallinas (chickens) claiming the lack of guts of River fans and players. Despite the fact that their club traces back its roots to La Boca, River fans refer to their Boca rivals as los chanchitos (little pigs) because they claim their stadium, located in the less affluent La Boca area, smells most of the time, as well as bosteros (manure collectors) a reference to the smell of a polluted river in La Boca. Another infamous slur, coined in the late 1990s over remarks of Boca's forward Diego Latorre, is to brand Boca Juniors as "The Cabaret", due to the alleged aspiration of some players to steal the limelight.
On 23 June 1968 in El Monumental after a match between the two teams 71 fans were killed in a crush at gate 12 and 150 fans injured. The disaster was the worst football related incident in the history of Argentine football and the majority of the dead were teenagers and young adults. The average age of the victims was 19.
There are various claims as to what exactly happened that day. Some claim that the disaster happened after Boca Juniors fans threw burning River flags from the upper tiers of the stadium, causing a stampede of their own fans in the lower tier. Others claim that it happened after River fans arrived at the Boca section, causing the stampede of the visiting fans. Yet others claim that gate 12 was locked, or would not open at the time, and that the fans at the back did not hear the ones at the front telling them to stop coming out. William Kent, River's former president, claimed that the police were the culprits, as they began repressing Boca fans after they had thrown urine at them from the stands. Some witnesses claim that the turnstiles to the exit were blocked by a huge iron pole.
After three years of investigation a government enquiry found no-one guilty, much to the disappointment of the families of the victims. Since the tragedy, the gates at El Monumental have been identified by letters instead of numbers. At the end of the 1968 season the 68 football clubs in the Argentine Football Association collected 100,000 pesos for the families of the deceased.
Source #1 and Source #2.
Scottish Premier League
Rangers - Celtic
he Old Firm is a common collective name for the association football clubs Celtic and Rangers, both based in Glasgow, Scotland.
The origin of the term is unclear. One theory has it that the expression derives from Celtic's first game in 1888, which was played against Rangers. A newspaper report stated that both sets of players "got on so well that you would believe that they were old firm friends." However, William J. Murray states that the term derives from the commercial benefits of the two clubs' rivalry, which were viewed with distaste in some quarters in the early days of the game. Another theory is that the term "The Old Firm " occurred during the early 20th century when the two clubs began to dominate the Scottish football competitions.
The rivalry between Glasgow clubs Rangers and Celtic - known collectively as the Old Firm - is historically tied up in religion. Celtic were formed in 1888 by Irish Catholic immigrants who began emigrating to the West of Scotland in the 1840s and their descendants.
Rangers, who were formed in 1873, have always been perceived as "the Protestant club" and Celtic "the Catholic club". Up until 1989, when Mo Johnston signed for them, Rangers had never fielded a high-profile Catholic player.
The two clubs are the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 67 Scottish Cups and 94 Scottish League championships (as of May 2009). Interruptions to their ascendancy have occurred infrequently, most recently with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United in the first half of the 1980s and other times happening in the 1890s and 1950s. Starting with the 1995-96 season, the Old Firm clubs finished in the top two places in every season until 2005-06, when Heart of Midlothian finished second ahead of Rangers. As of 28 February 2010, Rangers and Celtic had played each other 387 times, with Rangers winning 155 matches, Celtic 139 matches and 93 draws.
The ferocity of the rivalry has made it rare for a player to represent both teams during his career. Players who have played for both sides of the Old Firm include Alex Bennett, Scott Duncan, Robert Campbell, George Livingstone - these players played before the intensity of the rivalry had started/before 1912 - Alfie Conn, Maurice Johnston, Kenny Miller, Steven Pressley and Mark Brown.
In 1980, fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1-0 victory in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden. This remains the worst invasion onto a football pitch ever reported.There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played in May 1999 at Celtic Park. A missile was thrown from a Celtic section of the ground and struck referee Hugh Dallas, forcing the game to be stopped while he received medical treatment. At least four Celtic fans invaded the field of play to confront Dallas during the game, and more missiles were thrown at players on the pitch after the game.
The Old Firm rivalry fuels many assaults on Old Firm Derby days, and some deaths in the past have been directly related to the aftermath of Old Firm matches. An activist group that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, admissions to hospital emergency rooms increase ninefold over normal levels.
Phew, apologies for any ommissions/innaccuracies. As I said before, please post other footballing rivalries if I've missed them. I'm sure we all love to hear about drama anyway. I know there is a lack of Chelsea, before anyone complains. Its just that everyone has had a feud with Chelsea at some point and I really couldn't be bothered to include them all.
Also, here is a list of every footballing rivalry out there, if you're interested.