This article deals with around the world. This includes local Derbies as well as matches between teams further apart.
Major footballing rivalries manifest themselves in many ways. Fierce conflicts between supporter groups, large media coverage, high television viewing figures and, in some cases, bitter controversy can be both causes and consequences of high-profile rivalries.
The biggest rivalry in Egypt, Africa and the Arab world is the rivalry between Egyptian giants Al-Ahly & Zamalek . Al-Ahly & Zamalek were named by the Confederation of African Football "CAF" as the top two African clubs of the 20th Century.
Both teams are located in Greater Cairo and their match is considered the highlight of the football season with live television broadcast to most of the Arab countries since the seventies.
Competition |
No
|
Zamalek
Won
|
Draws
|
Al-Ahly
Won
|
Egyptian League |
99
|
25 |
40 |
34 |
1st
leg |
49
|
8 |
24 |
17 |
2nd
leg |
47
|
17 |
14 |
16 |
Decisive
Matches |
3
|
0 |
2 |
1 |
Egyptian Cup |
20
|
7 |
2 |
11 |
Egyptian Super Cup |
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
African Champions League |
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
African Super Cup |
1
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
Friendlies |
6
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Total |
129
|
36 |
43 |
50 |
|
See Also: Klassieker
The most important rivalry in the
Netherlands is that between
Ajax Amsterdam and
Feyenoord Rotterdam , known as ''De
Klassieker '' (''The Classic''). Both clubs have won the Dutch national championship numerous times and have dominated the Dutch league since the beginning of professional football in Holland in the 1950s.
Ajax has been the more successful of the two, and is renowned for its technical style of play, while Feyenoord has the blue collar appeal closely associated with
Rotterdam as a port city. Critics accuse Ajax of arrogance and feel that the team is favoured by the media, while Feyenoord supposedly plays an unattractive style that is based on a "never say die" mentality rather than skill. Whether this is true or not depends on whom you support.
Despite the fact that
PSV Eindhoven has been more successful than Feyenoord in recent years, only one Dutch league match-up is referred to as ''the Classic''. This is due largely to the fact that at the height of their rivalry in the late sixties and early seventies Feyenoord and Ajax not only dominated Dutch football but were among the best teams in the world both winning the
European Cup (Feyenoord in 1970, Ajax from 1971-73) and
Intercontinental Cup in 1970 and 1972 respectively.
Since 1922, 154 official ''Classics'' have been played. Ajax winning 63, Feyenoord winning 51 and 39 have ended in a draw (as of 2005).
See Also: El Clásico (Mexico)
A long standing rivalry between the teams of two of the most important cities in of
Guadalajara and
América of
Mexico City .
Chivas is known for a long-standing tradition of fielding only Mexican-born players, contrasting with América, who typically hires famous foreigners. América is owned by
Televisa , the main communications company in México, and thus have a huge fan base in the whole country although Guadalajara also have a larger supporter base nationwide (and is owned by
Jorge Vergara , through his company
Omnilife ). Both teams have been very successful, with América having won 10 championships, and Guadalajara 11.
This match is sometimes seen as the match of the 'capitalinos', the inhabitants of Mexico City, versus the 'provincianos', the people from the rest of the country. As
Mexico City holds most of the economic and political power, some resentment boils over. However, not all 'provincianos' share this view, particularly those living in the northern city of
Monterrey who also have a share of economical power in the country,
Their Own Derby , and their own particular rivalry with Mexico City.
The matches tend to be very colorful, as both
Estadio Azteca in México City and
Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara seat a very large crowd of enthusiastic and roaring fans. Followers of both teams can be found on almost any city in Mexico.
See Also: El Clasico
The rivalry between
FC Barcelona and
Real Madrid in
Spain is generally considered to be one of the biggest in football. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain,
Catalonia and
Castile respectively, as well as the two cities themselves.
From a historic point of view the rivalry projects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between
Catalans and the
Castillians .
During the dictatorships of
Primo De Rivera and (especially) of
Francisco Franco , all regional identities were openly suppressed (e.g. the peripheral languages were officially banned). So
FC Barcelona become more than a club (
Més Que Un Club ) for
Catalonia as a defender of
Freedom . On the contrary, for most of the
Catalan s and many other
Spaniard s,
Real Madrid represented the sovereign oppressive
Centralism . However, during the Spanish Civil War, members of both clubs like
Josep Sunyol and
Rafael Sánchez Guerra suffered at the hands of Franco supporters.head to head
In 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.
As the two biggest and most successful clubs in
Spain , the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The flashpoints of this rivalry are the twice-a-season ''clásicos'' which draw vast audiences from around the world.
Real Madrid has won more
La Liga titles than
FC Barcelona , but FC Barcelona has won more
Spanish Cup s. At the European stage
Real Madrid is the most successful club in whole Europe, winning the
European Cup /
UEFA Champions League 9 times while
FC Barcelona has won the
UEFA Champion's League twice.realmadrid95winsbarelona86wins.
The biggest clash in Portuguese football is indeed the one between
SL Benfica and
Sporting CP (it is widely known as O Clássico - 'The Classic', in Portuguese), but this game between Benfica and Porto is also important.
The
Relationship between the two clubs has always been known for its great animosity, as the derby opposes not only two football clubs, but also two geographic regions - with
SL Benfica and
FC Porto representing the south and north of
Portugal , respectively -, making the clash comparable only to the likes of FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid (
Spain ) or Celtic vs Rangers (
Scotland ), due to its huge emotional intensity.
Despite their northern rivals' overwhelming success in recent years (both national and internationally),
SL Benfica remains the biggest Portuguese club, with 31 league titles (while
FC Porto holds 21) and having 5 million fans in the country with an estimate of 14 million worldwide, making them the biggest club in the world (with the largest number of registered paying supporters), which was attested by the
Guinness Book Of Records , on 10 November 2006.
So far, a total of 229 matches have been played between the two sides;
SL Benfica and
FC Porto both winning 89 times, with 51 ending in a
Draw (as of
2007 ).
;Achievements
These two teams from
Buenos Aires ,
Argentina are the protagonists of what is known as, ''El Superclásico'' (''The Superderby''
Spanish , clásico –meaning ''classic''– is the word used instead of derby in Argentina). Boca Juniors is traditionally regarded as the club of Argentina's working class, in contrast with the supposedly more upper-class support base of cross-town Atlético River Plate. The rivalry between
Boca Juniors and
River Plate is most intense, and the team's fans usually take to distribute posters to tease the other after a defeat between them or even a loss in any major competition, or to show off after winning the local league or an international championship.
This derby is considered to be the most exciting in the world. In
2004 , British newspaper
The Observer made a list of ''
50 sporting things you must do before you die '', with ''Watch Boca Juniors Play River Plate in Buenos Aires'' at the top of the list. Due to their huge fan bases (Boca has 40% of the Argentine population and River 33%, contrary to the popular claim that Boca is club of the ''half plus one'' (''la mitad más uno''),
Encuesta Hinchas and remarkable success, the enmity broadspans an important part of the country's populace.
Known worldwide for the passion of the fans, the stands of both teams are loaded with passionate songs (often based on popular Argentine rock band tunes) against their rivals, fireworks, flags and rolls of paper. Sometimes ending in riots between the hardest supporters of both sides or against the police. Tourists from around the globe come to Argentina to watch the match, sometimes even with packages that include a ticket to the ''Superclásico''
"Soy turista, yo soooooy" -
Diario Olé
See Also: Old Firm
One of the most heated football matches in the world is the
Old Firm derby between
Rangers and
Celtic , which is more than a football match - it pits religion, politics and opposing social attitudes against each other. Both clubs play in
Glasgow ,
Scotland and the match is one of the oldest derbies in the world, dating back to 1888, when Celtic first beat Rangers 5-2. The Old Firm derby is also one of the most contested matches in the world, with over 400 games having been played.
The match is sometimes mistakenly referred to in England as the "Auld Firm" derby. This is incorrect, the use of the term "Old Firm" comes from a newspaper report form the early part of the Twentieth Century criticising the two clubs for their collusion in business matters - inferring that the two clubs represented one "Old Firm."
The Old Firm match is one of the most fiercely battled in the world and the crowds are rarely disappointed. The two clubs are without doubt the most successful clubs in
Scotland , and the games can be essential in terms of league positions.
The matches are played at either
Ibrox Park with 50,000 fans or
Celtic Park in front of 60,000. In some cases, the match is played at
Hampden Park , if the tie happens to be a Scottish Cup or Scottish League Cup final. Before an Old Firm game, local news coverage is often of nothing other than the game.
Rangers are considered a
Protestant club with
Unionist and
Loyalist supporters, while Celtic is considered a
Catholic club with
Republican supporters. It has long had connections with the political
Conflict in
Northern Ireland , with thousands of fans from Ireland making the trip to Scotland for these matches and there can be occasional violence in Ireland following Old Firm games
1 . Indeed, the conflict between the two clubs is so great that only five players have moved between clubs.
Rangers currently lead their rivals in terms of League titles 51 to 42, although Celtic fans pride themselves on winning the
European Cup while Rangers have only reached the semi-finals once in 1959-60 . Celtic also have a healthy lead in Scottish Cup victories. Rangers have also won the now defunct
European Cup Winners' Cup , though they were banned from European competition for years after due to their fans' behaviour. Both clubs hold the record for titles won in a row, Celtic winning 9 in a row in the 60's and 70's, Rangers doing so in the late 80's and early 90's. More recently though Celtic have been the more dominant side, winning the League 5 out of the past 7 seasons, but Rangers are on the up again and defeated Celtic home and away in the Old Firm derby last season. In the past two seasons Celtic have won the league by at least double digits. Despite this Rangers are still the much more successful club domestically and still hold an edge in the head to head history between the two clubs:
FK Partizan was founded in 1945 as the football section of the central club of the Yugoslavian Army. Red Star was founded in 1945 as well but it was more the civil club. The rivalry between the two clubs is known to be one of the most fierce and violent in the football world.
''The Eternal Derby'' (Vječiti Derbi) between
Croatia n clubs
Dinamo Zagreb and
Hajduk Split is one of the most violent in Europe. Both teams belong to the strongest in the country and have strong support groups, which are
Bad Blue Boys for Dinamo and
Torcida for Hajduk. Torcida were founded in 1950 before the match against Red Star Belgrade and is one of the oldest fan groups in Europe, if not the oldest. The group was named after similar fan groups in Brazil who were also called Torcida. The Bad Blue Boys (often referred as ''BBB'') are much younger and were founded in 1985. According to the legend, the name of the group was inspired by the, at that time very popular, movie ''Bad Boys''. Riots between the two groups are nothing unusual before, during and after the matches.
Hajduk is the team of
Dalmatia (
Split ) and Dinamo is the team of the
Zagreb region.
Since Dalmatia (coastal) is much poorer than Zagreb region (mainland), there are also tentions because of class differences.
All Croatian ultras usually follow Croatian national team, but it can be easily said that Bad Blue Boys follow Croatian national team much more than Torcida. There are many reasons for this. Torcida feels that Croatian national team is unfair because all of the games are played in Zagreb. They blame Croatian Soccer Association for this (HNS). Some Torcida members also claim that they are only interested in Hajduk.
There were incidents at home games in 2007 in Zagreb. Where BBB attacked few Torcida members late night after the game breaking the "no fight when National team plays" rule. Torcida responded by coming in bigger number to the next game (against England) and there was a fight in several areas of the city. Tensions are still high with many people trying to calm things down, so that at least while Croatian National team plays those main rivals don't get into fights.
This is the clash of Turkey's two most successful teams;
Fenerbahçe S.K. and
Galatasaray S.K. . For some fans, winning the derby is more important than winning the league. Galatasaray won both the
UEFA and
Super Cup in 2000 and had always been the most successful Turkish team in international arena. Galatasaray fans tease Fenerbahçe fans because of their failure in European competitions. Conversely, Fenerbahçe fans mock their opponents due to derby results, because Fenerbahçe is the only team in Turkey to win more games against Galatasaray. Ironicly, greatest score between two teams is 7-0, which was won by Galatasaray. The fans of the two teams used to split along class lines, with Fenerbahçe being the working class team along with another
Istanbul club
Beşiktaş JK and Galatasaray - who were founded by Galatasaray Lycee students - the more aristocratic. However because of both teams having more than 10 million supporters today, there is almost no difference. Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray fans react in the same way in another issue meaning that they don't like the other side because ''they'' are of Fenerbahçe or Galatasaray. Since 1958, Fenerbahçe won 17 and Galatasaray won 16 first league titles. Since 1963, Galatasaray won 14 Turkish Cups, Fenerbahçe succeed only 4. Although both teams were founded in 1900's, there wasn't professional football tournaments or national leagues before 60's, because of wartime and political issues.
See Also: Clássico dos Milhões
The so-called "Clássico dos Milhões" (The Millions' Derby), named after the largest fanbases in ). From 1972 through 2001, in particular, at least one of both teams featured in every state league final phase, with 11 direct confrontations and 17 direct decisive qualifiers. At
National League level, both teams cultivate similar unsurpassed figures, with 4 Brazilian titles since 1971, as a controversial 5th title to Flamengo in 1987 was denied by
CBF . Fierce field rivalry also extended to international level where Flamengo boasts one Intercontinental Cup title whereas Vasco was once runner-up in 1998 and later on again in 2000 at the 1st World Club championship. Both teams won once the Libertadores Cup and Mercosul Cup. Runner-up statistics are also part of the rivalry as seen as shameful and hinting a lack of fighting spirit ("raça", i.e. literally race). Since 2002, both clubs seem to confirm their seemingly-atavic rivalry by simultaneously displaying poor performances and struggling to avoid relegation to Brazilian second division. They also compete at high level on other sports such as rowing (their original sport as both were founded "clube de regatas" - rowing ''regatte'' club - in 1895 and 1898 respectively, hence the coveted title of "earth and sea"), basketball, swimming, futsal or judo.
See Also: Derby d'Italia
The is a semi-annual football fixture in Italian football between
Internazionale and
Juventus .
It is unique in Italian Football due to the fact that, until the 2006-07 season, the derby was the only match which had always been played in Serie A.
In the 2006-07 Serie A season, for the first time ever, this derby was not played as Juventus had been relegated to Serie B, due to the
Calciopoli scandal.
Other important derby in Italy is
AC Milan vs
Internazionale , known as
Derby Della Madonnina .
This match is known as the so called "Eternal derby" in Bulgaria. The two clubs are the most successful in Bulgaria and have the largest fan groups. There is fierce hatred between the fans of the clubs and there are often fights. The derby of Sofia is not just the biggest derby in Bulgaria, many see this match as one of the biggest derbys in the whole Balkan region.
Levski won the first game with 1-0 back in 1948. Levski's best result is 7:2. CSKA's best results are two wins with 5:0.
Statistics: All games - 166 matches; 74 wins for Levski, 43 draws, 49 wins for CSKA; 257:218 goals in favour to Levski.
See Also: Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United football rivalry
The
Liverpool -
Manchester United rivalry in
England precedes football. Whilst there are some very evident social connotations though, much of the current hatred however stems purely from football.
Liverpool and Manchester United are two ''super-heavyweights'' of the
English Football . Between them the two have won 108 major trophies. The 'Reds' (Liverpool) have 58, while 'United' (Man Utd) have 50. They have played each other 148 times in competitive fixtures, one of the most played games in England. They also happen to be ''two of the best supported clubs'' in England. Manchester United have the largest club stadium in Britain with 76,000+ capacity while Liverpool are proposing a new stadium with a capacity of 61,000. If the new stadium is constructed the two clubs will have the two largest club football stadiums in Britain.
These are two main football clubs of Kolkata, India. In
Indian Football these two clubs are arch rivals.
Mohun Bagan being the oldest club of
Kolkata (of Asia also) has a large fan base among the old residents of Kolkata. On the other hand, East Bengal club is mostly popular among the people who have origin in East Bengal (now known as
Bangladesh ). Actually the rivalry can be considered as a manifestation of one which already had existed between the two sub-category of Bengali people - "Ghoti" (i.e Those who were the resident of the western part of undivided Bengal) and "Bangal" (i.e Those who were the resident of the eastern part of undivided Bengal before the independence of India) since the independence and
Division Of India .These two clubs met in 1925 for the first time. Usually these two local Titans meet in
Yuva Bharati Krirangan (
Salt Lake Stadium ), Kolkata where about 100,000 fans enjoy the match.
See Also: Derby della Madonnina
getting hit by flare]]
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football (soccer) match between the Italian clubs A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano (Inter). It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in world football. It is usually a semiannual 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 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".
The most infamous of the derby matches between AC Milan and Inter was the second leg of the
Champions' League quarterfinal on April 12, 2005. Picture seen right.
One of football's classic derbies, since 1900, the Uruguayan ''Clásico'' is the confrontation between the two greatest teams of
Montevideo ,
Nacional and
Peñarol . Both teams have played a big part in developing
South America n football and are respected in the Americas and worldwide despite their recent lack of international success. Together they sum up 8
Copa Libertadores and 6
Intercontinental Cups
The rivalry is an important component of the country's culture, which is paralyzed every time the clubs face each other at the legendary
Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, since the venue never changes no matter which one is the local team. One of the few Derbies with somehow 50% and 50% attendance (others milan-inter/roma-lazio), as Centenario for this game is neutral field.
;Achievements
- Record of red cards: the 0-0 draw of April 14 of 1990, had after a direful fight, 22 red cards,11 each side, (Nacional-9 field players and 2 bench players).The match ended at 85' for the rule of less than 7 players in one team.
Perhaps the biggest rivalry in Brazil in recent years,
São Paulo and
Corinthians have always drawn a lot of attention when they face off each other on the ''Magnífico'' derbies. The teams have respectively, the 3rd and the 2nd largest crowds of fans in the country.
The
Olympiacos vs
Panathinaikos is the most important rivalry in
Greece . It's called ''Derby ton eonion antipalon'' (''The derby of the eternal enemies'') or '' Mitera ton mahon'' (''Mother of all battles''}. They are the most successful Greek clubs. Olympiacos has been the most successful of the two domestically (in terms of honours and titles plus the wins at the derbies) but Panathinaikos is relatively more successful in European competitions (however none of the two teams has ever managed to win a European title, although Panathinaikos reached the
European Cup final in
1971 ).
The derby represents a local animosity too as it is the most classic derby of
Athens . Panathinaikos comes from the center of Athens and Olympiacos from the Athens' port,
Piraeus . It splits Athens and the whole of Greece in two. Traditionally, Olympiacos used to represent the working class of Piraeus and other parts of the capital, while Panathinaikos the aristocracy and middle class of Athens. Now the fanbase of both are almost similar and they are supported by all the social classes (aristocrats, middle class, working class). The hatred is so intense that many times some creepy incidents have taken place between the fans especially before or after the derby in many regions of Athens. The rivalry exists in other sports too (basketball, volleyball, waterpolo etc).
The is a match between big city rivals
FK Željezničar and
FK Sarajevo , two of the biggest and most popular clubs in the
Bosnia And Herzegovina . It is generally considered as one of few with the best atmosphere in the region. Fans usually make great decore with a lot of big flags, paper rolls, scarfs and loud chanting, much like similar games in
Argentina ,
Italy or
Greece . This derby is also similar to the
Merseyside Derby between
Liverpool and
Everton ; it is not uncommon to see members of the same family that are on opposite sides. They don't speak to each other that day. But when the game ends, provocations are something of a tradition, strangest bets are needed to be fulfilled, and everybody is waiting for the next one. Although, incidents between younger fans can be seen in recent years.
A match between these two teams is one of the most intense in the world. It is fairly common to witness fights between opposing team players as well as fans of either team interrupting the game with fireworks or running around in the stadium.
So far (as of
April 21 ,
2007 ), 89 league matches were played. Both clubs won 28 times, while 33 matches ended with a draw, and
Goal-difference is 115-111 in FK Sarajevo's favour. Since the independence, as a part of
Bosnian Championship , there were 26 games played; Sarajevo won 9 times, Željezničar won 7 times, with 10 draws, and goal-difference 37-31 for FK Sarajevo.
Probably the best known thing about the Sarajevo derby are the fans. Usually, they are much more exciting to watch than the game itself. Fans are creating impressive atmospheres with loud cheering and incredible choreography. Both sides are prepare intensely between the derbys, making large flags and special messages that are appropriate for that particular occasion, to be usually directed towards the opposing side.
FK Željezničar's most passionate fans (wearing blue) are called
The Maniacs because their love for the club is on the edge of insanity, so it is said. They are located on the south side of stadium (the holy south as they call it). The older fans ones are known affectionately as the Košpicari (which can metaphorically be translated as "seed eaters", although the name itself has different meaning - namely that of "seed sellers"). They are sit on the north side of the stadium. The east section is reserved for away fans.
FK Sarajevo's most passionate fans (crimson) are called the
Horde Zla (Evil hordes) after the popular
Zagor comic book. In home games on
Koševo Stadium , they are located on the north stands, while the older fans are known as the Pitari (similar to the Košpicari etymology except referring to pie and not seeds) and they are mainly on the east side. The south section is reserved for away fans.
