Football Rivalries: Lazio vs Roma

Football Rivalries: Lazio vs Roma

In a few countries, people experience football the way it feels in Italy. Football is more than a sport there, and indeed, it is part of the identity of its citizens and distinguishes them from one city to another. In this way, it is common in Italy to see multiple famous football rivalries that have been perpetuated from generation to generation for the enjoyment of the fans. Likewise, each rivalry has its origin, motivation, and reason for being. Among the many rivalries in Italy, those of the northern teams are famous, specifically in Milan (Inter-AC Milan). But, there is one in particular that surpasses the rest. This antagonism moves the fibers of fans in the great city of Roma. We refer to the well-known Derby della Capitale. This rivalry has faced the Associazione Sportiva Roma and Società Sportiva Lazio teams since 1929. So, it has become the most transcendent and fierce duel in Italian football.

 
Lazio vs Roma: The Legendary Derby Della Capitale

Like any great rivalry, the Derby di Roma goes beyond sporting reasons to incorporate a socio-political tradition that continues to excite the fans of both teams. These fans wait, year after year, for the match that completely paralyzes the city of Rome. The history of this rivalry dates back to the times of the dictator Benito Mussolini. In 1927, Mussolini had the idea of creating a powerful soccer team that could rival teams from northern Italy, such as Juventus and Milan. He wanted to unify all the Roman teams but only managed to get three teams to agree (Roman Football Club, Alba-Audace, and Fortitudo-Pro Roma). The other great team in the city, Società Sportiva Lazio, founded on January 9, 1900, refused to join Mussolini's proposal. Lazio was a famous and important team with almost three decades of tradition by that time. So, for many citizens, it was the main team in Rome.

However, other marked differences prevented Lazio from being part of Mussolini's new project. It has to do with political ideology. A group of friends founded Lazio under a vision of the extreme bourgeois radical right. Thus, they went against the ideals and support for the working class that the Associazione Sportiva Roma highlighted. This socio-political difference has made this rivalry the most violent in Italy, and fans have even died in the middle of disputes in their matches. Consequently, the security measures for each confrontation between these teams are extreme.

The war between these teams has a clear purpose: to fight to show which team is in command in the city of Rome. Indeed, they have fought very hard over the years at the Olympic stadium in Rome. Another curious factor is that the two teams play in the same stadium, although the division of the fans has been implicit for decades: The fans of Rome occupy the southern stands (known as Curva Sud), and those in Lazio, the Curva Nord. To date, the Derby della Capitale has been held 193 times. Lazio has won 55 games; Roma, 72 and have drawn 66 times, and the tradition continues stronger than ever. A lot of this defines the Roman football hierarchy.