By STEFAN BIENKOWSKI
Published on Monday 26 March 2012 20:36
With last weekend’s Old Firm derby still firmly lodged in the memory, we take a look at some other heated derbies that World Football has to offer:
Boca Juniors vs River Plate
Much like our own sporting test of tribalism; this fixture engulfs the surrounding country and demands each football fan to nail their colours to the mast. Unlike most football derbies, the two clubs call upon their working and middle class roots to define their resentment for one another. Boca - set up in the La Boca neighbourhood at the turn of the century by a group of Italian immigrants - have always held the area as a badge of honour in comparison to their city rival’s ‘El Monumental’ stadium in a more prosperous part of Buenos Aires. Separated by an entire division at the moment, following River Plate’s relegation from the Primeria Division last season, the derby has taken a back seat while ‘The Millionarios’ do their best to regain top flight status and get back to winning ways alongside Boca.
Madrid vs Barcelona
Despite all its prestige, this derby reaches far beyond the sparkling Hollywood spectacle that most neutrals have come to know as ‘El Clasico’. A feverishly conflicting sense of patriotism rests deep in the structure of both these clubs, which has grown to define their ideology and how people have come to support them. Much has been recorded of the prosperity Madrid welcomed under Franco’s reign at the expense of Barcelona and even now, Barcelona are often regarded as the symbol of anti-national feelings throughout the country and specifically in Catalonia. Heralded as the two greatest sides in the World at the moment, the derby between this Catalan side and their bitter Madrid rivals is a must watch for any football fan. Real Madrid currently sit five points above their rivals with a final showdown in Barcelona still to play out.
Nacional vs Penarol
Often regarded as the ‘forgotten derby’ amongst the drama of Argentinian and Brazilian football, Uruguay’s pivotal showdown between the two Montevideo sides does well to define the nature of football within the country. With the fixture dating back to 1900 and over five hundred recorded games between them, the rivalry between these two sides is the oldest of its kind in South America. A derby unlike most in its apparent lack of clear social contrasts between the two sets of fans, is brought together in their shared love for violence. Spectacles such as twenty two red cards in one match and players being directly sent to jail after the game certainly put our own violent derby in to consideration but it should be noted that such violence is a factor that intentionally ceases to subside in this fixture.
Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray
Turkish football has had to endure a rough reputation as one of Europe’s most dangerous and corrupt leagues for some time now and as such, the standard of football has fallen throughout. The fixture, often referred as the Kitalar Arasi Derby, is defined by Fenerbahce and Galatasaray’s affinity with the continents of Asia and Europe respectively, and characterises the political and sociological problems that Istanbul has had to deal with for centuries. Galatasaray - crowned champions - currently rest 7 points ahead of their rivals with two games of the current season remaining.
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