Roma vs Lazio: Italy’s Fiercest Intra-City Rivalry Transformed by Political Divisions

​Derby della Madonnina? Schoolboy.

Derby d’Italia? Rookie.

Derby della Mole? Have a day off!

This is the mother of all Italian derbies: the Derby della Capitale. 

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The Rome Derby between Roma and Lazio hasn’t been labelled ‘football’s most dangerous” for no reason – this is is a rivalry which has been rooted in territorial clashes, politics and violence since 1927. 

Its origins come from fascist leader Benito Mussolini’s burning desire to have a single representative from Italy’s capital to challenge the superior outfits in the north. Former Italian footballer Italo Foschi initiated the merger; with three older Roman-based clubs joining forces to form AS Roma. 

Lazio, however, who had been founded 27 years prior in 1900, refused the chance to join this conglomerate club and competed in the first Serie A of its kind in 1929, along with AS Roma.

It wasn’t until 1953 when the two Roman sides started to share the newly built Stadio Olimpico – after both were tenants of the PNF Stadium (host of the 1938 World Cup final) from 1940. To represent their beginnings, the Lazio ultras traditionally occupy the northern end (Curva Nord) and Roma’s the southern end (Curva Sud) of the Olimpico. 


​​Lazio, in their formative years, were associated with the upper-class region of Parioli in the outskirts of the north, while Roma were synonymous with the working-class area of Testaccio in the south. 

It was this class divide and the territorial issues amplified by the sharing of the Olimpico which were the main source of tension until the rise of hooliganism and differing political ideologies became prominent in the 1970s.

I Biancocelesti’s initial ultra group, Eagle Supporters, were quickly usurped by the fascist Irriducibili (Unmovables) – who swiftly became Italy’s largest. On the other side, groups like the CUCS became significant within the Curva Sud, although unlike the majority of Romanisti who aligned themselves to the left-wing, they sympathised, like the Irriducibili, with the neo-fascism of the extreme right.


​​And perhaps nobody embodies the extreme Lazio mentality more than their icon, Paolo Di Canio; a former member of the Irriducibili and known fascist who was partial to the infamous Roman salute. 

Nevertheless, stabbings, rioting and outright violence became a symbol of the derby. The fact that these were two sides who rarely fought for the Scudetto only heightened the animosity between supporters on derby day.

And, of course, there were times where things boiled over…

From the first death in Italian football as a result of violence to ghastly anti-Semitic banners held aloft by Lazio ultras which read: “Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses,” the derby has been home to some of football’s most unsavoury scenes.

But nothing can top the unprecedented situation which occurred in 2004.

AS Roma and Lazio players speak with the

After false rumours of a young boy being killed by a police car surfaced inside the stadium, Roma ultras stormed the Olimpico field and demanded to speak to their ‘Golden Boy’ and captain, Francesco Totti, requesting the match to be abandoned with the game evenly poised at 0-0 late in the second period. Despite the denial of police which rang through the speakers of the stadium, Totti followed-up on the ultras’ request and after discussions with the referee and the Italian FA, the game was postponed. 

The incident highlighted just how significant the influence of both sets of fans is on their respective clubs, while the connection players have between themselves and supporters is unparalleled in world football. 

So, what about the football itself?

Well, while it may not be on the same level as the Milan Derby or the Derby d’Italia in terms of its significance on the Scudetto race year after year, the Derby della Capitale is still some spectacle amid all the camaraderie.

In 190 meetings between the pair, Roma have come out on top 71 times, while Lazio have only been victorious on 53 occasions. The other 66, of course, have ended all square. 

Francesco Totti,Gabriel Batistuta

Barring I Biancocelesti’s golden era at the turn of the millennium following the arrival of Sergio Cragnotti and his wealth in 1992, it was a rivalry which Roma dominated for much of the 20th century.

Despite Lazio boasting one of the greatest players of his generation in Silvio Piola, I Giallorossi overshadowed their rivals in the 1930s and ’40s; winning their maiden Scudetto in 1942, while also providing two of Italy’s 1934 World Cup winners.

It wasn’t until 1952 when the outsiders got their hands on their first Serie A title and in between that triumph and their next domestic success in 1998, Roma got their hands on five trophies – they weren’t exactly lapping it up either – including the Scudetto in 1983, as a mightily talented squad comprised of Agostino Di Bartolomei, Bruno Conti and Roberto Pruzzo guided I Giallorossi to glory.

That side would go on to lose to Liverpool in the European Cup final the following year, as Lazio watched on like a jealous younger brother wasting away in mid-table obscurity in Serie A.

I Biancocelesti’s fortunes would change, however, with the aforementioned arrival of Cragnotti; who had the desire to turn Lazio into consistent title challengers.

​​And after securing the then world-record transfers of Juan Sebastián Verón, Christian Vieri and Hernán Crespo, they did, winning just their second Scudetto in 2000 after previous second, third and fourth-placed finishes.

The above triumvirate combined with the likes of Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Nesta to create an imperious force under Sven-Goran Eriksson on the sky blue side of Rome, as they lifted seven trophies between 1998 and 2000. 

Financial scandals rapidly brought them back down to Earth, however, as Roma, buoyed by the majestic talent of Totti, started to reign supreme in the nation’s capital once more – finishing above their bitter rivals in 15 of the 18 seasons which followed I Giallorossi’s Scudetto triumph in 2001 with Fabio Capello at the helm. 

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Nevertheless, the Rome Derby is a fixture in which the football plays second fiddle.

A combination of geography and politics has built up a hostility between two sets of fans which is hard to match anywhere else on the globe. It’s the devout regionalism perceived throughout Italy, however, which takes the Derby della Capitale to the next level. 

It’s more than just mere local bragging rights, the fans view it as an eternal battle between two clubs fighting for the right to represent the city against the country’s big three in the north – Juventus, Inter and Milan.

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