In the world of football, there are many intense rivalries which have developed throughout the years. Boca Juniors vs River Plate and Barcelona vs Real Madrid are two of which immediately come to mind.
In the Italian capital, Roma vs Lazio is a tense rivalry which dates back to the early 1900s. This Sunday, the two clubs will meet once again at the Stadio Olimpico.
Lazio became an organized team before Roma, in 1900, named Societa Podistica Lazio. In 1904, they played their first match against Virtus and won 3-0, this was considered to be the first derby.
The hatred between Lazio and Roma started in 1927. Roma were formed in 1927 as the result of three teams merging together — Roman, Alba-Audace and Fortitudo, started by Italo Foschi.
Benito Mussolini wanted to create a single Roman club to compete against the Northern clubs. However, thanks to a Lazio supporter within Mussolini’s fascist regime, general Giorgio Vaccaro, Lazio were the only major team from Rome who were not a part of the merger. This created a rivalry between the two clubs which has developed throughout the decades.
The rivalry between the two clubs was also influenced by the teams’ location in the city. Lazio’s fans were from Parioli in the northern part of Rome and considered to be mostly middle and upper-class. Roma was situated in the Testaccio neighbourhood, which was working-class.
Because of Vaccaro, Lazio chose the eagle as it’s emblem over the Capitoline Wolf. While Roma’s logo displays a Roman myth, Lazio’s is inspired by Greek history as blue and white were the colours of the Olympic Games. The golden eagle represents strength and power while it has also been known to be related to Ancient Roman legions.
The first derby took place on December 8, 1929, and Roma won 1-0. Most fans were there to cheer for Roma as they were three teams combined. Lazio’s fanbase were outnumbered and apprehensive to attend the game as they would be among the working class of Rome.
Since this first match, the Derby della Capitale has developed over the years and become a well-known derby in football.
In the 1960’s, ultras started to create groups for their respective clubs. The first death which as a result of fan violence in Italian Football took place in the Rome derby of 1979. A Lazio fan by the name of Vincenzo Paparelli was shot in the face with a flare gun by an 18-year-old Roma Supporter.
In 2004, a derby had to be stopped after five minutes as there were rumours that a young boy was murdered by police. There were conflicts between both sets of fans, yet the boy was under a tarp to ease an anxiety attack and, so the rumour was not true. The result of this incident caused riots to break out and more than 150 people were injured.
A history that is intense and goes back many decades shows why the derby between the two clubs is emotional and dramatic in football.
Roma versus Lazio is more than just a game. It’s the game that puts fans on the edge of their seat. If the past is to repeat itself, we could expect an entertaining match this Sunday.
What does Sunday’s match mean for each club?
Lazio currently sit in third place, six points behind Juventus with a game in hand, while Roma are fourth with 38 points, seven behind Lazio.
Lazio are enjoying a memorable season having won eleven straight Serie A matches. Roma also won 11 games in a row in 2005/06 and between seasons in 2013 and 2014; the Biancocelesti will definitely be looking to surpass their rival in this regard. Inter Milan currently hold the record with 17 straight wins, and if Lazio win against the Giallorossi to make it 12 in a row, they will join Juventus in joint fifth in this Serie A consecutive wins table.
While this record means a lot for the club and the Biancocelesti fans, the main goal continues to be returning to Champions League, which they haven’t done since 2015 when they lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the play-off round having not played in the group stage proper since 2007, and the possibility of contending for the Scudetto.
Roma are looking to stay in the top four and return to Champions League after missing out last season. The Giallorossi have gone a new route this season as they brought in young players to develop, such as Gianluca Mancini and Jordan Veretout, which has been entertaining to watch.
The club has battled through many injuries yet have overcome these obstacles and have looked much better under Paulo Fonseca this season.
Roma will be looking to put an end to Lazio’s dominance.
These two are close to each other in the Serie A standings and this shows how well each club has done this season.
This a must-win for Lazio in order to make it back to Champions League. For Roma, they look to stay within range of top four of the standings. With how close each club are in Serie A, expect another thrilling derby on Sunday evening.
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