This weekend promises to be an intriguing one in Serie A with no end of mouthwatering clashes, a point emphasised by the fact Week 27 ends with Sunday evening’s Derby della Madonnina. Pitting Inter against AC Milan at San Siro, that particular encounter needs little introduction, and the awe-inspiring stadium provides the ideal stage for such a matchup. Elsewhere, second-placed Juventus travel south to take on third-placed Lazio while Atalanta and Sampdoria – who are both enjoying notable campaigns – also go head-to-head.
Throw in a genuine “six-pointer” in the relegation battle as rock-bottom Benevento take on a Hellas Verona side who are directly above them in the table, and this particular round of games already looks like appointment viewing. Yet 24 hours before Milan hosts the latest instalment of its battle for bragging rights, a head-to-head known as either Il Derby del Sole or the Derby del Sud will take place at the Stadio San Paolo in what could well be the most important match of the whole weekend.
Those names translate as “the Derby of the Sun” and “the Derby of the South,” which pit Napoli against AS Roma. Currently sitting first and fourth in the table respectively, the result will have huge ramifications in both the title race and the battle for Champions League places this term. It was given those monikers back in the 1970s when the two sets of fans were “twinned,” a friendship that is deeply important to Italian supporters and is explained in greater detail in this previous column.
However, the gemellaggio between this duo was irreparably broken in October 1987 when Napoli took on Roma at their Stadio Olimpico home. A hot-tempered affair, the match saw a flurry of cards, the visitors reduced to nine men when both Alessandro Renica and Careca were sent off, yet they held on for a 1-1 draw.
With the atmosphere growing darker as time ticked by, the final whistle saw a regrettable outburst from Napoli’s Salvatore Bagni as he celebrated a hard fought result. The battling and tenacious midfielder delivered the umbrella gesture to Roma’s most hardcore supporters, an act he knows spoiled the relationship between the two clubs.
“The end of the twinning is my fault, I made that gesture under the Curva Sud and the friendship between the two fans has been broken ever since,” he later told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I regretted it of course and I apologised immediately, but it was not enough.”
Following that game, Bagni’s actions instantly ended the twinning and sparked a furious rivalry that continues even today, one which has led to violent clashes and currently sees away supporters banned from attending either meeting. While scenes like the ones shown above from 2001 became commonplace, the worst came before the 2014 Coppa Italia final when a Napoli fan was shot by a Roma supporter ahead of their meeting with Fiorentina.
The story of Ciro Esposito’s death dominated the news across Italy, Roma fans making things much worse by displaying banners in support of gunman Daniele De Santis during their match against Juventus the following week, then spraying messages like “Free Daniele” or “Ciro Boom” on buildings around Rome.
Distasteful banners and chants have continued on both sides, while Napoli fans marked the anniversary of Esposito’s murder in remarkable fashion at the city’s harbour. The club too have done their part, with Captain Marek Hamsik revealing the players pledged to win that 2014 final in his honour.
“We went on the pitch and won for him, but without a smile,” the midfielder told La Repubblica recently. “None of us wanted to celebrate, he gloomy atmosphere inside the stadium that night lives inside me even today.
With Napoli currently flying high and their next opponents struggling after winning just three of their last twelve matches in all competitions, this could well be a tough encounter at the Stadio San Paolo. However, Lorenzo Insigne – whose goal decided the first meeting of 2017/18 between the two sides – believes Eusebio Di Francesco’s men will still provide a difficult challenge for the Partenopei.
“Roma, even if they comes from a not so beautiful period, is a great team and will try to give us trouble,” he told Sky Italia and their supporters would like nothing more than seeing the Giallorossi derail their host’s title push. There is certainly no love lost between Napoli and Roma, the Derby del Sud will be a match not to be missed even in a weekend of high profile clashes.
