An hour and a half apart, a hundred years at war, the two biggest stadiums in Portugal and a bunch of communist railway workers. Chris Matthews continues his quest to find the Top 20 best European derbies ever.
No. 19. Basle v Zurich
Although separated by a train journey of around 90 minutes, the clash between Basle and FC Zurich has seen numerous incidents of crowd violence in recent years. These two clubs hate each other for seemingly no other reason than the fact that they have both been fighting it out for the Swiss league crown in recent years.
Basle’s hatred used to be reserved for FC Zurich’s city rivals Grasshoppers, but as Grasshoppers have faded as a force, FC Zurich has eclipsed them as the main object of Basle fans hate.
No other club has won the Swiss Super league since 2004 and in 2006 on the last day of the season, all hell broke loose. The two teams met at St Jakob Park, the home of FC Basle, with Basle only needing a draw to secure the title and the visitors needing a win. The score remained 1-1 with the clock ticking down. Just as Basle’s subs and coaching staff gathered on the touchline ready to invade the pitch in celebration, FC Zurich notched an injury time winner securing them the title. Basle fans then invaded the pitch attacking FC Zurich players and were forced to play their first three home games of the following season behind closed doors.
No. 18. Betis v Sevilla
Perhaps the most fierce local derby in Spain. Although both teams have only won La Liga only once, this derby has been controversially ferocious since the teams first met in 1915.
Sevilla’s Sanchez Pizjuan ground is situated in the well-off commercial district of Nervion whereas Betis are based in the working-class Heliopolis.
Unlike rivals such as Lazio and Roma, these two clubs could not even bare to share a stadium and as a result the Olympic stadium in the city stands unused for much of the year.
Sevilla FC were founded in 1905 by employees from the nearby Rio Tinto mines and after a disagreement amongst members, a revolt saw the formation of Betis. Betis then merged with another club, Sevilla Balompie in 1914, just in time for the first Seville derby in 1915.
No. 17. Benfica v Porto
A Portuguese saying reads “Lisbon shows off while Porto works”. The common conception is that Porto come from the hard-working Northern Port of the same name, whereas Benfica represent the cultured and laid-back capital.
These two clubs have the two largest stadiums in the country, the highest average attendances and the most titles between them, with Porto having lifted the trophy 25 times and Benfica 32 times.
Benfica were the dominant force in Portugal in the 1960s and 70s and only since have Porto challenged that status. The clash between these two is often billed as the battle of the traditional strong force and the new order.
No. 16. Spartak Moscow v CSKA Moscow
Despite there being numerous other clubs doing battle in the Russian capital, the clash between Spartak and CSKA has become the prominent rivalry over recent years.
During the communist reign CSKA were traditionally viewed as the team of the railway workers, and at the time enjoyed their most fierce rivalry with Dinamo Moscow, the team of the KGB. Spartak, the country’s most successful club, steered clear of state intervention and were primarily funded by a food production group.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, CSKA have emerged as Spartak’s main city rival. They now have their own ground and some serious investment has seen them win the league in 2003, 2005 and 2006 and the UEFA cup in 2005.
CSKA also have an extreme right-wing following and fans of these two have often taken the fight away from the stadium to various locations across the city.