by Tommaso Adami
After last week's controversial cancellation that further fuelled the hostility between the two sides, Juventus-Inter is finally set to take place tonight behind closed doors. This year's Derby d'Italia is a key fixture in the first, true title race the Serie A has seen in years, and it will certainly make for a highly entertaining game of football. But why is this classic fixture called a derby, and what's the narrative behind the harsh resentment the two clubs have for one another? Here's a look at the history of Italy's most bitter rivalries.
ITALY'S DERBY - June 1st, 1967. As Mantova host Inter, Juventus play at home against struggling Lazio in the final match of the Serie A season. Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter are leading the league with 48 points, while the "working-class" Bianconeri are trailing by one in second place. At halftime, both games are stalled at 0-0. At the fourth minute of the second half, however, an incredible howler from Inter's historical goalkeeper Giuliano Sarti gives Mantova an unexpected lead. The mighty Nerazzurri seem nervous, they just can't overturn the score.
Little do they know that in the meantime, over in Turin, Giancarlo Bercellino and Gianfranco Zigoni's goals are helping Juventus to a thrilling title-winning win over the Biancocelesti. This historical page of Italian football history sees Heriberto Herrera's Juventus clinch their 13th domestic title, marking the end of the other Herrera's legendary Inter cycle, which had won three Scudetti, two Champions Leagues and two Intercontinental Cups in the space of four years.
The events that unfolded in that late spring day gave one of Italy's greatest sports journalists of all time the inspiration to forge a new term, destined to be forever enshrined in the history of football. It was in fact Gianni Brera who came up with the expression Derby d'Italia, referring to the ever-growing rivalry that kept building between two of the country's most successful clubs.
At the time, Inter and Juventus were the two sides constantly competing for the domestic title and, boasting a combined 23, they were the ones with the most Scudetti in the peninsula. The clubs were also among the few to have never been relegated to Serie B, and they also represented two of the most thriving cities in Italy, as Milan and Turin stood as the symbols of the post-war industrial boom of the 1960s.
Not coincidentally, Inter and Juventus were owned by two of the richest families in the country, which had played a central role in Italy's decade-long economical rebirth: the Moratti, founders of Italian oil refinery Saras, and the Agnelli, the owners of the FIAT automotive empire. Despite Milan and Turin being 150 kilometres apart, we can see why this rivalry can be considered a derby on a number of different levels, especially from a historical point of view. Not surprisingly, considering their accomplishments, they were also the Italian clubs with most fans, both within and beyond the national borders.
THE 1990s - In the twenty years going from 1970 to 1990, Inter and Juventus live very different moments in their history. In fact, despite often showcasing a highly competitive team, the Nerazzurri go on a rather remarkable trophy drought, managing to win only three Scudetti and two Coppa Italia. Juventus, on the other hand, collect an unprecedented nine league titles in fourteen years, win three Coppa Italia and make a reputation for themselves outside of Italy, too, lifting their first ever UEFA Cup and Champions League under Giovanni Trapattoni's ten-year spell as their manager. And finally, the 1990s came, a time marked by Silvio Berlusconi's AC Milan, and a time that will be remembered as the most decisive decade in marking a point of no return in the rivalry between Inter and Juventus. Now brace yourselves, hold on tight, and let us quickly fast-forward to one of Serie A's most controversial moments ever. It was an evening in late April, 1998...
Back then, Inter hadn't won a league title in nine years, and not even two brilliant UEFA Cup victories had been enough to distract the Nerazzurri from an obsession called Scudetto. Much differently, Juventus were the title holders and they had been living quite the successful decade, winning two league titles, two Coppa Italia and, more importantly, two UEFA Cups and a Champions League. That night, the Derby d'Italia was particularly felt by both teams, as the visiting side were sitting second in the Serie A table, only one point behind the Bianconeri with four games to go before the end of the season. More than ever before, Inter wanted to snatch the trophy from their historical rivals.
Both teams featured some of the most iconic players of world football in the 1990s. Starting for Juventus were iconic goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, midfielders Didider Deschamps, Edgar Davids and a certain Zinédine Zidane, supporting Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero upfront. The Nerazzurri, among others, lined up with Gianluca Pagliuca in goal and then Taribo West and Javier Zanetti in defence, Diego Pablo Simeone in midfield and Ballon d'Or holder Ronaldo, O Fenômeno.
At the 21st minute of the first half, Juventus take the lead thanks to a goal by Del Piero, who coolly slots the ball in after his blocked shot in Inter's penalty area ends on his feet again. The players of both sides seem extremely nervous, the game is played at high levels of intensity, but despite a very lively Ronaldo the Nerazzurri can't find a way to tie the game. At the 11th minute of the second half, Inter manager Gigi Simoni decides to make the first substitution, replacing midfielder Francesco Moreiro with another striker, Chilean legend Ivan "Bam Bam" Zamorano. Only fifteen minutes later, all hell breaks loose.
At the 25th minute mark, Zamorano enters the Juventus penalty area and Alessandro Birindelli intercepts the ball, which rebounds backwards going between his legs. As Ronaldo rushes towards it, he gets a touch with his right foot to dodge Mark Iuliano and set up for the shot, but the defender runs into him, taking him down. All eyes are on referee Paolo Ceccarini to blow the whistle and award Inter a penalty, but he doesn't: the Inter team protest in a theatrical manner, with Zamorano and Simeone chasing the official as the game continues and Simoni enters the field. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pitch, Del Piero falls down in the Nerazzurri's penalty box after a contrast against West: Ceccarini blows the whistle and awards a penalty for Juventus, as Inter players and staff members aggressively surround the referee.
After Simoni is sent off for protests, Pagliuca proceeds to save Del Piero's penalty with his feet in dramatic fashion, but Inter still can't manage to overturn the score despite good opportunities for both Zamorano and Ronaldo. The game eventually ended with a red card for Inter's Ze Elias and amid interminable protests and grievous accusations that continued for weeks and months to come across every media outlet in the country. Eventually, Juventus celebrated their 25th Scudetto, finishing the league with 74 points, five over the Nerazzurri.
THE 2000s - The following decade also produced for additional elements to further fuel the ever growing, irremediable resentment between the two sides. The first, notorious episode took place on a very sunny May 5th, 2002. Still in the quest for their first league title in 13 years, on the last Serie A match day Inter take a Lazio side chasing UEFA Cup qualification at the Stadio Olimpico, as Juventus play Udinese away and Roma take on Torino. That day, the Nerazzurri were leading the league with 69 points, followed by Juventus and Roma sitting respectively second and third 68 and 67 points.
Before a Stadio Olimpico filled with 75.0000 supporters, a lot of excitement and countless black and blue flags, the Lazio players quickly make the visitors understand that winning the title won't exactly be like a Sunday stroll in the park. In the first half, as Juventus take a comfortable two-goal lead in the matter of eleven minutes, Inter find the net twice, but on both occasions parity is restored by relentless Czech midfielder Karel Poborsky. After 45 minutes of play, the Bianconeri are leading the league with 71 points, followed by Inter at 70 and Rome, who are drawing 0-0, at 68.
On the second half, what had to be a Sunday of celebrations quickly turns into a nightmare for Hector Cuper's Nerazzurri. Eleven minutes into the second half, former Inter player Diego Simeone gives Lazio a 3-2 lead, which is further incremented by Simone Inzaghi's goal at the 73rd minute. As Italy is witnessing one of the most unique turnarounds in the history of the league, Inter look lost and hopeless. This moment will produce for one of football's greatest pictures, with a devastated Ronaldo relentlessly crying on the bench as Mohamed Kallon runs into the field to substitute him. When the 90th minute comes, Juventus are crowned champions of Italy for the 27th time, while Roma, who have come out victorious through an Antonio Cassano goal, surpass Inter in second place. To add insult to injury, Inter will have to take part in the following year's play-offs for Champions League qualification.
As you might imagine, that day went down in history as Inter's greatest suicide, a reason for mockery for opposing fans, namely Juventus', and a symbol of the Nerazzurri's consistency in getting that close to a domestic trophy without having the resolve to finish strong. We will never be able to know what was going through the heads of Inter's players that day, but we can imagine that the pressure exercised by Juventus in the standings was quite a big distraction. As Bianconeri fans often say, "we are an obsession for you".
What happened only four years later probably doesn't need to be remembered, since you are most likely aware of the match fixing scandal that engulfed Italian football, and if you weren't, that would deserve an article of its own. We will just say that, among other teams who underwent sanctions for their misconduct, Juventus were relegated to Serie B and forced to let go of their 2004-2005 Scudetto, handing their 2005-2006 to Inter, who had finished the season in second place. As you can imagine, such decision by the Court was the straw that broke the camel's back in the deep hatred that the two clubs feel for one another, the final point of no return.
The latest, controversial move in the story is that of historical former Juventus captain and manager Antonio Conte deciding to cross the divide to work at Inter. At this point, however, nothing in this ever-deteriorating relationship comes as a surprise anymore, and every weekend could potentially offer yet another reason for Juventus and Inter to disdain each other even more. Even though this year's league might as well be cancelled at the light of the unprecedented measures taken by the Italian Government to try and contain the Coronavirus contagion, tonight's game should still be played behind closed doors. Another chapter in the history of the Derby d'Italia is on its way, all we can do is watch and be witnesses.