A football club’s stadium is so much more than just a pitch where they play.
For adoring fans they are like temples, where their pious followers can congregate to praise their club’s soul. Giant-killings, historic comebacks and champagne football all reeling out to the backdrop of thousands of roaring supporters. Flares will light up, jeers and bellows will accompany the opponent’s every touch; make them hesitate, fear, wobble and ultimately fall.
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When a rival shows up, home fans will make sure to crank the noise up a few good notches – to raise pandemonium on the pitch!
Bitter rivalries like the Old Firm or El Clasico will see rival fans dishing vociferous bile down at opposition players, generating intimidating degrees of hostility. Hostility those players would never get at their home stadium, regardless of their performances, right?
Unless your home ground is also your worst rival’s stadium – like these 6 famous stadia from across the globe!
Maine Road – Manchester United & Manchester City
“Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour and have to live with it. You can't do anything about them..." – except leave their stadium, Sir Alex Ferguson!
The iconic jibe aimed at their (now superior) rivals by the famed Manchester United legend is quite ironic, considering their history. In 1922, Manchester City moved from their maternal home, Hyde Road, to the brand new Maine Road.
However, the 2nd World War brought another United knocking at Maine Road, looking for strength in – well, unity. The Theatre of Dreams was damaged by the Luftwaffe’s Blitz campaigns.
For £5,000 a season (plus a share of gate receipts), Manchester United were paying guests at their bitter rival’s home. In fact, the highest-ever attendance for a match at Maine Road was set by Manchester United’s record-breaking league fixture against Arsenal in 1948.
That’s right – Manchester United and Manchester City aren’t just noisy neighbours, they’re more like angry ex-roommates!
San Siro – Internazionale & AC Milan
Construction of the host to four Champions League finals (including this year’s edition) began in 1925 by the Rossoneri president, Piero Pirelli. On 19 September 1926, the sparkling new 35,000-seater stadium was primed and ready for its opening ceremony.
The sacrificial goats? None other than Inter Milan, the club which had caused such a bitter split almost two decades earlier in 1908. There would be no better way to prove their superiority than by trouncing Milan in their brand new stadium. However, that’s exactly what Inter did, running riot as they won 6-3 against their bitter rivals – albeit in a friendly!
In 1947, Inter Milan would become joint tenants of the San Siro. In honour of their symbolic union, the San Siro stadium was renamed the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, after the Italian legend who played for both clubs.
Meazza grew up a fan of AC Milan but was nurtured by Inter, who he left after 13 years to represent his boyhood club for two seasons. He would retire as the Internazionale player-coach after a single season. He also won 2 World Cups for Italy – easily making him the San Siro’s greatest son.
Salt Lake Stadium – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC
The Kolkata Derby is one of football’s most steeped in culture and local identity.
On one hand, Mohun Bagan, formed in August 1889 – boasting India’s biggest fan base and the honorary title of India’s ‘National Club’. On the other we have East Bengal FC (estd. 1920), India’s main representative in Asian football and an ever-present member of the National Football League.
Together, they’ve amassed over 380 domestic and international titles. Mohun Bagan boasts 246 of those – making them India’s most successful club.
The only thing that joins these two clubs mired in social and historical differences is geography – i.e, the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Both of them use the 85,000-seater for Asian Cup and I-League fixtures, where they’ll always get a full house.
The victory parades that Kolkata witnesses once the referee blows for this derby’s 90 minutes are a perfect example of the growing soul of football in West Bengal – and Salt Lake Stadium is its beating heart!
Azadi Stadium – Persepolis FC & Esteghlal FC
The Iranian national team’s home stadium is a top-drawer arena forming part of the all-encompassing Azadi Sports Complex.
Once capable of packing 120,000 people, its capacity is still an impressive 95,000. It is also the battleground for Iranian football’s biggest crosstown rivalry – the Tehran Derby!
It’s a rivalry borne down from their ancestral clubs, Taj and Shahin FC; the former having changed its name to Esteghlal and Persepolis being the resurrection of the latter after a major dispute with the IFF. Whereas Taj were perceived to be a gentlemen’s club, Shahin FC had a much wider fanbase. That’s reflected in the fact that Persepolis have subsequently become the most popular football club in Asia – but Esteghlal boasts twin stars above their crest; testament to their Asian Championship victories.
One of Asia’s most heated rivalries, a notoriously controversial 2-2 draw in 1995 called for drastic action. Despite playing in the same stadium, the fixture was so toxic that the Iranian League only allowed foreign officials to referee it, to reduce suspicions of bias.
For FOURTEEN years – talk about fire!
Estadio do Maracana - Fluminense & Flamengo
For followers of the Fla-Flu, the Maracana will at least have some good and some bad memories. Flamengo was founded in 1895, but its football team came alive as a result of a schism between Fluminense players in 1911. Instantly, one of Brazil’s fiercest derbies was born.
The following year, the first-ever Fla-Flu derby was played out. Flamengo players would have been furious to lose 3-2 to their old employers, and the competition hasn’t stopped ever since.
With 33 state championships, Flamengo have outstripped their bitter enemies (and neighbours) by two , as well as by two national championships. However, Flamengo have beaten their opponents 15 more times in head-to-head matches. The rivalry is on!
Allianz Arena – Bayern Munich & TSV 1860 Munich
Although they’ve been sharing homes since 1972, Bayern Munich is still that friend who always has to eat, drink and sleep more than you.
Sure, TSV and Bayern both shared the Olympiastadion and then moved into the Allianz Arena like a happy couple – but ask most football fans in the world and they don’t even know TSV stay there.
The two clubs moved into the world’s first full colour-changing exterior stadium (red for Bayern, blue for TSV and white for Die Mannschaft) back in 2005; it was built to host the 2006 tournament. After Germany’s 3rd place finish, Bayern Munich promptly purchased their neighbour’s half of the ownership for €11 million.
Though 1860 Munich are now plying their trade in the second tier of German football, the Munich derby was very much alive in the 1960’s. This was largely due to a rule by the German Football Federation that the Bundesliga’s inaugural seasons would only be played with a single promotion from each city. The other had to go down, and it might seem incredulous now, but FC Hollywood were the ones picked to showcase their skill – in the second division.
When they came up, 1860 won the title and Bayern won the cup final, making Munich the heart of German football. Today, its TSV 1860 Munich who're playing second-tier football. With all of Bayern’s glories in the following decade, nothing has changed.
Except the stadium - that's become the most colourful place in the world to have a totally imbalanced rivalry!
