Inter - Juventus & A History Of Bad Blood

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Chiellini - Ibrahimovic, Inter - Juventus (Foto Grazia Neri)

Inter and Juventus, Nerazzurri and Bianconeri, Beneamata and Old Lady. These two titans are the history of Italian Calcio and their battles traditionally transcend the football sphere to overshadow the importance of the local Derbies with Milan and Torino respectively.  

It's called the Derby d'Italia, a pompous expression that has lost all of its original meaning, though: Italian legendary journalist Gianni Brera coined it back in 1967 to refer to the clashes between two of the most prestigious outfits in the Boot, both in terms of trophies and appearances in the top flight.

But Inter have been overtaken by Milan in the Scudetto's 'Albo d'Oro' (Hall of Fame) since and the Old Lady no longer have a 'clean slate'  as they were relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to their participation in Calciopoli.

And the infamous summer saga which shook the foundations of Italian football, just as Marcello Lippi's Azzurri lifted the World Cup in Berlin, has further contributed to damaging the relationship between the Fidanzate d'Italia (the Italian Girlfriends).

The frictions have deep roots and stretch back almost half a century: it was the 1960-61 Serie A season, a tight affair between Juve, Inter and Milan. The Girlfriends came head-to-head in a crucial tie in Turin on April 16, but the match was abandoned after a group of supporters entered the pitch.

The Biscione were initially awarded a 2-0 victory by the FIGC Disciplinary Commission, but the decision was incredibly reversed the day before the last round of fixtures.

The ruling meant that the match would be replayed, hence the Bianconeri went into the last game of the season with a two-point lead they managed to retain thanks to a home draw with Bari, whereas the Nerazzurri were incredibly stunned at Catania's Stadio Cibali, losing 2-0 to the Etnei.

"Clamoroso (unbelievable) al Cibali," shouted radio reporter Sandro Ciotti with his unique raucous tone: Juve bagged their 12th Italian title, but Inter President Angelo Moratti, the father of current patron Massimo, was livid at the Italian Football Federation, as he felt that their decision was influenced by their supremo Umberto Agnelli, who just happened to be also at the helm of the Turin side.

Therefore, he ordered his tactician Helenio Herrera to field the Primavera team when the uninfluential tie with the already crowned Italian champions was replayed on June 10, 1961.

Juve duly trounced the Inter youth team 9-1 and it is peacefully accepted that the heated rivalry started that day: controversies have repeatedly shrouded the meetings between the duo since then and the point of no return was reached on April 26, 1998.

Luigi Simoni's men visited the Delle Alpi with a single point separating the contenders in the standings, but Juventus, lead by Lippi, claimed the spoils courtesy of an Alessandro Del Piero's effort, effectively ending the Interisti's chase.

But the encounter is unanimously considered as the ultimate proof of Luciano Moggi's boundless authority in Italian football: the Torinesi were widely accused of benefiting from 'refereeing favours' throughout the 1997-98 season, but Piero Ceccarini's choice to not award a spot-kick for a blatant body-check on Ronaldo by defender Mark Iuliano in the penalty area was the last straw in the eyes of the Nerazzurri.

Once again Juve pipped them to the Scudetto, but one of many that the Interisti deemed 'tainted'.

The rest is recent history, it's Calciopoli/Moggiopoli, it's accusations and counter-accusations, it's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira jumping ship and switching allegiances, it's two stripped Campionati and the humiliation of Serie B versus three consecutive triumphs. Just waiting for the next chapter...

Vince Masiello