Delight and Despair run together on derby day ('Sporting Chic' in the Sunday Guardian, November 21 2010')

The most anticipated fixtures in every football fan's calendar are derby matches. When football calendars are released for the year derby dates are marked off and firstborn children are traded for match tickets. Derbies are not just about team loyalties; they are about tradition, passion and raw emotion. What is it about a derby that makes it so much more then a regular game of football? It's a game between two sides whose historic rivalries can find their roots in geography, such as the local derbies between two London sides Arsenal and Tottenham, or Liverpool and Everton. Sometimes the division can be political, such as the Rome derby between Roma and Lazio, or even religious, such as the Old Firm derby between the Celtics and Rangers. Football derbies like the Argentine Superclásico between the Boca Juniors and Riva Plate, where almost seventy percent of the country supports either team, or the Turkish derby between Fenerbache and Galatasaray are hugely awaited fixtures, nationally and internationally. Good luck getting any fan to do anything else on the day! For a better understanding of how seriously contested derby rivalries are, a quick look at their names (yes, each derby has a special title!) reveals as much. The Derby della Capitale between Rome teams Roma and Lazio and the brilliantly-named Derby of the Eternal Enemies between the two biggest teams in Athens, Olympiacos and Panathanaikos, are much more than two rival teams facing off. It's also what these teams stand for, whether political affiliation or class division. Both Olympiacos and Roma are the team of the working classes, while Lazio and Panathanaikos are supported by the old upper class. No conversation about football derbies is complete without a mention of the one of the most intense rivalries in football, the Old Firm match between the Glasgow teams, Celtic and Rangers. The game reflects the deep divisions in Scottish society, which run a vicious divide through religion and politics. Celtic fans are Catholic, Ranger fans are Protestant and getting these two teams and their fans into one stadium is cause for pandemonium on the pitch and off. The Old Firm holds the record for the most number of arrests and hospital admissions during a derby, one I'm sure both sets of fans are extremely proud of. My favourite of all derbies is the Derby della Madonnina, the Milan derby at the San Siro. Two bitter rivals that share a stadium is a recipe for disaster and Milan goalkeeper Dida will speak from experience. A match between the two was called off after fans launched a flare at the goalkeeper. Luckily, last Sundays derby, when Milan won 1-0, was much calmer. Spain's biggest football match is the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Barcelona has long been a symbol of the Catalan way of life, where as Real Madrid has always been considered a team representing the establishment in Spain. The transfer of Luis Figo from the Catalan side to Real Madrid intensified the rivalry even further. He was given a rather apt Catalan welcome present on his first return to play against his old side; a pig head on the pitch. While this fixture may not be a traditional 'derby', the atmosphere at the games is as electric as any derby in the world. All this talk of rivalries brings us to this weekend's North London derby, where Arsenal take on Tottenham at Emirates Stadium. It's not just the four miles in London that separate the two teams, there's far more to their deep rivalry. While many believe that the new London rivalry of two top ranked teams, Chelsea and Arsenal is gradually replacing the North London Derby. Just ask the bitterly disappointed Arsenal fans as they trooped out of their home stadium after surrendering a 2 goal lead in the second half.