In football, it seems that pretty much anything can create hostility between two clubs – and all rivalries have their starting point.
These are some of the more unusual feuds in the game, though, not making a whole lot of sense at first.
We’re here to delve into the backstories, which range from tactically delaying the kick-off to sitting on a red carpet in protest…
Celtic vs Hamburg
Celtic’s fiercest foes are, of course, Rangers – but their fans’ dislike of Hamburg is linked to the Old Firm derby.
Ahead of a 2009 Europa League clash in Germany, Hamburg supporters unveiled an enormous Union Jack tifo along with the Ulster loyalist slogan of ‘No Surrender’ – which drew the ire of Celtic’s fan base, one historically associated with support for Irish republicanism (whereas that of Rangers leans the other way).
Australia vs Uruguay
Australia and Uruguay sit the best part of 10,000 miles apart, but that distance hasn’t diluted the hostility that exists between the countries on the football pitch.
It all began during a series of pre-World Cup friendlies in 1974 which turned violent – to the degree that Australian forward Ray Baartz suffered a stroke after having a neck artery damaged by a borderline assault from Uruguay’s Luis Garisto.
The two nations have met in multiple World Cup qualification play-offs since then, with the Socceroos dramatically winning on penalties in 2006.
Leeds v Millwall
The rivalry between Leeds and Millwall really ramped up during the 2007/08 season, when the sides were both in League One and fans clashed with each other and the police at Elland Road.
A heavily policed fixture since then, hostilities are intensified by the presence of two of England’s most notorious hooligan firms: the Leeds United Service Crew and the Millwall Bushwackers.
Brighton vs Crystal Palace
Brighton and Crystal Palace contest the so-called M23 derby (not that either set of supporters embraces that name…).
Tensions began to simmer as the Seagulls and Eagles met more regularly in the league during the 70s, although the major flashpoint came at the end of a 1976 FA Cup replay – when, after seeing his team lose 1-0, Brighton manager Alan Mullery gestured to Palace fans then purportedly chucked a handful of coins to ground and remarked, ‘That’s all Crystal Palace are worth!’.
Plot twist: Mullery later took charge of Palace.
Coventry vs Sunderland
The inimitable Jimmy Hill did most things in football – including igniting the rivalry between Coventry City and Sunderland.
On the final day of the 1976/77 season, both clubs were trying to avoid relegation from the top flight – and in a bid to give his Sky Blues an edge, Hill, in his capacity as managing director, delayed kick-off at home to fellow survival scrappers Bristol City by 15 minutes, citing crowd congestion.
When news of Sunderland’s 2-0 defeat away to Everton came through, Hill had it put on the big screen at Highfield Road for all to see – enabling Coventry and Bristol City to play out a 2-2 draw that secured mutual safety and relegated Sunderland.
Perth Glory vs Wellington Phoenix
It’s more than 3,000 miles from Perth, on Australia’s west coast, to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand – and the cities’ respective football clubs face off in the Distance Derby.
And this one is a regular occurrence – Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix may be based in different countries, but they play in the same league: the predominantly Australian A-League.
Gillingham vs Swindon
Swindon Town’s main rivals are the relatively local Oxford United, but there’s still a fair bit of needle in their clashes with Gillingham – despite the Gills hailing from well over 100 miles away to the east.
So, how did it all come about? Well, during a 1979 meeting in the old Third Division, hosts Gillingham were 2-0 up when goalscorer Danny Westwood saw red for foul language after reacting to being scythed down in crunching fashion and seeing the perpetrator go unpunished. In response, a Gills fan invaded the pitch and attacked the referee – before Swindon fought back to draw 2-2.
The return fixture two months later culminated in a scrap in the tunnel which led to two Gillingham players appearing in court!
Colchester vs Wycombe
Colchester United and Wycombe Wanderers only met for the first time in 1985, but it didn’t take long for a bitter hatred to develop between the Essex and Buckinghamshire outfits.
That first encounter came in the FA Cup, and Wycombe, then of the Conference (today’s National League) pulled off an upset by beating Fourth Division Colchester 2-0 in the first round.
But things really hotted up during the early 90s, when the pair found themselves vying for promotion to the Football League – with the U’s pipping Wanderers to the Conference title on goal difference in 1992, and Wycombe joining their arch-nemeses in the third tier as champions the following year.
Argentina vs England
The longstanding international rivalry between Argentina and England began in the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup – which hosts England, of course, won – and has been rekindled at multiple editions of the tournament since.
Having been sent off for “violence of the tongue”, Argentine captain Antonio Rattin refused to leave the Wembley pitch and had to be escorted away by police – before further showing his disgust at the decision by sitting on the red carpet reserved for the Queen.
Twenty years later, in another quarter-final, with tensions between Argentina and the UK heightened by the 1982 Falklands War, came the next great flashpoint: Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal; then, in 1998, as England lost to Argentina once more, David Beckham was dismissed in disgrace for kicking out at Diego Simeone – only to gain redemption by scoring the Three Lions’ winner from the penalty spot in 2002.
LA Galaxy vs North Carolina FC
With no relegation in MLS, top American clubs rarely face lower-league opposition – but an exception is the US Open Cup.
In 2012 and 2013, multiple MLS champions LA Galaxy crashed out at the hands of second-tier North Carolina FC (then known as the Carolina Railhawks) – so when they were drawn together once more in 2014, the Galaxy were determined to make it third time lucky.
Star man Landon Donovan remarked that they were “sick of losing to Carolina” – and what happened next? The underdogs won again, of course.
Hansa Rostock vs St. Pauli
Hansa Rostock and St. Pauli have rarely played each other at the top level of German football, and this is far from a local rivalry as their respective bases (Rostock and Hamburg) lie more than 150 miles apart.
But the atmosphere around fixtures between these two can get pretty heated, owing to the city of Rostock’s historical links to far-right politics and St. Pauli’s standing as one of the most overtly left-wing clubs in the world.
Bolton vs Tranmere
Bolton Wanderers and Tranmere Rovers supporters haven’t exactly seen eye-to-eye since the 1991 Third Division play-off final.
Chris Malkin’s goal was enough to secure victory for Tranmere at Wembley – and that in itself wouldn’t have sparked a feud that endures to this day, but their celebrations in front of the Bolton bench did.
Tranmere also came on top in the 2000 League Cup semi-final between the sides…
Iran vs South Korea
Situated on opposite sides of the world’s largest continent, Iran and South Korea have regularly done battle at the Asian Cup over the years – including in the final of 1972, which Iran won 2-1, and five consecutive quarter-finals from 1996 to 2011.
The countries’ intense encounters are living, breathing proof that geography is no obstacle to rivalry in this game.
Aberdeen vs Rangers
While they’ll never usurp Celtic as Rangers’ foremost enemies, Aberdeen don’t exactly get along with the Old Firm giants.
This rivalry peaked during the 80s, when Aberdeen were a real force under Alex Ferguson and defeated the Gers in successive Scottish Cup finals – the first of them a 4-1 thrashing in 1982.
Everton vs Manchester United
Rival cities since the Industrial Revolution, Liverpool and Manchester do battle in football form through several fixtures – the most notable being Liverpool vs Manchester United.
But a strong rivalry between the blue half of Merseyside, Everton, and United has existed for well over half a century, with a 2005 FA Cup tie marred by significant crowd trouble.
Sheffield United vs West Ham
This one’s a bit one-sided, but Sheffield United’s beef with West Ham is understandable.
After the Hammers avoided Premier League relegation at their expense on the final day of the 2006/07 season, the Blades pushed for a points deduction for the East Londoners – who had breached transfer rules to sign Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez, the latter proving to be their saviour.
No such punishment came, but the Yorkshire outfit did get £20m in an out-of-court settlement, so…
