Eternal passion evident when Rome's big rivals lock horns

Roma v Lazio:Although violence has sometimes marred the anual meetings between Roma and Lazio, their annual clashes s are marked by a rare colour and pageantry, writes Damian Cullen

DURING THE Derby della Capitale on March 21st, 2004, at the Stadio Olimpico, three Roma ultras walked on to the pitch and approached striker Francesco Totti.

After a brief discussion, the Roma captain then went to his coach, Fabio Capello, to tell him: "If we play on they're going to kill us." A rumour had spread through the fully packed 73,000-capacity stadium that a boy had been run over and killed by a police car outside the ground - and rioting had broken out inside the Rome stadium.

In an incredible show of strength and influence by the ultras - and despite the fact that the rumour concerning the dead fan quickly turned out to be false - the match was eventually abandoned early in the second half, clearing the way for the more extreme fans present to concentrate on attacking the police and opposition fans.

The ensuing violence resulted in 150 injuries among the capital's police force alone.

Whatever the motivation for successfully forcing the abandonment, it did not help Roma in the league title race - with the refixture resulting in a 1-1 draw, thus ending Roma's outside chance of catching eventual champions, AC Milan.

The political fallout from the abandoned clash of neighbours was also enormous, once again demonstrating the significance of the Rome Derby. It was not, however, the first clash between the local rivals to be abandoned. In October, 1979, Vincenzo Paparelli - a Lazio supporter - was hit by a missile fired by a Roma ultra, causing the premature end of the league encounter.

While both incidents live in the memories of both sets of supporters, neither is a true reflection of the colour, atmosphere and enjoyment a clash between the Serie A giants brings to the Eternal City at least twice annually.

On derby day, the chanting tifosi converge upon the coliseum for the battle of the city's gladiators in a sea of colour and passion, with a colourful display of song, flares and pageantry accompanying the big game.

While most banners carry such innocuous messages as Forza Roma and Forza Lazio, there have been high-profile incidents of racist and fascist messages displayed at the Stadio Olimpico, more often than not on derby day - with Lazio fans traditionally being the main culprits. However, the blame has been spread more evenly in recent years as the right wing/left wing political divide between the clubs becomes more diluted.

Famously, after scoring in the Rome Derby in January, 2005, Lazio striker Paolo Di Canio faced the ultra section and gave a straight-arm salute. It was another unwelcome note in a rivalry that first began 79 years ago. By December, 1929 - when the teams met on a soccer pitch for the first time - Società Sportiva Lazio were already on the road for 29 years.

Named after the region surrounding the city, the club's name has been a source of ridicule for Roma fans, who never tire of pointing out that many of Lazio's supporters come from outside the city limits. In reply, Lazio supporters boast it was their team that brought top-level soccer to the city in the first place, having been established in 1900.

By 1929, however, they had a major local rivalry to deal with and Lazio met a two-year-old Associazione Sportiva Roma - a team created by the fascist regime but which soon developed strong working-class support and was seen as the antipode to the right-wing politically leaning Lazio. It was a distinction between the clubs which would encourage the bitterness and competitiveness between them in the following decades.

In fact, the only thing the clubs' supporters seem to share is a common hatred for the northern sides - especially those from Milan and Turin. But that pales when it comes to derby games.

Winning the championship, or even avoiding relegation, is secondary in the Italian capital to the derby result.

In the final Serie A match of the 1972/73 season, Lazio - two points behind Juventus at the top of the table - hosted Napoli, while Juventus met Roma. Despite the fact that Roma would only avoid relegation to Serie B on goal difference with Atalanta, their supporters cheered for Juventus through the match. It would be unbearable should their local rival clinch the championship title. Lazio duly won their game, 3-0, but were denied their first league title as Roma conceded a goal in the final moments of the game.

The relief for Roma fans, and pain for Lazio supporters only lasted 12 months, however, with Lazio defeating their rivals 2-1 in both "home" and "away" ties at the shared Stadio Olimpico on their way to claiming the Serie A crown for the first time.

Unlike many derbies, the most heated rivalry in Italian soccer has a tradition of living up to the pre-match billing. In their last two league meetings - in the 2007-08 season - the "home" side won on each occasion, both clashes finishing 3-2.

Last weekend, three second-half goals against Siena helped fourth-placed Lazio to their third consecutive win. In contrast, Roma - who have looked a shadow of the free-flowing side which finished second in Serie A last season - could only manage a 1-1 draw with lowly Bologna.

With Lazio harbouring realistic ambitions of challenging the two Milan sides for the league title this season, the pain is doubled for Roma supporters watching their side hover dangerously above the relegation zone (though last week's 3-1 victory over Chelsea was a huge morale boost ahead of this weekend's big derby).

But Sunday's game is not about three points. It's about the bragging rights and the taunts that naturally flow after the final whistle and follow losing fans into work on Monday morning.