Juventus and Fiorentina: Long-distance loathing

Date: 19th August 2016 at 8:23pm
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The first day of Serie A fixtures will play host to a volatile fixture when Juventus host rivals Fiorentina late on Saturday night.

Bonucci - Fiorentina v Juventus

Although it’s in no way a local derby, it’s a passionate match-up where two clubs have organically developed a mutual loathing over the years. While the Viola are a big club, their tally of two Scudettos means that is not a rivalry based on just competition for top places seeing as Juve’s usual supremacy is regularly the cause behind the Viola’s burning desire to get one over them.

The first flashpoint was in 1928 as Juve humiliated Fiorentina 11-0 in what was still the Divisione Nazionale. The Gigliati were only brought into existence two years earlier by a local fascist official with the aim of challenging the established elite. However, the upstarts Fiorentina were not ready to compete with such an established side as their entirely amateur XI was embarrassed in Turin before following that loss up with a 4-0 defeat at home. Mocking headlines from the Piedmontese press further incensed the Tuscans and helped entrench Juve’s status as a scalp which Fiorentina wanted desperately to take.

gol causio fiorentina

Tensions flared up again in 1953 as Juventus thumped the Gigliati once more. In the days before substitutions, the Viola went down to nine men after injuries to the defender Sergio Cervato and forward Giuseppe Virgili. Juve showed no mercy and went on to win 8-0. Virgili would be involved in another important chapter by scoring the winner to make it 2-1 in 1957 although disaster was narrowly averted that day as the Curva Maratona partially collapsed with the scores level, causing around 100 hundred injuries.

In the 1968-69 season the rivalry seemed as though it could have plateaued. Fiorentina got one over their dominant rivals as a 2-0 win away at Juventus saw them win their second and most recent title.

However, the hatred would really be stoked by in the 1981-82 season as Juve won their 20th title by a single point ahead of the Tuscans. With the pair level on points, Fiorentina had a goal disallowed against Cagliari and could only secure a point while the Old Lady survived a penalty claim before Liam Brady converted from the spot himself following a handball on the line. The Gigliati fans were enraged by the perceived injustice against them and adopted the motto of “Better to be second than to be thieves.”

brady juventus

That vitriol has boiled over into crass offensiveness from the worst elements in both sets of support. In 1985, chants and banners on Fiorentina’s Curva Fiesole mocked the loss of life during the Heysel disaster. Even in 2009, Liverpool had to scrap plans for a mosaic on the Kop before a Champions League tie promoting friendship between the Reds and Fiorentina after Juve supporters expressed concerns that the apparent expressions of goodwill had darker motivations related to Heysel. Juve’s Curva Sud was also handed with a suspended closure in 2016 for directing anti-semitic chants at Viola fans.

There are also less depressing reasons behind this mutual loathing. In 1990, Roberto Baggio became the world’s most expensive transfer as he left Fiorentina for Juventus. Florence was enraged at this betrayal and people took to the streets to protest. The police needed 200 officers and a helicopter to maintain order and by the end of the disturbances there were 11 injuries and nine arrests.

Baggio

When the two met in Tuscany in April 1991, both sets of fans were unsure of how to respond to Baggio. The player refused to take a penalty and lifted up a Viola scarf despite being whistled all game after being taken off which made it hard for Bianconeri fans to warm to him initially. The forward later claimed that he had been forced to leave Fiorentina where he was happy but his class on the pitch saw him find acceptance at Juve and he is now deservedly considered to be among the team’s pantheon of legends.

Recently, the rivalry has seen Juventus crush Fiorentina’s dreams of success in fixtures with much on the line. In the 2013-14 Europa League the two met at the knockout stage with the Old Lady going through 2-1 on aggregate thanks to an Andrea Pirlo free-kick in Florence after Gonzalo Rodriguez was dismissed. Mohamed Salah inspired the Gigliati to a 2-1 away win in the 2014-15 Coppa Italia semi-final only for Juve to turn Fiorentina over at the Stadio Artemio Franchi with a 3-0 win on their way to lifting the trophy.

With all the ill-feeling between the teams, it’s strange to see them meet on the opening day but Fiorentina will hope to catch Juve unaware and make their contribution to derailing a season when most have crowned the Bianconeri as champions before a ball has been kicked.

 

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