Juventus, being the most decorated football club in Italy, are bound to have a few enemies. While the Bianconeri have rivalries with Torino, Fiorentina, Roma, AC Milan, and so on, the fiercest modern rivalry must be that against Inter Milan.
Their Beginnings
Juventus and Inter didn’t have much animosity toward each other in the beginning. Founded in 1897, Juve’s oldest rivalry was against those in the same city. In 1906, an argument within the club about moving locations saw the president take the Bianconeri’s best players and move away, thus creating what we know now as Torino Football Club. This rivalry has since then dissipated due to the lack of real competition, but the Derby della Mole still remains an exciting match to watch. Similarly, Inter has an age-old rivalry against their same-city opponents. In 1908, Internazionale was founded by a group of players who broke away from AC Milan due to their belief that foreign players should be accepted (thus their name). This rivalry still remains strong today, as both Milanese teams have managed to stay in contention for titles in top-flight football.
Tensions Build
So, when did the Juventus-Inter rivalry begin? Most sources trace it back to the 1960/61 season. At the time of the match, the Bianconeri were in first place and the Nerazzurri in second, but the latter were feeling good after a win against their rivals AC Milan. As the decisive match this was, too many fans came to the stadium and eventually broke out of the stands. Due to the chaos that ensued, the referee decided to abandon the match. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) first decided to award a 2-0 win to Inter on account of the home team being unable to control their stadium, but this was later overturned and the match was rescheduled instead until after all other games are played. This became controversial because Umberto Agnelli, who was the chairman of Juventus at the time, was also the president of the FIGC. Allegations of favoritism ensued, but the decision of rescheduling stood. Inter lost their remaining match while Juventus won, meaning that regardless of the rescheduled match’s outcome, they would not become champions. Perhaps to prove a point, Inter decided to put their youth team players on to play against Juventus, and the latter thrashed the Nerazzurri with a scoreline of 9-1. This remains the biggest score in the two team’s match history to this day and is the turning point for the two team’s relationship.
The Derby d’Italia matches played in the 1997/98 season further increased the hatred between the two clubs and their fans. The first leg saw a 1-0 win for Inter, and there was minor controversy regarding a penalty not given to Juve. The second leg was a much fiercer argument, as once again a second-place Inter (65 points) face off to Juventus (66 points) in the 31st round of the competition. At half-time, Juventus were leading one-nil in a tight match that was slowly becoming scrappy. At the 69th minute, however, Inter’s Ronaldo eventually makes it through the defense into the box and Juventus defender Iuliano body-checks him. The referee does not blow the whistle and allows the play to continue. Juve launch a counter-attack just seconds after the controversial call, and when Del Piero falls inside the box this time after a softer foul, the penalty was given. Inter are enraged, and though Del Piero would go on to miss the penalty, the Bianconeri win the match 1-0 and eventually secure the Scudetto. This match was so fiercely-debated that the Italian Parliament held a publicly-broadcasted session where ugly words were exchanged.
The Height of the Rivalry- Calciopoli
Believe it or not, this was not the pinnacle of tensions between the two clubs. The real tensions arose in the 21st century after the Calciopoli scandals broke out. In 2006, telephone wiretaps were released of multiple Serie A clubs engaging in match-fixing by selecting favorable referees to oversee their matches. Among other clubs, Juventus was one of them, with the club’s general manager Luciano Moggi taking the brunt of the allegations. The investigation didn’t take too long considering how many documents had to be reviewed, but ultimately Juve were stripped of their 2004/05 and 2005/06 title and relegated to Serie B with a 9-point deduction. Other clubs such as Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio were punished as well but not as harshly with point deductions, fines, and matches played behind closed doors. Though Juve’s punishments did not go in accordance with what they were charged with, the entire football world deemed the Bianconeri guilty of trying to cheat the system. Among those who reveled in the club’s downfall, were Inter. To them, what they had suspected has now proven to be true and all the tensions from past matches all broke out in an “aha, I knew it” moment. What infuriated the Bianconeri even more was that the 2005/2006 title that was stripped from them was then awarded to Inter, who technically finished third place that season. Despite later reports of Inter possibly being involved in the scandals, Calciopoli is now forever associated with Juventus and this has since then become the ultimate source of hatred.
Summary
The Juventus-Inter rivalry is understandable from both sides. On one hand, Inter believe that Juventus are cheaters who have robbed them of titles in the past. They see the 2005/06 title as a justified re-assignment since unlike Juve and AC Milan, they have been ruled as innocent. On the other hand, while Juventus never claimed to be entirely innocent, fans feel that the punishment and extent of guilt have been way overblown. The fact that there are reports that Inter were involved in the collective corruption but were completely let off the hook and even awarded infuriates the Bianconeri. Another point to consider is the number of titles that each team possesses. While Juventus have way more Scudetti under their name, Inter have been more successful on the European stage.
Whatever the reasons behind this rivalry, this is a part of the beautiful game. Without a bit of fiery passion and hatred, we would miss many of the greatest matches in football history. Expect this rivalry to grow even more, as Inter are one of the teams that challenge Juve’s claim to a tenth consecutive Scudetto.
