Juventus and Inter: controversies and fights for (at least) 40 years in the Italian derby

Not only for the enormous weight in terms of the standings, certainly not for the single match or even for the age-old rivalry. Juventus-Inter has never been a normal match and it wasn’t even on Tuesday evening, in the semi-final first leg of the Coppa Italia (finished 1-1). And not for the history with which I load the Derby d’Italia. But for that poison (and its many queues) that Calciopoli has spread in every bar, club and park bench where football is talked about. A Nerazzurri fan and a Juventus fan were present. So beyond the challenge between Allegri and Inzaghi, the absences and the rivalries, here is that Juve-Inter regains possession of its not only sporting but also cultural role. A story that has distant and almost always bittersweet roots, as can be comparisons between clubs, teams and fans used to winning (but also losing) in very different ways. These are the classic stories that divide Italy and the Italians. Because, today even more than yesterday, Juve-Inter rocks, arouses controversy and makes even the most objective fans ferocious. Like sixty, thirty and ten years ago.