By Curtis Bagley

With the Milan Derby being a stalemate two weeks ago, it remains one of the most infamous derbies in world football. It is joined by the ‘Old Firm’ derby, the Manchester derby and many more. The tradition of these fixtures are globally notorious. What about derbies elsewhere? Here is a selection of vicious world derbies that are less talked about.

Fluminense v Flamengo

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Fluminense v Flamengo, otherwise known as the Fla-Flu, is a Brazilian derby that dates back to the early 1900s. A group of disgruntled players from Fluminense departed the club, and went to Flamengo, who didn’t have any footballing teams. The matches take place at the iconic Maracana Stadium, in Rio De Janeiro, where both teams share and play their home games. In the carnival atmosphere of this game, pitch invasions and riots have been common. The record attendence for this game was in 1963, where an astonishing 194,000 fans tuned up to see Brazils most heated rivalry.

Al Ahly v Zamalek

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The Cairo derby, otherwise known as the ‘Egyptian Clasico’, is a match between Al Ahly SC and Zamalek SC, two of the most successful clubs in Egypt and arguably the whole of Africa. Between them, the two clubs have won 49 Egyptian league titles, with Al Ahly winning 37 to Zamalek’s 12. With it being Africa’s biggest match, over 100,000 people cram into the Cairo international stadium to watch this fiery affair. This rivalry is so fierce, that even numerous deaths have been reported. The record score for this game is a 6-0 thrashing from Zamalek, which as you can imagine, gives them bragging rights over their ferocious enemy.

Red Star Belgrade v FK Partizan

The Eternal Derby, a savage rivalry that dominates the Serbian Super League. The rivalry also takes place not only in Football, but also in Basketball and Handball. In 2009, the Daily Mail ranked the derby 4th in all time Footballing rivalries, showing just how prestigious the derby is. Following the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992, the derby escalated, leading to multiple arrests, crowd trouble and many deaths.

East Bengal v Mohan Bagan

The Kolkata derby, is a match between East Bengal and Mohan Bagan in India. Many people haven’t heard of this derby, but it is extremely important to both teams involved. The two sides play each other 3 times a season, which doesn’t help the authorities. The derby has been compared to the likes of the Old Firm derby, due to

some of the East Bengal fans representing the immigrant population, similar to Celtic. Both sets of fans are extremely passionate and in 1980, 16 deaths were documented, after being crushed in a stampede from both fans after trouble flared. This took place at Eden Gardens, more familiar for its cricket and has been labelled the darkest day in Indian football.

Dinamo Zagreb v Hajduk Split

Finally the infamous Croatian Derby. This is a match between the two biggest clubs in Croatia, Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. Funny enough, these two teams used to play in the same league as Red Star Belgrade and FK Partizan in the Yugoslavia First League, before the country’s break in 1992. Both sides before the matches prepare themselves, making large flags and special messages that are usually directed towards the opposing side. Although there is an element of physical violence, these supporters, otherwise known as ‘Ultras’, voice their hate through banners and flags. The two have met 208 times, with Zagreb leading the way with 88 wins, over Split who have 66.