In the DFB Cup, Bayer Leverkusen and the 1st FC Köln meet two clubs, only one of which refers to the duel as “derby”. We clarify all questions about this term.
Where does the term “derby” come from?
The origin should be in Royal Shrovetide Football Located, a game of two local rivals in the village, which has probably taken place since the 12th century Ashbourne in the Derbyshire region in Great Britain. They play “Up’ARDS“From the upper town against the”Down’ards“From the lower town in a field with almost five kilometers with unlimited number of players and a few rules.
What football on the classic playing field took away to see a game as a derby: special rivalry and spatial closeness. The first derby should then be in 1866 in Nottingham between Nottingham Forest and Notts County have given.
What is the difference between a derby and one Neighborhood duel?
This is also the reason why Bayer Leverkusen and the 1. FC Köln, who are on Wednesday (05.02.2025) in the DFB Cup to move into the semi-finals, are different. Cologne belongs to the traditional clubs in German professional football, for many reasons a rivalry with Borussia Mönchengladbach has been created in the past decades before Leverkusen was a real competitor for the Rhine-neighbor.
For Cologne, Gladbach is therefore the derby opponent because it was the big rival and at 45 kilometers away the closest club to which the club was constantly met, with which you dueled championships and DFB Cup wins in the 1970s .
Leverkusen only played a major role in professional football when this derby had already written countless stories – but the “Werkelf” even needed a derby. For them this is now against Cologne – geographically because the cities border together, but also emotionally, because the FC has always rose a little compared to the association adult from a chemical group.
Cologne sports director Thomas Kessler (with short interruptions for 23 years in the club) speaks openly about one “Neighborhood duel”Bayer managing director Simon Rolfes, on the other hand, from one “Rheinische derby” – And both in this case are right from their side. For a derby, rivalry and closeness are needed, only close to a neighborhood duel – and Cologne does not see Leverkusen as a sufficiently large rival. Both are more true for FC when it comes to duels with Fortuna Düsseldorf because the cities have been hostile for ages.
Who or what decides whether a game is a derby?
The term is not protected and it also has no fixed definition. Rather, the name is an agree, for example, a fan group that makes up a certain duel as a derby – for example, the Cologne residents have decided that the game against Leverkusen is not a derby, and the Leverkusenians are a derby with Cologne .
Often, however, the name is also deliberately chosen – including outside – to bring tension into a game. TSG Hoffenheim has only been a Bundesliga club since 2008, but of course also needs its opponent, which fans are particularly looking forward to – VfB Stuttgart should be. After the first leg in October “Derby drama”because Hemedin Demirovic had made a compensation deep in added time. In the game report on the VfB homepage, on the other hand, the term is “Duel” The highest of feelings. In short: everyone decides what a derby is.
And unfortunately usually also applies to such a duel against the arch -rival: the fight does not only take place on the square. Fans meet brawls, there are riots in the venue or in the stadium, aggressive mood. Several international derbies have been held without guest fans for a long time to counteract this.
Why are there more and more alleged derbies?
More tension and supposed emotional spectacle – these are also the reasons why the term is used more and more inflationary. Games should get an additional spice to generate attention or clicks, to lure more spectators into the stadiums. So there are no longer only local derbies, but also several Baden-Württemberg derbies, Südwestderbies and even partially international matches like Germany against the Netherlands, which are referred to as derby.
What games is there any unity?
Not only Cologne and Leverkusen or Stuttgart and Hoffenheim are evident, but also clubs where the different views are not immediately obvious. At Hamburger SV, even the duel against city rival FC St. Pauli is often not considered a derby, but only the game against Werder Bremen. The views are also different in the Ruhr area – often the impression also gives the impression that smaller clubs like to proclaim a game against large clubs as a derby.
The situation is similar at Eintracht Frankfurt, against Mainz 05 and Darmstadt 98 the derby term, but the Europa League winner from 2022 actually sees only the Kickers Offenbach as the opponent. VfL Wolfsburg is also an example of one club that does not have a derby recognized on both sides because Hannover 96 sees only Eintracht Braunschweig as the corresponding opponent.
What are the most famous derbies in Germany?
Gladbach against Cologne, Schalke against BVB, Hamburg against Bremen, Hanover against Braunschweig – we have already talked about these games. But there are also the derbies between FC Bayern and TSV 1860 Munich or Stuttgart and the Karlsruher SC, which has hardly been taking place for a long time. The Frankenderby between the 1st FC Nürnberg and Greuther Fürth is also very present, as is some Ostderbies like Carl-Zeiss Jena against Rot-Weiß Erfurt.
What are the biggest derbies worldwide?
Internationally, the most explosive duels are almost exclusively between city rivals. Some famous examples: Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in Istanbul (Turkey), AS and Lazio in Rome (Italy), Real and Atletico in Madrid (Spain), Celtic and the Rangers in Glasgow (Scotland), Corinthians and Palmeiras in Sao Paulo (Brazil) Or River Plate and the Boca Juniors in Buenos Aires (Argentina).