Materazzi-Rui Costa, the photographer speaks: “It was like a war, you couldn’t see anything”

Stefano Rellandini, who took the now iconic photo of Materazzi and Rui Costa, told the BBC about that moment

Speaking to the microphones of the BBC, Stefano Rellandini, Reuters photographer and the one who took the now iconic photo that portrays Marco Materazzi and Rui Costa watching the smoke bombs in the 2005 derby, recounted those moments like this: “The fans started throwing objects and smoke bombs non-stop for 15 o 20 minutes. It was like a war.

The tension was what there is every time there is a derby between Milan and Inter at the San Siro. As soon as you set foot on that field, you can feel that it’s not just a football game. It’s something more. At that moment the field was completely immersed in fog, nothing could be seen. Even if you wanted to photograph someone injured, it was impossible.”