This article is from issue #99. Available here in our shop.
Alex Ferguson, who was far from being a sir at the time, actually just wanted to listen to the voice of love. But his heart's choice provoked a storm of indignation and left the Glasgow Rangers striker having to look for a new job. Ferguson had dared to take a Catholic as his wife, and that was already too much for the Rangers. After all, Glasgow football has always played along a razor-sharp demarcation line: on the one hand the Rangers, blue, Protestant and representing the established forces of Scottish society; on the other side Celtic, green and white, Catholic and the club for the poor Irish immigrants. Some of this is only half true today, but that's really not the point of this topic.
Welcome to Derbyland, where football has finally transcended all rationality. Use your common sense at the coat check before venturing into this territory. Here the creation of legends is more important than any historical truth, here no prisoners are taken, the knitting is done with the coarsest of needles and the revenge is sweeter than anywhere else. This area is teeming with heroes, traitors and villains, and the arbiter is anyway the worst of all. The phenomenon of the derby is one of the most fascinating things football has to offer. And sometimes, unfortunately, in the most disgusting way. Corpses pave his path.
Everything started very small, not even really with football. Since the beginning of the 17th century, the small town of Ashbourne in the English county of Derby has had the tradition of the Shrovetide Match, in which the residents of the upper town compete against those of the lower town. For two whole days, on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, several hundred participants try to get the ball into one of the goals that are located about five kilometers apart along the Henmore River, which divides the small town in half - although these are not goals in the narrower sense, but rather two old millstones. The action is confusing, pack formation par excellence, people are kicking, pushing and wrestling as much as they can, and some people have even drowned in the river in the heat of the fight. Apart from the rules of the game, the Shrovetide Match offers everything that characterizes good derbies in football: great emotions and a strong local rivalry. Only the playful character of the event in Ashbourne, where after two days at the latest things calm down and everyone loves each other again, is sometimes lost in football.
11FRIENDE ClubRegister
Digital subscription
Welcome to the club.
Get your ticket for the 11FREUNDE digital subscription now and get free access to all content on 11FREUNDE.de and in the app as well as many other extras.
Digital subscription - €5.99 per month
Premium subscription Print&Digital - € 94.99 per year Maximum savings!
Subscribe now
Your payment options:Paypal Sepa Visa Mastercard ApplePay GooglePay Invoice
Read more with the 11FREUNDE Club
Welcome to the club. Get your ticket for the 11FREUNDE digital subscription now.
Get free access to all exclusive content and other extras in the 11FREUNDE Club.
All articles on 11FREUNDE.de and in the app are freely accessible
Digital editions of 11FREUNDE, 11FREUNDE SPECIAL & 11FREUNDE CHRONIK
An extensive audio offering
11% discount in the 11FREUNDE shop
Only €7 per month, can be canceled monthly
Subscribe now
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
11FREUNDE CLUB is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with the purchase confirmation. 24 hours before expiry, the subscription is automatically extended by one month at the current price of €7. You can cancel your subscription at any time in your iTunes account settings. To use 11FREUNDE CLUB outside of this app, you must link the subscription to an 11FREUNDE account immediately after purchase. By purchasing you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.