"Derby of the dead child": This match changed football forever
"Derby of the dead child": This match changed football forever When does a game become legendary? Is it when everyone can remember where they were at the time of the match? When the game has its own Wikipedia article?
When the game marks a turning point in football? Exactly 22 years ago today, there was a match that fulfilled all three of these criteria for Roman or even Italian football fans. The "Derby del bambino morto" (literally, "Derby of the Dead Child"), to be precise.
The signs leading up to the Rome derby were far from ideal. Both clubs were in severe financial trouble. Moreover, the situation between the police and the fans had been extremely tense for quite some time.
Even before this derby on March 21, 2004, there were clashes between police and fans. After the match kicked off as normal and the first half was played, things became increasingly restless in and around the Stadio Olimpico at halftime. Within minutes, a rumor spread that the police had run over a child outside the stadium and that the child had possibly died.
Fans had reportedly seen a child lying under a white sheet, as various media later reported. As the rumor spread like wildfire, leading figures among the Roma fans reacted and climbed onto the pitch in the 47th minute, as reported by 'Der Spiegel' two days after the derby. The supporters of the capital club went to Roma legend Francesco Totti and demanded, in no uncertain terms, that the players and officials immediately abandon the match.