It is often said that Italy is split into two. This isn’t a split between pizza lovers and pasta lovers, this is a deep North-South divide which dates back centuries and bleeds into the footballing world as well.
Throughout the history of Serie A, the North has entirely overpowered the South. In most European leagues, there tends to be a wider dispersal of footballing talent and power. In Spain, England and Germany, the top teams are spread across the nation. In Italy, 110 titles have been won by teams from the North, whereas just eight have been won by Southern teams. However, this season there has been a shift from the status quo. Napoli, Lazio and Roma hold the top three spots in Serie A this season. If maintained for the final eight games, it will be the first time ever that three Southern teams finish in the top three.
Italy was long divided between the rich north and the poor south. Northern economic powerhouses like Turin and Milan boasted the best football teams with Juventus, Inter and AC Milan dominating Serie A. A Neapolitan explained their rivalry with Juve. “It’s not only a rivalry between two football teams. It’s also a rivalry between the richer, business-driven, productive side of society and those of us from the south, who were always migrants or immigrants.” Before Diego Maradona captained Napoli, no club from the south of the Italian Peninsula had ever won the league.
In fact, when Maradona arrived in 1984 in Naples, the city was poverty-ridden and was controlled by the mafia that was yet to recover from a destructive earthquake a few years earlier. The little Argentine’s enthusiastic embrace of the local cocaine-infused, party lifestyle with the Camorra Capocrimine left fans needing little imagination to speculate on the source of his record-breaking transfer fee from Barcelona but as the local newspaper stated, they were not concerned. Despite the lack of a “mayor, houses, schools, buses, employment and sanitation, none of this matters because we have Maradona”.
30 years later, Napoli no longer has Maradona, but they do have ‘Kvaradona’. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has emerged as one of the brightest talents in Europe and alongside lethal striker Victor Osimhen is spearheading Napoli to what will be their first league title in 33 years.
Maurizio Sarri has built a thrilling Lazio side, capable of beating big sides and having an exceptional defensive record. They’ve kept 18 clean sheets in 30 games and gone in at half-time without conceding 25 times. Now firmly entrenched in the Champions League spots, a whole ten points ahead of 5th place, Lazio fans can be sure that the Champions League music will ring around the Stadio Olimpico once again.
With regards to Roma, they are enjoying a famous Jose Mourinho second season. 3rd in the league and in a European quarter-final. When available, Paulo Dybala has lit up the league with marvellous performances and they have recorded huge wins over Inter Milan and Juventus.
It’s not just Napoli, Lazio and Roma. Serie B outfit Bari could be on their way back to the top flight. Currently sitting in 3rd place, promotion is a strong possibility and would lead to five teams from the South in Serie A next season. The average is three.
Football in the South of Italy is in a sorry state. Investors over the years have infrequently embarked down south, preferring to invest in a club in a more steady economic and social condition and geographical area. Over 50 Southern clubs have declared bankruptcy in the last 20 years, including big clubs like Palermo and Catania. None of the Southern teams were invited to the infamously short-lived European Super League, yet this season are those dominating the league.
This week, we’ll see Napoli face AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for what is the next chapter in the North-South battle. Will Khvicha and co. have what it takes to overturn the deficit and fire Napoli, and the South, to the semi-finals of the Champions League?
Either way, what is for sure, is there has been a footballing resurgence in the South.
By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyH3lfgott on Twitter
