Roman Legions

Below the world famous rivalry between the Italian capital’s biggest two teams are plenty of others battling to become the city’s “third” club, their histories full of struggles to establish themselves in a tough environment.

- Damiano Benzoni

Lupa Roma & Racing Roma

For the last 90 years, Rome football has been a duopoly. It was born out of a series of mergers between the major teams, encouraged by the Fascist reform of the league structure, which resulted in the foundation of AS Roma in 1927. The only club to refuse the incorporation, and the only other team from the capital ever to play in the top division, were their arch-rivals Lazio. Between them, the two have won only five league titles, though they have amassed 15 national cups.

This dual rivalry has parallels with the legend of Rome’s establishment. According to tradition the founder Romulus, one of two twins suckled by a she-wolf, killed his brother Remus over a dispute about where to build the city. The two teams’ badges reflect the influence of the Roman Empire, Roma’s Capitoline she-wolf rivalling Lazio’s imperial eagle.

With no team representing the capital in the second division since 1947, another dual rivalry was to be found in the 2016-17 Lega Pro, Italy’s third tier. Lupa Roma narrowly escaped direct relegation, coming second-bottom just three points in front of Racing Roma, who were demoted to Serie D despite beating Lupa 2-0 both home and away. The two teams had the worst two attendances of the entire division, with an average of fewer than 300 spectators each at their home matches.

Ironically, the roots of both teams lie in the same place, Frascati, one of the so-called Roman castles lying just south-east of the capital around the Alban Hills. There Lupa were founded in 1974 as LVPA Frascati: LVPA was both the Latin transcription of the word lupa