LALIGA Special: “El Gran Derbi”, the Ancient Derby That Divided Andalusia

"El Clasico" has long been an attraction for LALIGA. However, the major battles in Spain do not end there. In southern Spain, specifically in the Andalusia region, there exists an ancient derby that is equally intense. The local community refers to it as "el gran derbi" or the great derby between Sevilla and Real Betis. This derby can even divide the city and families.

Real Madrid and Barcelona can be said to be the teams with the biggest appeal in Europe, even the world. The fans of both teams are everywhere. However, there may be no supporters or fans of Real and Barca in the Andalusia region. Because, this region has long been divided into two, between "red" and "green".

Those who inhabit this area are almost entirely supporters of Betis (green) or Sevilla (red). Barca or Real fans have almost no place in this area.

The history of the meeting between Betis and Sevilla is estimated to have existed since 1909, or two years after Betis was founded in 1907. The nuances of el gran derbi are slightly different from el clasico or the Basque derby which brings together Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao.

The deep-rooted rivalry between Betis and Sevilla is reinforced by the fact that both clubs originate from the same city, Seville, which is the capital of the Andalusia region.

This is different from el clasico which clearly brings together two clubs from different cities or regions, namely Madrid (Real) and Catalonia (Barca). The rivalry between the city teams, Real and Atletico Madrid, is also less echoing, swallowed up by the eternal rivalry between Barca and Real.

The Basque derby does not actually bring together two teams from the same city, as Sociedad hails from the city of San Sebastian, while Athletic Bilbao is from the city of Bilbao. Both are different cities, but they are still located within the Basque region.

This is different from Betis and Sevilla, which come from the same city. Both clubs compete at the top level of the Spanish football pyramid. The aura of rivalry between the two teams was already palpable on the first day I set foot in this area, Monday (19/5/2025). In a restaurant, a waiter half-jokingly frowned after noticing my wrist adorned with a red bracelet featuring the Sevilla logo.

“You shouldn’t be wearing that,” he said, pointing at my wrist. We laughed.

After further investigation, it was later discovered that the waiter was a Betis supporter. The fierce rivalry between the two teams has divided Andalusia since time immemorial. If they are not Betis fans, they are definitely Sevilla supporters. And vice versa. No Sevillian is a Barca or Real fan. Everything in Seville is about red or green.

The aroma of rivalry is deeply rooted within the club, regardless of time or momentum. In the Betis training complex, there is a small board displaying information about the current standings of LALIGA. The Betis management has placed the logo of each LALIGA club along with their respective positions in the standings. All club logos are affixed to the board, except for the Sevilla logo. They seemingly do not wish to have the red club logo in the midst of the green club's headquarters.

The rivalry between the two clubs is so deep-rooted that the divisions caused by this ancient derby have not only affected the city, but also families. It is very common to find a family that does not support one team in unison. The father may be a Sevilla supporter, while the wife or child is a die-hard Betis fan.

"That can happen because of the bond of marriage. So, before they got married, the husband was a supporter of Sevilla, while the wife was a fan of Betis. Well, usually their child will later choose to become a fan of one of them," said Ramon, a resident of Sevilla.

Although the rivalry has divided the city's residents over their choice of favorite club, they can still live side by side in harmony. Whistles or taunts between supporters are still often found every time el gran derbi is presented, but it does not cause any casualties. The rivalry runs politely without physical violence. At most, there is mutual teasing within very normal limits.

Preventive measures are still enforced by security because el gran derbi is a fight between blood relatives among fellow Andalusian citizens. During the match, security will be tighter. Police on horseback and also with helicopters will be on standby to anticipate further friction.

The polarization between red and green grew stronger during the match. “It was an incredible experience. There was a lot of passion on both sides. When the game started, the whole city seemed to stop. All eyes were focused on the game for 90 minutes,” said Sevilla’s Head of International Sports Projects Jose Collado, recalling el gran derbi.

This season, the el gran derbi belongs to both teams. Neither is more dominant. Betis lost 0-1 when visiting Sevilla's headquarters at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. Betis was able to avenge that defeat with a 2-1 victory when they hosted Sevilla at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.

Betis can take pride in having a better season compared to Sevilla. They finished in sixth place in the league and advanced to the final of the Europa Conference League.

Sevilla is currently struggling, positioned at the lower end of the table, specifically in 16th place. The performances of both teams rarely follow a linear trajectory. When Betis is in good form, Sevilla is having a poor season. Conversely, the opposite is also true.

The journey of the two clubs carved a story of fierce rivalry that is recorded forever in history. That even though the entire city is polarized, el gran derbi in fact only divides, but does not separate.