Red Shirt with Orange Trim/ White Shorts with Red Trim/ Black Socks with Red Trim
Away Kit
Black Shirt, Shorts and Socks with Red&Orange Trim
General Introduction
AS Roma (full name: Associazione Sportival Roma SpA) have spent its entire history (but one season 1951-52) in the top flight of Italian football: the 2008-09 campaign will be the 57th straight season of the club in Serie A.
Both big Roman clubs, AS Roma and Lazio, though, have become well-known over recent years not for football but for incidents based on the shady political views and involvements of their supporters and some of the club officials.
One word of warning - avoid the notorious Ponte Duca D'Aosta around the ground. Tourists and fans have been targeted here in the past.
As with all of our guides, if there is anything missing from the following pages that you need to know then feel free to drop us an email and we'll do our best to find it out for you.
Brief Ground Location
The stadium is located in the northern suburbs approx 5kms from the city centre.
The Rome Municipal Authorities will be providing free buses that will operate from the Villa Borghese area for Arsenal supporters. It was agreed to advise fans to be at the collection point at 1830 with a departure time of 1900. The same free transport would be available post match returning to the city centre by the main station.
Brief Club History
AS Roma was founded in 1927 by the merger of three other clubs from Rome: Roman FC, Alba-Audace Roma and Fortitudo-Pro Roma. The only major Roman club to refuse the merge was Lazio.
This is Roma’s 25th season in UEFA club competition following their debut in the 1969/70 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup first round. They have twice lost out in UEFA finals - the 1983/84 European Champion Clubs’ Cup and the 1990/91 UEFA Cup. Roma are in their 5th UEFA Champions League campaign, having had to wait until the 2001/02 edition for their bow. Last season’s run to the quarter-finals was their first time in the knockout stage.
Fans & Foes
Basically and to clear up a kind of myth about Italian football supporters, the only distinction that is made is the one between ordinary spectators on one hand and active football supporters which usually define themselves as Ultras on the other hand.
Italian ultra groups are mostly as passionate in showing a colourful and creative support as they are political which occasionally also comes along with violence. The majority of those politicised supporters ready to use violence are right-wing extremists, and there are just a few powerful and actively left-wing ultra groups left that are able to dominate the Curvas at their club such as the ultras of AS Livorno (Brigate Autonome Livornese), AC Florence or Sampdoria Genua (Rude Boys & Rude Girls).
Originally, the groups of supporters of the AS Roma had been considered as lefties as well for a long time. Their most powerful group were the Commando Ultrà Curva Sud (CUCS) which were one of the most historic in the history of European football. Since the mid-1990s however, when CUCS broke up due to internal conflicts, the Curva Sud of the Stadio Olimpico has been more and more infiltrated by right-wing groups, called AS Roma Ultras, Boys, Giovinezza and others.
AS Roma are also a club with many rivalries, foremost of which is their rivalry with Lazio Roma, the club who they share the Stadio Olimpico with. The derby between the two is considered as one of the most heated and emotionalized matches in the world.
Club Honours
Scudetto (Serie A Title) winners (3): 1941-42, 1982-83, 2000-01
Coppa Italia Winners (9):1963–64; 1968–69; 1979–80; 1980–81; 1983–84; 1985–86; 1990–91; 2006–07; 2007–08
