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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

What is the longest gap between European top-flight football derbies?

Paris FC fans
Paris FC will end the French capital’s long wait for a Ligue 1 derby next season. Photograph: Anna Kurth/AFP/Getty Images

“Paris FC’s promotion means that Paris will have its first Ligue 1 derby since 1978-79. Is there any European city that has had a longer gap between top-flight derbies?” queries Steve Whittaker from Frankfurt (which hasn’t had a top-flight derby in the Bundesliga era).

We’ve touched on this before, many years ago, when we found a 44-year gap between the meeting of Hertha Berlin and FC Union and a 48-year wait for FSV v Eintracht in Steve’s home city. However both derbies reconvened in the second tier and don’t count here. So it is well worth us having a drill down into some top-flight derby deserts. The 46-year wait for Paris bragging rights to be earned is indeed a long one, particularly for a capital city.

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