Dinamo vs Steaua: Romania's Eternal Derby Marred by Violence & Pranks

In eastern Europe, football is almost an entirely different sport. In the biggest games, what happens off the pitch is just as important, if not even more so, as what happens on it, something which is a stark contrast to what happens elsewhere on the continent.

Before communism fell, Bucharest's two biggest clubs made quite an impact abroad. They were two of the biggest teams in European competitions, with FCSB - formerly known as Steaua București - even winning the 1986 Champions League, beating Barcelona in the final.

These days, Champions League appearances are rare. But that hasn't stopped the ever-growing intensity of the Eternal Derby.

It's a derby which is most well-known for problems off the pitch, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been a fair share of incredible encounters on it.

They haven't faced each other in the Cupa României final since the 2010/11 season, but the history of Romania's Eternal Derby actually stretches back to 1948, where Steaua were then called Clubul Sportiv Central al Armatei - a name which was in reference to the club's roots with the army.

It was Dinamo București who dominated the early years of the derby. They didn't lose the Eternal Derby until 1951, and although Steaua have started to assert their dominance on the fixture, it's the city's younger club that still hold the edge in the head-to-head record.

The rivalry doesn't quite hold the same level as excitement as it once had, where about 120,000 fans crammed into the stadium in 1985, but it's still the first fixture which both sets of fans will look for at the start of every season.

It's a rich, 176-game history. But Romania's Eternal Derby infamy outside the country is largely down to the fans of both clubs. One group specifically, the Armata Ultra - who are officially no longer active - are one of the most influential in the country's history.

Armata Ultra were formed in December 1995, the first ultra group which emerged in Romania's capital city, reaching over 4,000 members before they officially disbanded six years later. To this day, a section of Steaua's fanbase still identify as part of the Armata Ultra group.

It's not just the organised Steaua fans who can find themselves taking the limelight on any given matchday. In 1997, Dinamo set fire to a section of the Stadionul Ghencea's south stand, but more recently they've thankfully taken to much more harmless pranks.

Before Steaua's Champions League match against Manchester City, Dinamo fans sabotaged a pre-game choreography which was supposed to pay homage to their Champions League win over Barcelona, back in 1986.

Instead, the choreography ended up displaying the message 'Doar Dinamo Bucharest' in their classic red and white colours, proving to be one of the biggest pranks not just in Romanian football history, but also in Europe's.