Sorry Sampdoria: Killed by karma, buried by gloating neighbours

You should never laugh at your fellow man's misfortune because the universe has a way of making you suffer for it. In football, celebrating your rivals' defeats is like walking on a knife's edge. You could easily slip and get hurt.

It's what happened to Sampdoria fans on Monday night. A year ago, Samp fans made a big party when their bitter city rivals, Genoa, were relegated from Serie A. However, cruel fate found a way to teach them a lesson. While they'll be in the second tier of Italian football, Genoa will compete in Serie A, having won the promotion a few days previously. The tables have turned - and it's absolutely glorious.

Sampdoria's 2-0 loss in Udine means they lost all chance of staging a miraculous comeback. Even if they won their remaining four games, they still couldn't escape the bottom three. And of course, a few hundred Genoa fans thought it would be a good idea to go out in the streets of Genoa and celebrate their neighbours' misfortune. You could say they learned nothing - and you'd be right. The temptation of rejoicing at rivals' relegation is just too strong for any self-respecting fanatic to resist.

On Saturday, they celebrated finishing in the top two in Serie A, had a great weekend partying and continued to laugh their heads off on Monday night. Around 20.00 hours, a few hundred fans gathered in the streets of Genoa and sang songs about the demise of Dejan Stankovic-managed Samp. There were drinks, fireworks and jokes for the Rossoblu half of the city. There was 12 months worth of frustration ready to come out.

Sampdoria's dismissal from the league is not only a sporting matter. The club itself is standing on crumbling foundations, with the finances scarred heavily. Throughout the season, players and staff were seldom paid, making the mood around the club terrible. There are concerns that the entire organisation might be hit by bankruptcy. At this point, playing in the second tier is the least of Sampdoria's worries.

Fake funerals, chicken crucifixions and joke processions: they're just a part of Italian football culture

Last May, Sampdoria fans made a cardboard casket and staged a funeral procession through the city streets, pretending to cry after the deceased Genoa. A year on, a similar spectacle is about to take place on the last day of the season. Genoa will play Bari at home next Friday and will then leave the stadium with a casket draped in Sampdoria colours.

Karma comes at you fast, doesn't it?