There were two Derbies played in the Absa Premiership this past weekend and they provided great advertisement for our local football scene.
The world renowned Soweto Derby between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs took center stage on Saturday while Polokwane City took on Black Leopards in the Limpopo Derby on Sunday afternoon.
The two everything games had it all, the stakes were high in both matches, contrasting stakes though. The Soweto Derby focused more on the title race, the Limpopo derby was more in tact with the relegation battles as both Polokwane City and Black Leopards are trying to avoid the drop.
The Soweto Derby is one which always sends the nation into frenzy, you can imagine all the marketing that took place in the week, not that it needs any off that by the way. The Limpopo derby was neglected in terms of the promotion by the Premier Soccer League (PSL), the leagues sponsor Absa and the official broadcaster SuperSport.
There were Soweto Derby adverts on TV all week long, and a press conference, which was more like an activation that took place at the SuperSport studios. There was nothing of that nature which happened in Polokwane, which is a shame, the teams, public and media may feel hard done. In that respect the stakeholders of the league failed.
Nonetheless, the locals from Limpopo embraced their provincial Derby, watching from the TV you could see the turn out at the intimate Old Peter Mokaba Stadium was more than decent. The fans provided the numbers generating a feisty atmosphere. The fans should be applauded for valuing their local derby as it has more interest to them.
On the field, there was a Derby feel which was epitomized by the competitiveness in both games, it was amazing to see. The facial expressions and body languages of the players told the story, they had the nervousness, anxiety and excitement that rather lacked in past derbies in South Africa.
Players understanding what these derbies mean is very important, regardless of them being locals or not, they have to know what derbies mean for the local supporters. With the Soweto derby the players for sure understood this but the players who would play in the Limpopo, Kwa Zulu Natal, Western Cape and Tshwane Derbies often lacked the sense of urgency, but that was restored this weekend. Polokwane City and Black Leopards players gave it their all, after they went behind, Polokwane City players upped their intensity, it was as if they knew they would be in further trouble in the league; and did not want to disappoint the home fans, eventually that charge of attitude propelled them to a 2-1 victory.
As the premium Derby in South Africa, the Soweto Derby did not miss, it was amazing, did it live up to the promo it was dished out with? Yes, it did. Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, who was instrumental in his sides 1- 0 on the day, turned into a showman of some sort, producing one of the best individual performances in the history of the iconic game. The thousands who travelled from all over the country to Soccer City, got the value for their money.
Things can only get better from here on, we need fans to embrace their local derbies, some derbies may be new, in due time rivalries will be birthed and grow rapidly. Derbies have a vital role to play in the growth of our football, more of what we experienced this weekend is needed to wet the appetite. The two games summed up what South African football is about.
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