Mninawa Ntloko
7 May 2008
opinion
Johannesburg — SO, should we give a flying toss that Kaizer Chiefs entertain traditional rivals Orlando Pirates in Mafikeng this weekend?
Is it even appropriate for anyone to describe this latest instal ment of the Soweto Derby as the biggest game of the weekend when both teams are wallowing in mid-table mediocrity?
Curiously enough, the two sides themselves actually believe the above and expect us to play along with their charade.
The fact is both clubs are gasping for air at the moment and, by the look of things, the end of the season cannot come fast enough. With just three games to go before the curtain comes down on the campaign, Chiefs are ninth on the table and run the risk of finishing outside the top eight for the second season in a row.
Not to be outdone, Pirates also look punch drunk these days and their current 11th place on the table hints at a side in crisis.
How did it get to this?
After all, the South African football fraternity, as always, religiously circled the two dates of the Soweto Derby on the calendar when the Premier Soccer League (PSL) released the premiership fixture list in the beginning of the season.
And the first meeting between the two sides earlier this season was deemed so important that sports satellite and cable network Eurosport decided that 43 European countries had to get a taste of South African football last November.
Eurosport decided to televise live images from Durban's Kings Park stadium to more than 22,3-million households in nine languages.
A throng of local and international media, officials and sponsors descended on the coastal city to watch the domestic league for the first time and the derby was used to give the visitors the South African football experience. But it seems time has stood still since last November because the two teams continue to struggle.
Pirates occupied a modest seventh place while Chiefs were struggling along at 11th positions on the eve of their obscenely hyped showdown on November 24. Very little has changed on the eve of the second meeting as the two sides are still desperately trying to get into the top eight.
And yet Pirates would have us believe that this game is "the big one". Here I was thinking that all three of their remaining games are of critical importance if Pirates are to avoid the ignominy of not qualifying for the top eight next season.
"We may be experiencing our worst form since the inception of the PSL in 1996, but come May 10, the form books will count for nothing as the battle for supremacy continues," said the Pirates website.
Battle for supremacy?
And, of course, not to be outdone, Chiefs insisted "SA will come to a standstill as all roads lead to Mafikeng Stadium" on Saturday.
Hmmm .......... perhaps they should go easy with the hyperbole at Naturena.
"Kaizer Chiefs will lock horns with Orlando Pirates in the much-anticipated, mouth-watering premiership clash of the season," Chiefs said.
Clash of the season? Come on gents! Where does all this leave Platinum Stars?
The modest North West side is gearing up for an African Champions League third-round clash with Egypt's titans Al-Ahly -- easily the game of the week.
With all due respect to Chiefs and Pirates, their mid-table slumber party cannot be compared to Stars' daunting away trip to Cairo. The still relatively young 10-year-old club will attempt a feat few clubs on the continent ever dare to even contemplate against the revered "African club of the 20th century" -- away from home, yet.
Stars take a slender 2-1 lead from the first leg and hope to become the first South African club to dump Al-Ahly out of the Champions League.
It's perhaps important to note that their more illustrious counterparts, Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ajax Cape Town were all mummified by the Egyptians in previous meetings.
But unfortunately for Stars, South African football is that few will notice them slip out of the country tonight because verything else in the sport in this country is secondary to Chiefs and Pirates
Ntloko is deputy sports editor.
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