There was nothing grey about Saturday’s Betway Premiership Soweto derby – the day was strikingly black and white, with mere shades of gold. That did not only speak to the overwhelming majority of Orlando Pirates supporters dominating their Kaizer Chiefs counterparts inside the venue, but also to the visible sense of control long before kickoff.
By kickoff, the Calabash was already close to full capacity, with only a handful of orange seats empty on the top tier. That showed just how punctual the supporters of both sides were on the day, adhering to calls to arrive early.
The organisers had their house in order as well regarding movement around and inside the stadium. Access to the precinct was smooth, with visible security personnel directing the flow of traffic. Importantly, there were few reported challenges with the scanning of digital tickets – an issue that had contributed to overcrowding in previous derbies – marking a battle that the organisers, particularly Stadium Management South Africa, seem close to winning.
The lifeblood of any derby is the crowd. The Pirates faithful ensured they came out in numbers to back their side, creating an intimidating atmosphere for both the Chiefs squad and their fans. They cheered their team enthusiastically en route to warm-ups while roundly booing Chiefs. When a Chiefs official attempted pre-match mind games by spraying liquids onto both halves of the pitch, the Pirates technical staff and supporters refused to be rattled, smartly seeing him escorted off the field.
Pirates continued to command the occasion. When the sponsor’s chief ambassador, Thierry Henry, stepped onto the pitch to greet the match officials and captains Nkosinathi Sibisi and Brandon Petersen, he momentarily exchanged pleasantries with Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Looking sharp in a tailored black-and-white suit, Ouaddou cut a confident figure, embodying his pre-match assertion that his side were the clear favourites. His opposite number did not exude the same swagger; he largely kept to his technical area and appeared in awe of the magnitude of the occasion when he and fitness coach Julien Le Héran came out for the pitch inspection, pausing on the halfway line to acknowledge family in the stands.
With the pre-match rituals complete – including DJ Zinhle doing her part to serenade the capacity crowd – the onus shifted to the players to take inspiration from her hit song Umlilo and bring the fire to the pitch for the 186th Soweto derby.
-IOL