Why is the meeting between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates like no other rivalry in African football?
This weekend, South Africa will be brought to a standstill on Saturday, as Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates collide in the 172nd edition of the Soweto derby—the biggest match in the national football calendar.
Despite being one of the most intense rivalries in African football, the collision between the two old foes is a match not quite like any other, as supporters sit side by side and approach the contest with a sense of fraternity and fellowship.
It’s the kind of unity and camaraderie that would be completely alien to supporters of Al-Ahly and SC Zamelek, for example, Egypt’s big two, who contest a fearsome derby of their own.