Football
Nick Said, Special to ESPN 6y

A casual fan's guide to the Soweto Derby

The Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is the biggest fixture in South African football by a country mile, and the 162nd meeting between the two rivals will take place at Soccer City on Saturday.

With 47 years of history behind it, the fixture has seen much drama down the years and provided some of the most memorable - good and bad - moments in South African football history.

KweséESPN brings you the casual fan's guide to the one of Africa's most anticipated fixtures.

How it all began...

Chiefs were, in essence, formed by a breakaway faction of players from Pirates, something that adds an extra spice to the rivalry between the two. In fact, the birth of Chiefs is directly related the independence of Swaziland, and its creation was a lot more complicated than the simple defection of disaffected footballers.

In 1968, football was segregated along racial lines in South Africa and while the white players had their professional league, with regular guest stars from England, black football's structures were non-existent and clubs were forced to eke out a living by playing an endless succession of challenge matches and mini tournaments to make some money.

Swaziland invited two important entities to the celebration of the kingdom's detachment from British rule in 1968 - the Queen of England and Orlando Pirates. And while the British monarch could not make it, Pirates readily agreed to a ground-breaking match against Highlands Park, the white powerhouse of the day.

But after weeks of excited build-up, including the prospect of several thousand South Africans crossing the border to watch, the Apartheid government ordered the plans be halted. Such a symbol of racial interaction would have not fitted the policies of the time.

By that time Pirates players were in conflict over the money for the trip and resolved to split, led by the spirited personality of Ewert 'The Lip' Nene, who was the driving force behind the new club.

Kaizer Motaung was the star player of Pirates in the late 1960s and a visible symbol to which to attach this discontent. Kaizer's XI first played in 1969, inviting players from around the Johannesburg area to join them. It was not until 1970 that they first met Pirates.

At that stage, they were known as Kaizer's Chiefs, the apostrophe being discarded a short while later, with Motaung adding the 'Chiefs' name as homage to his time in America with Atlanta Chiefs.

Pirates won 6-4 at the Orlando Stadium in the first meeting between the clubs in January 1970, a passionate clash that set the tone for the years of drama to come.

What's the record?

The previous 161 meetings between the sides have largely fallen in the favour of Chiefs, who have claimed 67 wins to 38 for Pirates. There have been 51 draws down the years and five games abandoned for various reasons. Chiefs have outscored their opponents 209 to 169.

But the Amakhosi have failed to win any of their last seven Soweto Derby matches, with two wins for Pirates and five draws, the longest wait for a victory in the history of the derby for Chiefs.

Who are the goalscoring heroes?

Former Chiefs wizard Pule 'Ace' Ntsoelengoe, arguably South Africa's greatest footballer, scored a record 19 times in derby matches, way ahead of Nelson 'Teenage' Dladla and Abednego 'Shaka' Ngcobo on 11.

Pirates' top scorer in derbies is Jomo Sono with nine goals, a sign of how far behind Ntsoelengoe everybody else was.

That record of 19 goals is unlikely to ever be beaten given the nature of Derby matches, where the teams usually try not to lose rather than go for the win, not to mention the rapid turnover of players these days.

Twenty-one years and counting...

The last player to score a hat-trick in the Derby was Jerry 'Legs of Thunder' Sikhosana, who got three in Pirates' 4-1 win in November 1996. Especially latterly, it is not a match of free-flowing football and so chances for forwards are limited.

Quick off the mark

The fastest goal in the history of the derby match came after just 19 seconds from Mabhudi Khenyeza in Durban in November 2007. The match was moved to the coastal town to entertain visiting FIFA dignitaries ahead of the 2010 World Cup and did not disappoint as Khenyeza was quick off the mark and the entertaining game ended 2-2.

Biggest winners

Four goals is the biggest winning margin in the derby, something that has been achieved twice by Chiefs (7-3 in 1972 and 5-1 in 1975) and once by Pirates (5-1 in 1990). Only once in the last 16 years has a side won by a three-goal margin, with Chiefs triumphing 3-0 in the Telkom Knockout final in 2010/11.

Double agents

Six players have scored for both Chiefs and Pirates in a derby match after switching allegiances - Gabriel Khoza, Blessing Mgidi, Jerry Sadike, Donald 'Ace' Khuse, Marks Maponyane, and Marc Batchelor.

Pan-African influence

Herman Blaschke, the Namibian-born midfielder, was the first foreigner to score in the Derby when he netted for Chiefs in 1975. Later the same year, Zimbabwean Ebison Mugoyo also got a goal for the Amakhosi.

The last foreigner to score in a Derby was another Zimbabwean, Tendai Ndoro, who netted twice in a Nedbank Cup win in March 2016. The passion that fans have for Chiefs and Pirates spills over into neighbouring countries so for many foreign players, taking part in the derby is truly a special occasion.

Scoring keeper

Chiefs gloveman Banks Setlhodi slotted home four penalties in derby matches in 1971 and 1972, the only goalkeeper to score in the prestigious fixture. Current Chiefs keeper Itumeleng Khune has been known to take the odd free-kick, but is unlikely to be entrusted in such a crucial game.

A game to divide families

It's very often the case that Soweto Derby day divides families down the middle, with mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, rooting for either side.

But it is also, more latterly, a gentler rivalry with no segregation of fans at the stadium and little in the way of violence between the two. This has not always been the case, but in recent times some of the bitterness from the split of clubs and the anger between the fans has dissipated, to be replaced by good-natured banter.

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