Orlando Pirates versus Kaizer Chiefs: the significance of home-ground advantage at SA’s biggest soccer show

One of the factors which drive rivalries in sports is the fact that teams have home bases where the visiting team can feel the wrath of the home crowd to the maximum, while the hosts enjoy the passionate backing of their supporters. 

Although it is not an exact science, home-ground advantage can be especially significant when teams clash against their bitter rivals. 

Derby etiquette

For example, Barcelona feels the pressure in Spain when they play at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The same is true for Real when they visit their foes at Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium. Each team’s players feel that they are not at home because of the harsh reception they receive. 

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In England, when Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton tussle, each feels the unwelcoming pressure of being visitors. Everton feel it at Anfield, while Goodison Park turns into a cauldron whenever Liverpool comes around. 

Even in Argentina — which is home to one of the fiercest rivalries in sports history — the same principle applies. When foes Boca Juniors and River Plate butt heads, the visiting team knows exactly where it is, due to the hostility it receives.

However, some of the biggest derbies in the world — including the Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — are all played at a single venue. From the Milan rivalry between AC Milan and Inter Milan — played at the San Siro Stadium, to the Egyptian derby between Al Ahly and Zamalek (at Cairo Stadium). 

The difference between the Soweto derby and the Cairo/Milan derbies is that the four teams from Egypt and Italy share the stadiums in which they play the derby. So, Zamalek and Al Ahly play their home games at Cairo Stadium, while the two Milan giants also play their home matches at the San Siro. Neither of the clubs own either of these stadiums, instead they are just tenants.    

Ownership and community

The same is true in South Africa. None of the teams in the Premiership own a stadium. Instead, they are just tenants renting venues owned by the municipality where they are based. This is an ongoing frustration for many club bosses. As Cape Town City owner John Comitis has previously told Daily Maverick. 

“The biggest challenge with Premier Soccer League clubs is that we struggle greatly with facilities, in order to have proper academies set up at each club. Historically, rugby and cricket have had the best facilities in the country. As football, we got the leftovers,” Comitis said.

“What also happened is that when we had the [2010 soccer] World Cup, from the nine stadiums, we were supposed to secure a kind of anchor tenantship. We never did that. Today, more rugby is being played out of the football stadiums than anything,” the veteran administrator added.

“Ultimately, we [City] need to build our own stadium and our own home base. We’ve had a lot of support from the mayor’s office in terms of trying to achieve that.”

Indeed, having a fixed home base is essential. It fosters a sense of community and belonging, which is imperative for a club to thrive. That is of course unless you are Pirates or Chiefs. 

The two clubs are the most supported in the country. They even enjoy substantial support beyond South Africa’s borders, as evidenced by Chiefs having a rock band named after them. Amakhosi inspired the name of UK collective Kaiser Chiefs. 

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Nonetheless, the fact that the Soweto derby is perennially played at the FNB Stadium (also known as Soccer City) raises questions of unfair advantage, on paper at least. 

The stadium is where Chiefs play the bulk of their home matches anyway. So, they are accustomed to all its nooks and crannies. Pirates play at Orlando Stadium.    

Of course, Soccer City is almost triple the 37,000 people capacity of Orlando — able to accommodate just less than 95,000 people. With the painful memories of the Ellis Park tragedy of 2001 (where 43 supporters were crushed to death during a stampede at a Soweto derby) forever etched in history, the FNB will likely remain the preferred venue. 

After all, the Soweto derby draws in all sorts of people. From die-hard soccer lovers, to sporadic followers of the sport and even people who have no clue what an offside is. The derby is as much a social event as it is a fierce soccer rivalry. DM