Chiefs ‘to just shade it’
Fredericks has been on both sides of the fence in the derby.
Stanton Fredericks believes Kaizer Chiefs have the edge heading into this weekend’s Soweto derby, but the former Amakhosi and Buccaneers midfielder is well aware of the unpredictability of the grandest day out in South African club football.
“Stiga”, in his day, played derbies for both Chiefs and Pirates, though he is better known as a Chiefs player, where he spent three seasons between 2001 and 2004.
“I think it speaks for itself,” says Fredericks on the situation surrounding Saturday’s game, with Chiefs near the top of the Absa Premiership and Pirates flailing around in 10th, and with a new coach at the helm in Swede Kjell Jonevret.
“Chiefs are on a good wicket and Pirates are going through changes, with results not going their way.
That is what the form book says, but we all know the derby is the derby, form can go out the window, and it is about who performs best on the day.
“It is an opportunity for Pirates to turn it around, with a new coach everyone wants to show what they can do and they could make life difficult for Chiefs. But Chiefs have won five out of six, their confidence will be high and I think the scales tilt slightly towards them.
“It depends how the game starts. If Chiefs start well they could dominate and go on to win, but if they don’t it could give Pirates the confidence to carry on and cause problems.”
The last large-scale game Pirates were involved in saw them thrashed 6-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns, with appalling crowd violence disrupting the game at Loftus Versfeld. With 90 000 people at FNB Stadium on Saturday, scrutiny will be as much on the stands as on the field.
“I think the fact that Pirates have a new coach puts violence out the window, because they (the Pirates fans) will give the new coach a chance,” adds Fredericks.
“I think as long as they are not embarrassed, they do not let in another six, crowd violence is highly unlikely.”
Fredericks won two Man-ofthe-Match awards in his time playing in the Soweto derby, though he never managed to hit the back of the net. And he says there is always a special intensity among the players in the week leading up to the game.
“Everybody is fighting for positions because they want to get a starting berth,” he says.
“If you start a derby game, you are forever in the history of the club, so it is a massive game, guys are trying not to get hurt in training, pulling out of tackles.
“There is tension as the game closes in, there is a media day, and the reality comes near that you need to perform in front of South Africa.
“There is excitement and fear, a whole lot of things.
“For the fans, the derby is the be-all-and-end-all, if you perform or score in a derby it sets you apart … you are giving the fans’ pride a voice, it is something to talk about until they meet again.”