Soweto Derby should be protected: Nabi

May 2, 2025 66

Nasreddine Nabi, Kaizer Chiefs coach during the Betway Premiership 2024/25 Soweto Derby press conference at The Venue Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, on 01 May 2025 ©Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix

Kaizer Chiefs head coach, Nasreddine Nabi, has dubbed the Soweto Derby as a unique experience with a heritage that needs to be conserved, protected and promoted by South African football.

Nabi has had a taste of the Rabat Derby between ASFAR and FUS in Morocco, they Kariakoo Derby in Tanzania.

However, he says, the Soweto Derby is something special after experiencing it for the first time this season, where the game was settled with a last minute penalty by Patrick Maswanganyi three months ago.

“Honestly, it’s not because I’m in South Africa… The Soweto derby is a South African, continental and international cultural heritage,” Nabi said about his first experiences of the game against Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

“It should be protected and promoted, like the Tunis derby with Club Africain and Esperance, Cairo derby with Ahly and Zamalek, Casablanca derby with Wydad and Raja, and the Kariakoo Derby in Dar es Salaam, AS Vita, Motema Pembe. The Soweto Derby is more than football – we need to conserve and protect this heritage. I lived many of these moments of African derbies, it’s exceptional – but I love this Soweto Derby. It’s a cultural event that entertains, the way people speak about it, how people live the derby in South Africa…,” he added.

Written by: Ntsako Mukhari

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