Don't miss my Neal and Pray column in The New Age.... every Tuesday!

Thursday, 7 March 2013

What the world thinks of the Soweto derby: 30th place for Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates

ACCORDING to FootballDerbies.com, South Africa's showdown between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is not as important as South Africans like to think.

Using a points system based on atmosphere, coverage and attendance, they rate the Turkish showdown between Istanbul's arch-rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasary as the number one local footballing rivalry in the world, just ahead of Argentina's Boca Juniors v River Plate (SuperClasico) and the Old Firm derby in Glasgow between the Roman Catholics of Celtic and the Protestant Rangers (who have just been sent to the bottom tier of Scottish football after financial problems).

El Clasico? Nowhere. That's because they're not LOCAL rivals. They don't both come from the same CITY. The first list below comprises only derbies between NEIGHBOURING sides. In fact, Barcelona SC v Emelec - the big "El Clásico del Astillero" clash in Ecuador - slots in at 11th.

AmaKhosi taking on the Buccaneers rates at just 30th on the FootballDerbies list - but that's still way ahead of the Manchester derby (44) and the Merseyside derby (49). Given the game on Saturday is a sell out and Soccer City has a capacity of 94,736, there is no question where the BIGGEST game will be this weekend.

The North London derby between Arsenal and Spurs, like the Real v Atletico Madrid clash, doesn't make the top 50.

Liverpool v Manchester United ranks top of their LOCAL DERBIES, while predictably El Clasico tops the list of national rivalries.

Here's their list... see what you think.


City Derbies

1 Fenerbahce - Galatasaray                             9.4
2 Boca Juniors - River Plate                             9.3
3 Celtic FC - Rangers FC                                9.1
4 Olympiakos Piraeus - Panathinaikos              8.6
AS Roma - Lazio Roma                               8.5
6 Flamengo - Fluminense                                  8.5
7 Red Star Belgrade - Partizan Belgrade           8.5
8 Al Ahly - Zamalek                                         8.4
Penarol - Nacional Montevideo                    8.3
10 Sevilla FC - Betis Sevilla                             8.2
11 Barcelona SC - Emelec                                 8
12 Benfica - Sporting Lisbon                              8
13 CSKA Sofia - Levski Sofia                           8
14 Genoa - Sampdoria                                       8
15   Gremio - Internacional                                 8
16 Independiente - Racing Club                          8
17  Olimpia - Cerro Porteno                               8
18  Palmeiras - Corinthians                                 8
19 Universidad de Chile - Colo Colo                  8
20 AC Milan - Inter Milan                                7.8
21 Aris Saloniki - PAOK Saloniki                     7.8
22 Aston Villa - Birmingham City                      7.8
23 Bolivar - The Strongest                                7.8
24 Esteghlal - Perspolis                                     7.8
25 Vasco da Gama - Flamengo                         7.8
26 Wydad - Raja                                              7.8
27 Zeljeznicar - FK Sarajevo                            7.8
28 Dinamo Bucharest - Steaua Bucharest          7.7
29 East Bengal - Mohun Bagan                         7.7
30 Orlando Pirates - Kaizer Chiefs               7.7
31 Rosario Central - Newell's Old Boys            7.7
32 Sao Paulo - Palmeiras                                  7.7
33 Atletico Mineiro - Cruzeiro                           7.6
34 Besiktas JK - Fenerbahce                            7.6
35 Alianza Lima - Universitario                          7.5
36 Fluminense - Botafogo                                  7.5
37 Galatasaray - Besiktas JK                            7.5
38 Panathinaikos - AEK Athens                        7.5
39 Velez Mostar - Zrinjski Mostar                   7.5
40 Atletico Paranaense - Coritiba                    7.4
41 Ferencvaros - Ujpest                      7.4
42 Gimnasia - Estudiantes                  7.4
43 Hearts - Hibernian                           7.4
44 Manchester United - Manchester City                   7.4
45 Universidad Catolica - Universidad de Chile                          7.4
46 AEK Athens - Olympiakos Piraeus                             7.3
47 Boavista - Porto                                7.3
48 Club Africain - Esperance                              7.3
49 Everton - Liverpool FC                    7.3
50 San Lorenzo - Huracan                   7.3
51 Wisla Krakow - Cracovia Krakow                                7.3
52 Arsenal - Tottenham Hotspur                     7.2
53 Atletico Nacional - Independiente Medellin                         7.2
54 America de Cali - Deportivo Cali                                 7.1
55 Karsiyaka - Goztepe                        7.1
56 LKS Lodz - Widzew Lodz                                7.1
57 Santa Fe - Millonarios                     7.1
58 AIK Stockholm - Djurgardens IF                                 7
59 Atletico Madrid - Real Madrid                     7
60 Bahia - Vitoria                    7
61 Brentford FC - QPR                          7
62 Djurgardens IF - Hammarby                        7
63 Maccabi Haifa - Hapoel Haifa                       7
64 Saprissa - Alajuelense                    7
65 Spartak Moscow - CSKA Moscow                              7
66 West Ham United - Millwall FC                   7
67 Apoel Nicosia - Omonia Nicosia                  6.8
68 Sheffield Wednesday - Sheffield United                               6.8
69 Lyn - Valerenga                                 6.7
70 Dundee FC - Dundee United                       6.6

                
  Local Derbies

1 Liverpool FC - Manchester United                            8
2 Saint Etienne - Olympique Lyon                                 8
3 Sunderland AFC - Newcastle United                        8
4 Schalke 04 - Borussia Dortmund                             7.8
5 Ipswich Town - Norwich City                                 7.7
6 Southampton - Portsmouth                                      7.6
7 Cardiff City - Swansea City                                     7.5
8 Deportivo de la Coruna - Celta de Vigo                   7.4
9 West Bromwich Albion - Aston Villa                        7.1
19 Wolves - West Bromwich Albion                           7.1
20 Blackburn Rovers - Burnley                                    7

               
Rivalries

Barcelona - Real Madrid                                8.9
2 Hajduk Split - Dinamo Zagreb                         8.6
3 Ajax - Feyenoord                                            8.4
4 Paris St. Germain - Olympique Marseille          8.3
Chivas - America                                            8
6 Arsenal - Manchester United                            7.8
7 Trabzonspor - Fenerbahce                               7.6
8 Porto - Benfica                                                7.5
9 Panathinaikos - PAOK Saloniki                       7.3
10 PAOK Saloniki - Olympiakos Piraeus           7.3
11 PSV Eindhoven - Ajax                                  7.3
12 Anderlecht - Club Brugge                             7.2
13 Feyenoord - PSV Eindhoven                        7
14 PAOK Saloniki - AEK Athens                     7
15 Sporting Lisbon - Porto                                7
16 Olimpija Ljubljana - NK Maribor                 6.5
17 Sydney FC - Melbourne Victory                 6
18 Kapaz - Neftci                                           5.8








































































1 comment: