Fansided

30 best soccer rivalries in the world

By Andrew Dowdeswell

MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 23: Shirts bearing the names of Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF are seen on display at a merchandise stall prior to the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 23, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 23: Shirts bearing the names of Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid CF are seen on display at a merchandise stall prior to the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 23, 2014 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) /
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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA- MAY 02: Abia Nale of Chiefs and Lucas Thwala of Pirates during the Absa Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs from Coca Cola Park on May 2, 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA- MAY 02: Abia Nale of Chiefs and Lucas Thwala of Pirates during the Absa Premiership match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs from Coca Cola Park on May 2, 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images) /

16. Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates

Soccer is now a global game, and no rivalry symbolizes this as much as when the Kaizer Chiefs and the Orlando Pirates face each other in the Soweto Derby. One of the younger derbies on this list, the Chiefs and Pirates dominate the fan base in not only South Africa, but over the whole of African club football.

With the lack of established club football in Africa, many fans from other countries choose one of the Soweto based clubs to support. In what is a continent-wide rivalry, the Soweto derby is one of the largest supported rivalries on this list. The anger between the fans and players stems from one of the most controversial origins of a club in world soccer.

Unlike most of the rivalries in soccer that originate from either local or social issues, this is a family affair. The Orlando Pirates were an amateur team that were unable to join established soccer due to racist issues in South Africa. The team would play tour matches and exhibition tournaments and would be paid for their efforts.

However, the players were unhappy with their cut of the money, and star player Kaizer Motaung, left the club to start his own team. Eventually, his new team became the Kaizer Chiefs, and many Pirates are aggrieved with the defection of past players. In recent times, the ‘son’ has most certainly dominated the ‘father’ as the family affair rages on.

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