Fans to protest after ’being robbed’ of Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates Soweto derby

Published Mar 4, 2022

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Durban - Supporters from various clubs are rapidly joining a protest allegedly planned for Saturday at the Orlando Stadium ahead of the Soweto derby.

Over the course of the last year, football fans from all over the world have adopted an unprecedented pattern of peaceful protests as an attempt to force responsibility on the powers that govern their respective football bodies.

In May last year, Manchester United fans stormed Old Trafford ahead of their biggest match of the year against Liverpool.

Following years of displeasure of how the current owners run the club, the Red Devil faithful garnered their support for a planned protest on all social media platforms and made their way onto the pitch on match day, a trend that's seemingly spilled over to our shores.

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The #Vulamasango (open the gates) protest is quickly gaining momentum on both Twitter and Facebook as supporters seek the reintroduction of fans back into the stadiums ahead of the country's biggest fixture of the season.

Although rivals on the field, fans of all clubs have shared their displeasure and their proposed plans for Saturday.

"It’s about time. The ministry of sports and the government has shown enough disregard for its citizens. Livelihoods are affected and a lot is lost while they sit on decisions that affect our bread and butter sekwanele," said one football fan on Twitter.

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The South African Football Players Union also declared their support for the peaceful protest and expressed the importance of supporters to players.

"The march holds much significance as two of the country's most loved teams lock horns in the Soweto Derby, a match that never sees an empty seat. The fans have been robbed of this joy as the denial of stadium entry continues with no validation or satisfactory scientific report backing this worrying act," their statement read.