Soweto Derby: Sad reality as Pirates, Chiefs ONLY fighting for Champions League spot

It is a hard pill to swallow for many, but the truth of the matter is that Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have been in the shadow of Mamelodi Sundowns in recent years.

On Saturday, the muted Soweto Derby will see no fan access to Orlando Stadium due to the continued Covid-19 regulations.

The country's most prominent football fixture is dying a slow death.

"The supporters make the Soweto Derby and having a full stadium... I've experienced it before and now I have experienced the derby with no atmosphere and it is completely different," Buccaneers co-coach Fadlu Davids told reporters.

"That rivalry, that wanting to win. A derby fever is still there, just the spectacle on the pitch is slightly different.

"A hollow stadium makes it completely different because in the previous derbies you can't hear yourself speak and the players mentality have to come through.

"The small tactical elements that you can now fix with an empty stadium, you can shout to your left fullbacks that is on the opposite side. In the derby, big match temperament is still required, because it is a huge game watched by millions but definitely it has not lost its spark.

"We know once the fans come back, that derby, that spectacle, that event will be back as it was before."

Sundowns' dominance in South Africa's top-flight domestic scene has cast a dark cloud over the Soweto giant, who have have struggled to clinch silverware of any kind.

To put it in perspective, Chiefs will end the current campaign trophy-less for the seventh year, after their early knockouts in the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup, respectively. Furthermore, as it stands, they are 19 points behind Sundowns on the league table but boast four matches in the pocket.

Pirates are fourth on the