I played Soweto Derby with blanks in my head: Katsande

Raymond Jaravaza

RETIRED midfielder Willard Katsande has described how he blanked out the first time he took part in the Soweto Derby pitting his former club Kaizer Chiefs and arch rivals Orlando Pirates.

Katsande spent a decade at Chiefs and is considered a club legend, playing over 30 times against Pirates, in league and cup games.

Chiefs and Pirates meet once again at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

“I played my first derby with blanks in my head and the worst part is that it was a cup final.

“This is not just any match.

“This is about life.

“You need to know that when you are at Chiefs you must mature quickly because they don’t have the patience.

“I had a scary experience when making my debut because I never saw anything when I came on in that final, I blanked out almost the entire match.

“It is more than just a football match and I say so because I felt it and my mouth was always dry as if I had been eating Nando’s rolls,” Katsande told South African website KickOff.

The former Warriors captain hopes the teams will play entertaining football on Saturday.
“To the new guys there is no need to panic, don’t be consumed by the occasion. Just enjoy the moment because you will want to look back at the game with pride.

“Even as an experienced player you feel the difference because there is pride at stake.
“I hope both teams play open football and we get goals so that the packed FNB enjoys the match.

“Right now, Pirates look like they have the edge, but form doesn’t matter in the derby.
“The derby is about pride and hunger, so I feel the new players need to know that this is a different match altogether.

“This is Chiefs against Pirates and there is no other fixture that comes even close to this in South Africa,” he said.

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