Sundowns win MTN8 final and Simba defeat Yanga in Kariakoo Derby

So let's talk about the MTN8 final.

Uh, first of all, great to see a huge turnout.

Uh, fans on time, great atmosphere, lots of noise.

It felt like a big match and a big occasion.

Uh, you know, even from a broadcast, from production, the, the, the pyrotechnics, the fire, you know, like, the, the trophy.

It has that big match feel about it.

And I think not only was it a huge match in South Africa, I think people from around the continent tuned into this match.

You heard that tickets were sold out, I think, almost immediately, just, uh, maybe one or two days after they were released.

Um, and one thing I always wonder about South African football is when they play these matches on neutral territory, so it wasn't played in Johannesburg, it wasn't played in Pretoria, um, does one club have an advantage over another? Because let's say the European Champions League final is played in Paris, right? Uh, and let's say it's Liverpool versus, let's say, Roma.

I expect Liverpool, because they're closer in proximity, because they have better traveling fans or more traveling fans, to have the majority of fans, and they will turn that into a kind of home field advantage for them, you know, because, again, the proximity and because they travel very, very well.

Here, I was wondering, it, it's kind of conventional logic that Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are the biggest clubs in South Africa, right? Mamelodi Sundowns, in modern times, has become definitely one of those top clubs in South African football.

Even historically, they've had success.

I think sometimes we undermine their historical success of that club as well.

But in terms of fans, it's just wi-widely acknowledged that nobody can compete with Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Um, so I was wondering though, in a match like this, does that automatically translate to Orlando Pirates having a much bigger home field advantage? I didn't really feel like that was the case.

I didn't really feel like, for, again, from somebody that was watching it on a little stream on my, on my phone, I wasn't even watching it on television, that Orlando Pirate fans were severely outnumbered, uh, Sundowns fans or that they made incredible, uh, amount of noise.

Um, so it's something that I don't know if we can even account for in South African football as much as we do, um, in other countries.

But yeah, this was, like, like I said, it felt like a big occasion.

We had the champions of South Africa versus the champions of Africa.

Uh, Pirates going for their fifth consecutive MTN8 trophy, uh, and I think 15th total.

Both would, would have been records.

Um, they obviously have had lots of success in these cups since Jose Riveiro was at the helm.

Uh, Sundowns not so much, actually, in recent times.

Um, and for me personally, I haven't been following Orlando Pirates as much as I would have liked to because they didn't qualify for the CAF Champions League group stages last year.

And as a result, I'm kind of been out the loop with a lot of the, the new signings that they made last year and this year.