It's not often that as one team goes into a Soweto derby, they have one eye on a bigger game the following weekend. But that was the situation on Saturday when Orlando Pirates took to the field in one of the world's biggest derby games. Yes, of course, for their fans and for the club, beating Kaizer Chiefs is massively important, but in comparison to playing for a second star, in comparison to playing to be crowned Kings of Africa for a second time, the Soweto derby for once was just a backdrop to a much bigger assignment. The fact is that come this Saturday, Orlando Pirates aren't just playing for the famous black and white half of Soweto, they are playing for the whole of South Africa.
Winning the CAF Champions League puts South African soccer back on the map. The spinoffs are there for all to enjoy. For the players playing in the PSL, all of a sudden scouts from Europe put South Africa back on their list of countries to include on their African scouting excursions. And if they are scouting the PSL, it's not just the Pirates players who will have the opportunity to be seen but all the players.
Safa benefits in as much as their clear lack of development structures and failure to qualify for international competitions at multiple levels, robbing our local players of critical international experience now at least sees some of Pirates' best young players being exposed to top level international football. Another benefit should Pirates win the CAF is that we get two teams who play in the next instalment of this competition, which can only benefit Bafana as they look to raise the standard which is currently way too low.
The sponsors of the PSL glow in the satisfaction of knowing they are backing a league that is comparable with the best on the continent and should Bucs win the whole thing, their league moves closer to being seen as the 'Jewel of Africa'. The league to play in, much in the same way the English Premier League is seen as the most glamorous league to play in Europe.
Orlando Pirates will be happy as the price tag on all their players that have campaigned in the CAF suddenly jumps, and rightly so. The value of the Orlando Pirates squad in terms of potential transfer fees increases considerably if the team wins a second star, not to mention a nice little payout of around R15 million and the right to play against the world's biggest clubs in the Fifa Club World Cup and the 2014 CAF Super Cup, with the opportunity for even more moola.
But, despite all the benefits that an Orlando Pirates' second star will bring, personally, the biggest win for South African football in my opinion is that Roger de Sa, Teboho Moloi and Eric Tinkler have shown that playing soccer the South African way - an entertaining, possession- based, quick passing game – is not only easy on the eye, but can also be hugely successful.
Pirates are showing that just being well organised, playing on the counterattack, knocking it into channels and getting it into the box need not be the blueprint for winning football.
De Sa has shown that there is space in South African football, even at clubs where winning is non-negotiable, to put the entertainers onto the field. How many other coaches in the PSL in massive games would put a player like Khethowakhe Masuku on the pitch and tell him to work his magic in the right areas? How many coaches would 'uncuff' the players in their team who long to express themselves, who have a need for creative freedom, but instead are 'enslaved' by a European coaching manual or outdated philosophies on how to play the game? How many coaches are still dishing out that old cliché, "All you see in the results column is the score, not how we got it."
Pirates is not just flying the flag for South African soccer. They're flying the flag for a return to 'our' football. Flying the flag for the 'truth' that South African soccer fans feel and recognise in the football that Pirates is dishing up. It's a brand of football that resonates with you even if you aren't a Bucs fan.
And for that reason, I hope Pirates go all the way. Winning the CAF Champions League playing this brand of football means no coach in the PSL can ever again say, "Do you want to win, or do you want to be entertained?" The simple answer? We want both! And don't tell us entertaining football isn't winning football - De Sa and Co have taken away that excuse for good.
Shapa, Clint
Follow me on Twitter: @SoccaClint
