The Greatest Football Rivalries and Derbies in Africa

Football may be a fairly young sport in Africa, but a lot of nations actually regard it as their main sport. A lot of kids in Africa grow up with aspirations of becoming professional football players one day. These aspirations have led to many rivalries to be formed among competing sides.

African football, like any other, has numerous rivalries, even greater ones than those seen on the pitch of the Premier League.

So if you are not familiar with African football yet, here is the best way to start and if you want to redeem the bet9ja promotion code, make sure to read this article first.

Al Ahly vs Zamalek (Egypt)

Egypt is one of the greatest African football nations, so it makes sense that they also have one of the greatest team rivalries. Matches between Al Ahly and Zamalek are high priority games and have known to cause riots among fans in the past.

Organizers go to such lengths to keep things in order by redirecting traffic to keep the fans apart and also bringing in officials from different countries to ensure regularity.

This rivalry has spawned both due to location and success. Both teams are from the Greater Cairo area and both are ranked as one of the best and most successful clubs on the continent.

Orlando Pirates vs Kaiser Chiefs (South Africa)

The rivalry between the South African clubs Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs is commonly referred to as the Soweto derby. Both teams are the two most successful clubs of the country and they both come from the Soweto township of Johannesburg.

In order to accommodate the large fan base of both teams, the derby is usually played at the FNB Stadium which can sit 90,000 people.

However, a number of notable incidents have happened in the past when these two teams play. The two major riots, Ellis Park and Orkney Stadium incidents resulted in 43 and 42 deaths.

Gor Mahia vs AFC Leopards (Kenya)

Known as the Nairobi derby, or Shemeji derby in Kenya, it is the match played between bitter rivals Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards. It is also known as being the oldest and at the same time the most intense rivalries in the country.

The rivalry is mainly tribe-based. Supporters of Gor Mahia predominantly come from the Luo tribe the AFC Leopards supporters are mostly comprised of Luhya tribe.

The match between the two teams is usually played at Nyao stadium or Moi International Stadium, Kasarani, and has ended in people dying or getting injured on more than one occasion.

Wydad Casablanca vs Raja Casablanca (Morocco)

The Casablanca derby played between Wydad and Raja in Morocco usually causes a slowdown in the entire city. Both teams come from Casablanca and both are the most successful ones in the country.

Football is hotly contested in Morocco and shops are closed before the match and debates are led long after it is done. The match usually takes place at the Mohammed V Stadium as it has the capacity to accommodate 80,000 people.