Technology will be the order of the day at the Soweto derby of the Champion Cup

The Soweto Derby is undoubtedly one of the most passionate matches on the African continent and has remained so since the teams’ first clash in 1970 after the Kaizer Chiefs breakaway from Orlando Pirates in the same year.

Experts believe this year’s off-season derby in the 2019 Carling Black Label Champion Cup, will be a highly contested affair as it attracts not just fierce rivalry but also massive support from football fans across the country.

Speaking in an interview with Alex News, Carling Black Label brand director Grant Pereira urged fans to lead the way in shaping football through the use of technology. “We have now gone beyond just affording fans the opportunity to select their starting line-up.”

The 2019 edition of the off-season cup to be played at the FNB Stadium on 27 July, encourages fans to shape the future of football by choosing what Grant described as ‘game-changers’ that will impact the rules of the beautiful game.

Pereira said the game-changers will give fans more control of the match through technological advancements, format changes and more power to further evolve the game. This in the same vein as VAR [Video assisted Refereeing] and other technological forms that have made teams and players more accessible for fans through their websites and social media accounts.

For this match, three of the game-changers are linked to social media as football fans will be able to vote to select substitutions, the Man of the Match and the team captain on Twitter.

In addition to these advancements, Pereira said fans could vote for the match officials to wear a microphone on the field of play. “All these game-changers are in an effort to evolve the game of football and bring football fans, as mouthpieces, closer to the game.

“Technology is a huge part of modern football and these four changes play a part in giving fans more power in shaping the future of football. This off-season cup has been uniquely established for the fans, and with each edition we try to find progressive ways of enhancing the fan experience,” Pereira added.

For a long time, Pereira said fans had always wanted to hear what the referee said to players on the field of play each time he made decisions, good or bad, and the mouthpiece would allow the fans to hear it all.

What do you think of the latest technological innovation from the Carling Black Label Champion Cup? Tweet @AlexNewsZA

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