The Corner Flag: Benoni Derby, you didn’t disappoint!

The Benoni Derby, between Old Bens and Benoni Northerns, on Saturday lived up to its high expectations.

It captured the hearts of the fans with goals that will echo through time.

The reserves match produced seven goals, while the first teams ended with eight goals after a thrilling 4-4 draw.

Both teams sparked life into the scorching afternoon with matches played at a high tempo from start to finish.

There was action galore and the crowd left Currin Park satisfied, with lots to cheer for after being entertained all afternoon.

The Zambian author Dominic Mulaisho comments in his novel, The Tongue of the Dumb, that when two elephants clash, it’s often the grass that suffers.

Currin Park suffered.

Men tumbled to the ground as tackles flew in and others writhed in agony at full-time after the two giants of Benoni left nothing to chance in the battle for the bragging rights.

The players put their bodies on the line. They played with heart and fought for their teams’ badges. As Northerns striker Malose Makhafola said, both teams wanted to make their supporters happy.

The fans were happy. But this was more than just football.

Big ups to you gentlemen for treating the fans like royalty. Some of these fans go out to watch sports to forget about issues they are dealing with in their lives.

Our country continues to battle rolling blackouts, water-shedding and poverty due to malfeasance. But you made some forget they were load-shed from 14:00 to 18:00. They came to Old Bens and became part of an entertaining afternoon.

For some Benonians inside Currin Park, what you gave them on Saturday was palliative treatment to forget about all the issues suffocating our country.

For four hours, they forgot they continue to be subjected to daily blasting because of illegal mining, the crime plaguing the country and that their town is rotting due to neglect.

In the documentary, Pulse of the Nation, which shines a light on the history of football in SA, it’s mentioned that most black South Africans used soccer to forget their daily reality in the 1960s and 1970s.

These supporters filled stadiums to capacity to run away from the brutality they were subjected to and the players, aware of the politics of the day, enthralled them with a brand of football unique only to this country and they left match venues fully satisfied.

You did the same for the Benonians who filled the Old Bens Sports Club during the derby.

I know the situations are vastly different, but our country is fighting a battle that’s affecting everyone. It has left many of us despondent and sport is our only outlet.

As former Uruguay Captain, Diego Forlan puts it, “Everyone in life has problems and football seems turns out to be the cheapest therapy”.

So, what you did on Saturday, was commendable.

For that, thank you.

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