It may have been a mere two rounds of the Betway Premiership played but the excitement has been way out of this world and the celebrations have been palpable.
There was euphoria at the beginning of last season, but it does not come close to this year’s start.
Last year, Amakhosi supporters, one way or the other, coerced Chiefs bosses to rope in Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi to the club; otherwise, there were going to be riots bigger than June 16 1976.
Chiefs went ahead and freed Nabi from his contract with Tanzania’s Simba FC.
The celebrations were on the same level as winning a major trophy – to the uninitiated, it was like Jesus Christ had come back to Mount Naturena.
Well, we all know the rest of the story. Nabi is still in the kitchen and is seemingly cooking his mogodu with a candle flame – but after a good start, there are glimpses of hope that there could finally be some eating, taking this season.
At Pirates, there was also euphoria ahead of the 2024-25 start with Jose Riveiro having won four trophies in the previous two seasons. The Buccaneers were convinced that they were going to elbow Mamelodi Sundowns from the apex and take their place at the top of the mountain.
Bucs rewrote history, recorded seven straight wins, but their wheels fell off like that of a knackered Volkswagen Beetle.
For Sundowns, well, what can we say, they were already saying just give us our PSL title, our eighth in a row and 15th overall in the PSL era. And they could not wait for the season to end so that they could go gallivanting about in the land of the apple pie for the Fifa Club World Cup.
There was just so much to get excited about, but not like this season. The stadiums are full and match tickets are selling like sweets at a kiddie’s bazaar. Pirates introduced season tickets, and fans went bonkers. All of Pirates matches, including the away fixture in Bloemfontein, were sold-out affairs.
Chiefs have a mammoth task in filling the gigantic FNB Stadium, but they will easily fill other venues across the country. After amassing maximum points in their two matches, the fans will not be faulted for believing. After all, they are the biggest club in the country, and they suffered a great deal until they clinched the Nedbank Cup trophy, under the noses of the Buccaneers, their sworn rivals and enemies.
Chiefs have been doing off-season ticketing for some while; it’s just that the club, in terms of performance, was at its lowest.
The colossal Soccer City venue would swallow their odd 10-20 000 supporters and create a vacuum. But that has all changed, as we witnessed when they zig-zagged past Polokwane on Wednesday night.
It would be amiss not to mention the return of the green and white brigade in the City of Roses. The much-loved Siwelele FC fanatics blanketed the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in a sea of Celtic colours and increased the decibels with every chorus they chanted and sang.
Those heart-warming scenes are just something to behold.
It makes one so proud to be a follower of South African football. If only those boardroom squabbles and the shenanigans that happen off the field and behind closed doors could be a thing of the past.
We will get there one day.
