Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena believes the history of the Soweto Derby makes it incomparable to the Tshwane Derby despite both sides from the capital enjoying greater success in recent seasons.
Runaway leaders Sundowns are set to face third-placed SuperSport United in the DSTV Premiership on Tuesday.
Speaking after the 2-0 win over Chippa United, Rulani said the historical relevance of the Soweto Derby makes it greater than the Tshwane Derby.
“It’s very difficult to compare because the Soweto Derby has history. And we all know that. But that’s what may be the Tshwane Derby does not have that much, is the history.
“But I think in terms of the emotions and the rivalry for sure it is there. It’s a rivalry and that’s why it’s called the Derby.
“And over the years both teams have been extremely successful, especially in the in the previous recent history. There’s a lot of titles that are shared between SuperSport and Mamelodi Sundowns, both in the league and in terms of cups,” argued Rulani.
Sundowns won the reverse fixture 2-0 at the revamped Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.
Rulani believes that the Tshwane Derby is rich in terms of trophy success in recent years even though it’s lagging behind when it comes to historical relevance.
“So the prestige is there. The emotional connotation is there, so it’s difficult to compare because the one has where you would say you have the emotions on a historical background, and the other one has the emotions from the recent success of both teams.
“But I would say you can’t [compare], because then you you go into a space where you compare the Milan derby, for example, to a game between Roma and Lazio, for an example.
“It’s completely different but of course the derby is a derby and everybody wants to dominate and have the bragging rights of the city,” noted Rulani.
