Chiefs vs Pirates remains SA’s biggest drawcard

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2 July 2014

With 64 800 tickets sold by Monday, the popularity of Premier Soccer League (PSL) giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, and the popularity of the Carling Black Label Cup, which will pit the great rivals against one another, was plain to see.

The powerhouse clubs, which are set to do battle at the FNB Stadium in Soweto on 26 July, will see their team’s line-ups selected by their supporters. The selection format is part of the unique concept of the Carling Black Label Cup.

With ticket sales ticking over swiftly, the organisers have urged those keen on taking in the showdown to move quickly to secure their seats, if they have not already done so.

Now into its fourth edition, the pre-season tournament had proven to be a huge hit with fans, with the participation of the supporters growing each year.

‘Phenomenal’

“South African fans have once again thrown their support behind the Carling Black Label Cup and we are excited to see just them rally this campaign. The growth we saw in fan participation from year one till now has been phenomenal,” Carling Black Label General Manager Vijay Govindsamy said in a statement on Monday.

“We anticipate a good turn out and would like to encourage fans to keep on voting for their starting line-ups until the closing date. It is going to be another fantastic match.”

Voting

The concept sees supporters able to vote for the starting line-ups of the Soweto giants until 22 July. Fans can do this by purchasing a Carling Black Label beer and either dialing *120*764* or going to www.carlingblacklabel.co.za.

Previous winners

In 2013, after winning the PSL title, Kaizer Chiefs also lifted the Carling Black Label Cup. In their third attempt at victory in the clash, they defeated Orlando Pirates 1- 0.

The Buccaneers were PSL champions when they won the first edition of the Carling Black Label Cup in 2011. The teams were level at 0-0 after a tight contest before Pirates triumphed 4-3 from the penalty spot.

In 2012, the rivals played to a 1-1 draw, but the Buccaneers took the honours, again in a penalty shootout, 5-4, in front of a crowd of almost 93 000, which established an all-time attendance record for a football event in South Africa.

SAinfo reporter