Posted in Features, News on Oct 26, 2018.
Zacharia ‘Computer’ Lamola participated in many Derbies during his time playing for Kaizer Chiefs in the seventies. The skillful midfielder participated in numerous Soweto Derbies. He explains why this game between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is so special.
“The Soweto Derby is far more than just a football match. It’s a question of ratification and superiority between the father and the son. The father maintains that he’s superior to the son, while the son thinks he can do always do better than the father did.
The club has surpassed Orlando Pirates in many ways since its foundation in 1970 – administratively, when it comes to silverware, Chiefs Village… Just to see Chiefs Village tells you a lot about leadership. The Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, is a visionary and he’s committed to implementing that vision.
When it comes to performance, Chiefs haven’t had the best of seasons in recent years. No journey is always smooth, but you also can’t have gravel all the way. Falling isn’t failure, but it’s in failing to learn a lesson from your fall. If you learnt a lesson from your fall, you did not fall. You went down to pick up that lesson. When you go through a rough patch, you learn great lessons. One can’t measure Chiefs’ stature based on recent results.
Lamola also spoke about his most memorable Derby:
“The best Derby I was involved with concerned a cup game against Orlando Pirates in 1972. I was on the bench. But Ace Ntsoelengoe, however, was struggling because of a knee injury. They tried to patch him after half-time, but he had to be replaced ten minutes into the second half. The score was 2-0 for Pirates at half-time. We got back to 2-2 after 90 minutes and had to go into extra time. We eventually won 7-3. I was brilliant that day. The supporters even asked coach Zero Johnson after the match, ‘Why is Computer on the bench?’ To be honest, the coach never put me on the bench again after that match.”
“The Soweto Derby is far more than just a football match. It’s a question of ratification and superiority between the father and the son. The father maintains that he’s superior to the son, while the son thinks he can do always do better than the father did.
The club has surpassed Orlando Pirates in many ways since its foundation in 1970 – administratively, when it comes to silverware, Chiefs Village… Just to see Chiefs Village tells you a lot about leadership. The Chairman, Kaizer Motaung, is a visionary and he’s committed to implementing that vision.
When it comes to performance, Chiefs haven’t had the best of seasons in recent years. No journey is always smooth, but you also can’t have gravel all the way. Falling isn’t failure, but it’s in failing to learn a lesson from your fall. If you learnt a lesson from your fall, you did not fall. You went down to pick up that lesson. When you go through a rough patch, you learn great lessons. One can’t measure Chiefs’ stature based on recent results.
Lamola also spoke about his most memorable Derby:
“The best Derby I was involved with concerned a cup game against Orlando Pirates in 1972. I was on the bench. But Ace Ntsoelengoe, however, was struggling because of a knee injury. They tried to patch him after half-time, but he had to be replaced ten minutes into the second half. The score was 2-0 for Pirates at half-time. We got back to 2-2 after 90 minutes and had to go into extra time. We eventually won 7-3. I was brilliant that day. The supporters even asked coach Zero Johnson after the match, ‘Why is Computer on the bench?’ To be honest, the coach never put me on the bench again after that match.”
