South Africans on the other hand have their own derbies between Soweto giants where Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs expect nothing less than a win for their sides in that match. Botswana is no exception. While in the past, there used to a fierce rivalry between giants Township Rollers, Gaborone United (GU) and Extension Gunners, Kgatleng giants Mochudi Centre Chiefs have in the past few seasons joined the fray. The Rollers/Chiefs fracas both on and off the field has become the order of the day. Like in other countries, these rivalries are what make football an interesting sport.
The rivalries bring supporters even closer to their teams and they become emotionally attached not only to the colours that their teams wear, but they also become emotionally attached to their players. Players in turn are expected by the same supporters to remain loyal. They are expected to take arms in rivalries and any form of transfer to a rival team is seen as a major betrayal. In Europe, few players have done that; the most notable being that of retired Portuguese midfielder, Luis Figo from Barcelona to Real Madrid at a record fee. Once a darling of the Catalan side, Figo was immediately labeled a traitor, igniting the already fierce rivalry between the two Spanish giants. Carlos Tevez did the same when he dumped Manchester United to join city rivals, Manchester City. Man United fans called him all sorts of names, not just because he left their team, but because of all the other teams in Europe, he chose their rivals. All the time these kinds of transfers take place, it takes months or even years for supporters of the concerned teams to forget. The return to the match venue where such player used to be a darling is never a pleasant one.
