By: Natasha Archary
Sporting rivalry is huge when it comes to football and family, especially when children inherit their parent’s or older sibling’s football team. This brought up the Drive 959 team to get into this topic, recounting how football rivalry within families is a big deal.
South Africans will be able to relate to the biggest rivalry in the PSL between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
It’s such a prominent fixture in the country and banter around the results of the derby can cause divides in even the most solid relationships.
International football teams also receive similar devotion from supporters with two of the biggest clubs in the English Premier League, Manchester United and Liverpool consistently creating conflict between supporters for decades.
How do family members who support different football teams deal with the rivalry in their households?
When it comes to football and family, the rivalry goes beyond having talking rights, some supporters take their teams wins and losses personally and may even go into a state of depression at their team’s defeat.
All for just 3-points some may argue. But it goes deeper than that.
Take Christiano Ronaldo’s transfer back to Manchester United 12 years after he left Old Trafford for Real Madrid for instance, United supporters were thrilled and Liverpool supporters couldn’t help but point out that before the deal was finalised, they were bashing Ronaldo for being a sell-out.
It was a social media war with Ronaldo’s resigning taking precedence, in a similar fashion to Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona.
The banter between the supporters fuels the rivalry, so much so that some family members refuse to speak to each other after a game that doesn’t end in their favour.
Whether you’re a football fan or not, it’s likely you know someone who reacts in a similar fashion.
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959:
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