Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy credits South African football for the enthralling provincial derbies it has brought to the table.
“Listen, I think that it’s good for South African football that in most provinces we have two good teams that are rivals,” McCarthy told IOL.
The legendary Bafana Bafana marksman was speaking ahead of their showdown with Ajax Cape Town in the season’s second Cape derby on Saturday.
“Here in Jozi you have the Soweto giants with the ultimate derby that we have in the country (between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates). Then you have the Tshwane Derby (between Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United) which is fast growing with beautiful football and lots of goals," he said.
“You have the Free State derby (between Free State Stars and Bloemfontein Celtic). And then there is the Cape Derby, Ajax and us a newly formed team but fast becoming superior because you have the Mac Daddy (McCarthy),” McCarthy jokingly said.
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After winning the first Cape derby 2-0 this season, McCarthy believes it’s a good platform for Cape football to showcase its talent while bringing in players like Craig Martin.
“It’s good for South African football and for Cape Town as a whole, showcasing the good game of football with a lot of young players who are on display," he said.
“For me to have a player like Craig Martin who came from the amateur ranks, played in his first derby and did so well is unbelievable," he added.
“It shows you the amount of talent that comes out there and the passion that you see in the derby,” McCarthy concluded.
