The ghosts of derbies past

Why three of Africa's biggest derbies were postponed or cancelled in the last three weeks.

It’s derby day!

The biggest day on the football calendar. Where legends are born, villains made and the passion of a city distilled into 90 minutes.

But in the past couple weeks, not one, not two, but three of Africa’s biggest derbies have been postponed on the day. Cairo, Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi all endured the humiliation of postponing the biggest game of the season and bringing the clubs, the leagues and the countries into disrepute. But where did it go wrong and what does it mean for those clubs?

Cairo Derby: Al Ahly vs Zamalek 11/03/25

The most recent and largest of postponements came in the Egyptian Premier League where arguably Africa’s two biggest clubs Al Ahly and Zamalek were due to renew the greatest of rivalries on the continent.

But when Zamalek took to the pitch it was without Al Ahly, who had boycotted the match because of the Egyptian Premier League’s decision to use Egyptian referees instead of bringing in a foreign one.

The day before the match, Al Ahly raised their concerns about the refereeing situation claiming the Egyptian Clubs’ Association had previously committed to providing foreign referees for a match that has, for over a decade, regularly relied on foreign officials.

The Egyptian Federation claimed they wanted to supply foreign referees but didn’t have enough time to organise it. The reason they didn’t have time was that the game was only scheduled a week ago and that was perhaps the reason Al Ahly are boycotting the game.

For the first time this season, the Egyptian Premier League has adopted a different league format. Similar to leagues in Scotland and Belgium, the EPL now has two rounds, starting with a round where all 18 teams play each other once. The league is then split in two and the top nine teams will play each other for the title and continental qualification, while the bottom nine play to avoid relegation.

And so the second round of fixtures was only released last Friday at 5 AM, just four days before the derby. Like most leagues around the world, the fixtures were released without a public draw or anything and Al Ahly were given perhaps the most difficult fixture list. The Red Devils who finished the first leg of the league just three points behind league leaders Pyramids kicked off their campaign with the derby before playing Pyramids immediately after. On top of that, the Egyptian champions have been given a bye in the final round of fixtures (because there is an odd number of teams) meaning that they will not be playing on the final matchday.

Feeling like this was a setup, Al Ahly decided to boycott the game against Zamalek and have even threatened to boycott the rest of the league season if the situation isn’t resolved. As of now, Zamalek were awarded a 3-0 win and we wait to see what happens next.

Kariakoo Derby: Yanga vs Simba 08/03/25

Just days before North Africa’s biggest derby, East Africa’s biggest derby suffered the same fate.

With Yanga just four points ahead of Simba but their red rivals having a game in hand, this edition of the Kariakoo Derby was set to be the biggest in years. The last couple of years, Dar Es Salaam has been painted green by the Wananchi but under South African coach Fadlu Davids, Simba have roared back into relevance and are proper title contenders again.

And so it was to mine and thousands of others’ dismay when we found out that the game had been postponed. Like Al Ahly, Simba had made an official complaint the day before the match.

What was their complaint? That they had been barred from entering Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. As ridiculous as it sounds, Wekundu wa Msimbazi were unable to access the stadium to train the day before the match and they accused Yanga as having been involved in stopping them from training, something that the Tanzanian Federation agreed on.

In their statement on the game’s postponement, the TFF stated that, “In the reports, the Committee also noted that the security guards, some of whom were identified as belonging to the Yanga club, participated in the incident of preventing the Simba club bus from entering the field.”

Unlike Egypt, the TFF has postponed the game, rather than awarding a win to either Yanga or Simba.

For a league that has previously been tarnished by a reputation of dirty tricks and subterfuge – to the point that visiting CAF Champions League clubs bring their own chefs and book multiple hotels to hide where they are actually staying – it is not a good look. While Tanzanian football has made leaps and bounds in the last decade, to the point that Simba and Yanga rightfully consider themselves among Africa’s elite, the ludicrous events around this postponement had done Tanzanian football’s reputation a lot of damage.

Mashemeji Derby: AFC Leopards vs Gor Mahia 02/03/25

Just a week before their East African cousins didn’t kick off the biggest derby in Tanzania, Kenyan football was gearing up for the Mashemeji Derby, a match that once upon a time could consider itself among the greatest rivalries on the continent.

It is perhaps a poignant indictment on the once-hallowed match, that the game was postponed because AFC Leopards were unable to get a stadium to host the game. And while it initially embarrassing for Leopards who were the “home” team, the greater share of shame resides squarely with the Kenyan Football Federation. That is because there currently is no stadium in the entire country capable of hosting the game.

I’ll let you sit with that for a moment.

In all of Kenya, there is no stadium up to scratch to host the biggest club game. Just two years out from the 2027 AFCON that is being co-hosted by Kenya along with Uganda and Tanzania, it is not a good look.

Both Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums, the traditional homes of the Mashemeji Derby and the Harambee Stars, are under renovation. While the Kenyan Federation claims that Kasarani will be ready by 2027, as well as the Talanta Sports Stadium which is under construction, both Nyayo and Kasarani were meant to be used for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in February but due to being unfished, the tournament has been postponed till August.

There have even been suggestions from different voices in Kenya, to host the rescheduled fixture in Dar Es Salaam or Kampala. A truly humiliating option, but one that the FKF might have to take.

The FKF is under new leadership, with Hussein Mohamed and former Harambee Stars and Inter Milan midfielder McDonald Mariga beating the incumbent and previously arrested Nick Mwendwa in December elections.

They quickly set about showing the world that they are now a serious organisation by hiring Benni McCarthy to coach the Harambee Stars, a genuinely ambitious appointment.

But their real task in making Kenyan football creditable will be simply administrating Kenyan football competently, something that has seemed impossible for the last couple of decades.

For now, like their Egyptian and Tanzanian counterparts, Kenyan football has a lot of work to do.