Orlando Pirates Fans Begin Funds Drive to Reward Kaizer Chiefs Star After Huge Favour in Title Race

Kaizer Chiefs did bitter rivals Orlando Pirates a huge favour in the title race in South Africa when they held champions Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday.

Heading into the midweek match against Chiefs, Sundowns were enjoying a five-point lead over Pirates but the Soweto giants had a game in hand which would see them close the gap to two points with two games to go.

However, after the 1-1 draw, Sundowns lead the standings with 65 points from 28 games, while Pirates have 62, having played 27, and will now move level if they win their match in hand. What is more, Pirates have a superior goal difference that would take them to the summit and if they win every match from now, a first Premier Soccer League title since 2012 could be theirs.

Things had looked bleak for Pirates when Sundowns took command of the standings but the heroic acts of Chiefs goalkeeper Brandon Petersen have changed the arithmetic.

During Wednesday’s game at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, Petersen stood tall, making three crucial saves in the first half, while his side scored after a rare break forward and in the second half, he was breached but still proved why he is one the best goalkeepers in the division.

Petersen had a couple of second half saves but it was one in the dyeing minutes that kept the scores 1-1. From a late freekick, Sundowns defender Grant Kekana had a point-blank header that he was sure would win it for his team but Petersen got a strong hand on the ball and kept it out to pull off one of the best saves this season.

That heroic act has seen Pirates fans start a funds drive aimed at rewarding Petersen with a cow for doing them such a huge favour.

Through social media influencer Chris Excel, the supporters have started an online fundraiser through BackABuddy with the target of hitting R15,000 (Ksh118,058) to reward Petersen with a cow. By Friday morning, just over R3,000 (Ksh23,611) had been raised on the platform.

Though light-hearted, the fact that Pirates fans are willing to reward a player from their biggest rivals, shows how desperate they are to see their team lift the league title, having watched others do it for 13 years.