Fabian McCarthy, Chiefs' stand-in captain for this past Saturday’s Soweto derby, has come out in full praise of both sets of fans for their outstanding behaviour at Saturday’s game between Chiefs and Pirates.

McCarthy also commented on their outstanding sportsmanship, which was a great advert for South African Football and feels the behaviour of the Chiefs and Pirates fans at the Derby sent out a message to the rest of the world that South Africa is ready to stage the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“I was really pleased to see that Chiefs and Pirates supporters at places almost sat side by side, and that they adhered to the principles of Fair Play the derby is always a special occasion this one was made more special with the excellent atmosphere created by the fans” said McCarthy.

Fabian was supported in his praise for the fans by teammate, Siyabonga Nkosi, who was playing in his first official Soweto derby.

“As a boy you dream about playing on such a stage. I never in my wildest imagination thought that the atmosphere would be so electric, the scenes inside and outside the stadium were very colourful and one could see that every one at the stadium really enjoyed themselves” said Nkosi.

Also lending his voice and joining in with thanking the fans is Chiefs Scara Ngobese, who is always a clear favourite with the crowd, saying “I love playing in front of a full stadium. Once again I felt really appreciated with the way the fans reacted when I came on. After missing out on last season's Soweto derbies, it was really wonderful to have been able to have been part of such an exciting and enthralling game, played in front of such an appreciative crowd. To all of those who were at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, you really made it special”.

The final message of appreciation to the fans who allowed for the game to pass without any incident comes from Chiefs assistant coach Frank Eulberg “it was great to see our fans cheering and encouraging the team on right to the end. We could not have got a result out of the game without our fans. And also to the Pirates fans for being a good sport as they too helped create a magical atmosphere at the Stadium."

Kaizer Chiefs would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who turned out at the FNB Stadium on Saturday for being true ambassadors of South African Football. As you all demonstrated that South Africa is ready for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, as well as giving the FNB Stadium a right royal send-off by creating a wonderful atmosphere inside and outside the stadium.