The first round was a muted outcome for Simba SC as it ended its match against Horoya Athletic Club with a 1-0 deficit and, thus, showing potential to make a comeback in the return match.
Young Africans SC, alias Yanga, ended their first match on a more slippery note as their deficit was wider, losing 2-0 to Union Sportive Monastirienne, thus having a less appealing impression to the fans as to an eventual comeback to win.
The second round of derbies worked in the opposite direction and in a tremendous way, as the higher profile side, Simba SC, lost 3-0 to Raja Casablanca and clouded their ability to move forward, as this sharply diminished chances of finishing among the top two in the group.
The second-tier tournament participants, Yanga, put up a regal show to hammer the point home that it is a good side, in shaving off famed opponents, Tout Puissant Mazembe, by the same score line as the loss by their next-street rivals.
The previous day’s loss by a steep margin fortified confidence in their rivals’ camp, to end the show for the moment, thus pushing the previous encounters to a back quarter, to retain a memorable win and a steep loss.
As is often the case, nearly everyone was the loser in the Simba SC loss to Raja Casablanca in a routine but the hugely unexpected manner, as local pundits, in the spirit of what is known these days as ‘best odds,’ substituted wishful thinking for actual projection of the game.
The ‘best odds’ for two full days were ‘draw or Simba SC wins’ as even talk show givers sympathetic to Yanga were worried about sounding a negative note.
As there was no actual survey of talk show contents outside random listening during the morning to midday shows, there is still an outside chance that some pundits predicted a Raja Casablanca win whether in either a forthright manner or shamefacedly.
In that case, an old rule of clear thinking was displayed, that clear thinking is hard as it is always mixed with desire, and let it be said, the more one is on a public podium where pleasing those listening is vital, the less capable is such a person likely to display clear thinking.
Chances are that pundits would find ample reasons for bending their intuitions to suit the wishes of the fans, and thus of advertisers in this or that radio channel when they know it has a lot of listeners for its sports shows.
Such a situation is not especially convivial for upright analysis, as the fans are unlikely to make a valid distinction between prediction, projection, and prognostication.
In that case, the collapse of these predictions was a belated freeing of pundits to make valid predictions or at least let their projections emerge more freely, not constantly checked and impelled to play to the gallery.
Still, it cannot be said that there was a massive difference between projecting the derbies played in the city arena and those to be played on foreign soil the following week, and predictably more of the same will be noticed in the ultimate city derbies in continental tourneys. When they play three away ties and three home games, it will be over.
What has been noticed for the derby encounter for a Kampala suburb where Simba SC tackled Vipers SC, the other conquerors of TP Mazembe, the crucial issue being heard was that the tie would be difficult.
There was a clear appreciation of Vipers SC's qualities, as they obtained a point against Horoya Athletic Club, unlike the visiting side, and, in that context, ought to be confident in facing Simba SC on home turf.
The well-known fans’ anticipatory cry for the visiting sides tackling either of the city rivals or indeed 'upstarts’ to continental tourneys, if it is applied to Kampala, could have been a negative prediction for Simba SC, as Vipers SC's fans also expected never visitors’ win on their turf.
It is rather unclear how much time has been spent discussing the Jangwani Street outfit foreign encounter, partly because there was no confidence in that sphere and far less anxiety than with Msimbazi Street outfit fans
By a dint of repetition, the error in talks shows of the previous week was being repeated in a silent and unforced manner, by nearly taking it for granted that Yanga stands to win its foreign encounter with AS Real Bamako, firstly a little-known contender for continental titles – perhaps like Yanga or Rivers United of Nigeria, etc.
There was some profiling of the side and a clear admission that by making it to the Group Stage they are a good side, admittedly.
It was going to take more than this matter-of-fact admission that AS Real Bamako might be a good side, at least for those who have watched past elimination stage encounters in CAF inter-club competitions.
Horoya Athletic Club was once playing a Malian side (cannot recall which club it was) and there was entertaining football, with the ball being spread around the wide pitch, nothing like the sort of performance one encounter in our modicum Premier League pitches.
In that case, Yanga might make the mistake of carrying the baggage of pride to Bamako, seemingly.
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