Swansea City Vs. Cardiff City: the ‘South Wales derby’ is among the fiercest fixtures in the British football calendar. Almost annually, the two biggest clubs in Wales, separated by 34 miles along the M4, fight for local bragging rights, as they play each other home and away in the Championship, where the two clubs have remained stagnant since their respective mid-2010s relegations from the Premier League.
The South Wales derby, voted by One Football as the 6th biggest grudge match in the United Kingdom, is often controversial. Aside from the drama on the pitch, where Swansea have come out victorious on 34 occasions to Cardiff’s 24, the game is defined by the passion, hatred, and post-match euphoria (for the winning team, anyway) on display on the terraces.
As so often with derby games, it is a fixture that supporters must endure rather than enjoy. In the days leading up to South Wales’ biggest fixture, supporter nerves run high as they negotiate the prospect of their team getting beaten by their most bitter rivals at the weekend.
The emotion can turn ugly. It is almost inevitable that when two clubs with cultural differences, close geographical proximity, and a long history of hatred meet, there will be at least some degree of supporter trouble: that is just the reality of football in Britain.
The bubble fixture: Is it fair to Welsh football fans?
But are supporters of Swansea and Cardiff treated differently to many of their British counterparts on derby day? During the 1990s, away fans were, for a brief period, banned from attending the South Wales derby, a measure placed on no other fixture in the English Football pyramid.
On the one hand, this epitomises the level of hatred and animosity shared between the two clubs but simultaneously highlights a discriminatory attitude held by policing and football authorities towards Welsh football supporters that still stands today.
Today, Swansea Vs Cardiff is the only Football League or Premier League “bubble” fixture: a measure ensuring that all away supporters going to the derby will be required to travel, usually by coach, with official transport provided by the club from their home stadium directly to the opposing team’s stadium.
It is reasonable to suggest that while the ‘South Wales derby’ is synonymous with passion, hatred, and the occasional bit of violence, and precautions do need to be taken to ensure the safety of all supporters, it is arguably no more susceptible to fan trouble than Burnley Vs Blackburn, Preston Vs Blackpool, or Southampton Vs Portsmouth, all of which pass without the need to “bubble” travelling supporters.
Cardiff supporters may boycott the upcoming derby
Supporters are frustrated about the difficulties associated with attending one of the biggest games in their football calendar. Cardiff supporters, who have seen their team lose on each of their last three visits to the Liberty Stadium, are discussing boycotting the upcoming 25th August fixture in Swansea.
Sloper Road Blues, an online forum for Cardiff supporters, tweeted:
“Swansea (A)
Looks like there’s plans to boycott Swansea (A) due to the ongoing bubble that’s in place.
We are the only teams currently still under a bubble in the uk.
Enough is enough imo.”
Should the bubble remain in place? It’s difficult to foresee the trouble that may or may not be implicated without restrictions around the biggest game in Welsh football.
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