By Samindra Kunti
July 27 – The Premier Soccer League in South Africa will now get underway as scheduled next weekend after Ajax Cape Town dropped their bid to suspend the big kick-off in the South Gauteng High Court.
South African football had been thrown into disarray following a dispute between the Cape Town club and the PSL over the ineligibility of striker Tendai Ndoro and the subsequent punishment relegation of Ajax leading to the club’s relegation.
South African Football Association (SAFA) arbitrator William Mokhari had docked points from Cape Town last season in three matches against Platinum Stars, SuperSport and Polokwane City, awarding the matches 3-0 to their opponents.
The ruling sent Cape Town to the second tier of domestic football, the NFD, but in a surprise move the club backed down in court on Thursday, no longer trying to halt the PSL over its relegation to the second-tier side. That issue has however not been resolved yet as the PSL persuaded judge Fisher to allow to appeal her decision, which had stated that the FIFA’s Player Status Committee was the sole competent body to hear the case.
The reasons Cape Town refrained from pressing their case, after all the brouhaha, are unclear. In court, there was no legal explanation from the Cape club and club CEO Ari Efstathiou and his council Advocate Norman Arendse afterwards refused to answer press questions prompting speculation that reassurances offered to the club by the PSL?
Last week Efstathiou indicated that his club were willing to compromise. “We have continually said that and offered to find a compromise that satisfies all parties, at least to some degree, but the league has chosen to go the legal route,” said the Cape Town CEO.
The PSL will get off with a bang as defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns take on Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs next Saturday. The Absa Premiership will concluded on 11 May 2019.
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