Kaizer Chiefs’ arbitration case over their two December fixtures which they failed to honour after a Covid-19 outbreak at Naturena was heard today and the outcome will likely be announced on Tuesday.
The second sitting of the arbitration was held under SAFA arbitrator Nazeer Cassim SC on Tuesday and Wednesday after the initial sitting had been postponed.
Chiefs were struck by a Covid-19 outbreak in December, which saw them fail to honour their fixtures against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows.
The Premier Soccer League, though, didn’t accept Amakhosi’s request to postpone the games and their opponents as well as the match officials arrived as per normal.
It was thought the league could hand Chiefs’ opponents walkovers, but the Glamour Boys took the case to SAFA for an arbitration.
The case was heard on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with TimesLIVE reporting that advocate Cassim will give his outcome next week Tuesday, 22 March after the arguments were heard and completed.
Chiefs, whose legal team is led by advocate Norman Arendse SC, insist they followed national safety protocols and the country’s Covid-19 regulations, while the league’s rules state that Covid-19 cannot be used as an excuse to not honour fixtures.
The outcome of the case could impact this year’s title race, with Amakhosi currently sitting 16 points behind Mamelodi Sundowns but with four games – including the ones against City and Arrows – in hand.
Should the ruling go in Chiefs favour they could potentially cut their gap on Masandawana to just four points, with both set to play each other again.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu charged Chiefs to appear before the league’s DC but has been postponed twice for the arbitration case to be finalised.
