Breaking: PSL-Chiefs Case Takes Another Twist

By Velile Mnyandu 

The case between the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Kaizer Chiefs has taken another twist, with Cape Town City now threatening to interdict the rescheduled DStv Premiership matches featuring them and Golden Arrows against Chiefs until the High Court hearing is over.

This follows City’s response to a leaked PSL circular (No.16) last week to its member clubs about the two games against City and Golden Arrows that Chiefs had sought postponement for in December following a Covid-19 outbreak at the club. 

Following Chiefs’ failure to honour the two matches due to the Covid-19 outbreak which saw more than 50 staff members testing positives at the club, including players and technical team members who and been in contact with other players and technical staff from other clubs during the league matches. Chiefs’ request for its five matches in December including these two games was turned down by the PSL football department. 

Just as the PSL Disciplinary Committee charged Chiefs for misconduct after failing to honour the games against City and Arrows, the club appealed the refusal to postpone the matches to SAFA and the case went straight into arbitration. And that is where the arbitrator appointed by SAFA, advocate Nazeer Cassim SC ruled in favour of Chiefs and ordered that the games against City and Arrows be replayed. 

Normally in sporting tribunals, an arbitration outcome is seen as final and binding but this particular one was not accepted by the PSL and they have since taken the matter to the South Gauteng High Court and asked for this arbitration award to be reviewed. 

In this leaked document, circular (no.16) it is said that the court hearing will take place on 10 May and that it was agreed that no party will seek to interdict the finalization of this current season regardless of the outcome handed down by the high court. 

iDiski Times has seen a letter that City wrote to the PSL challenging the decision to go ahead with the matches before the court hearing takes place on 10 May. They also accuse the PSL of taking this decision unilaterally together with Chiefs excluding the other two parties involved (City and Arrows). 

City also raise the issue of serious implications that this decision has for them, including the “cost of playing the matches, risk of player injuries, home ground advantage of the return of fans to the stadium and potential effect of yellow card or red card suspensions…during this critical phase of the season”. 

In the latest correspondence from City’s lawyers to the PSL, they demand that the decision taken by the league to reschedule the two matches be revoked, alternatively for the dispute to be referred to an urgent arbitration, which shall need to be concluded before the date of the first rescheduled match. iDiski Times understands that 27 and 30 of April had been identified as the two dates for the rescheduled games. 

Should this not be done, City’s lawyers are threatening to institute urgent court proceedings to interdict the rescheduled games.  

Story by Velile Mnyandu.

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