Kaizer Chiefs could challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the 2021/22 DStv Premiership title after the ruling over their two December matches, which they failed to honour due to a Covid-19 outbreak, will be replayed.
Chiefs looked set to have lost out on six points from the fixtures they failed to honour before the mid-season break against Cape Town City at home and Golden Arrows away as a previous case went against Cape Umoya in the Glad Africa Championship last season.
However, within the arbitration with the South African Football Association, advocate Nazeer Cassim ruled against the Premier Soccer League and with Amakhosi.
According to TimesLive, the decision will now be further probed by the PSL executive committee in a meeting on Tuesday as the league previously charged the club over their incident and rejected requests to postpone the match and subsequent appeals before the matter was escalated to the SAFA arbitration.
“It is my view that KC [Chiefs] was justified in not fielding teams for the fixtures on December 4 and December 8 2021. These two games must be replayed,” Cassim said, as per TimesLive.
“There is much to be said that where possible games must be replayed in order to enable soccer to triumph and the best team on the day in question to be rewarded for its efforts.
“I am averse to the litigation process deciding the winner. It is better that the results of the match be determined in the field.”
The decision could play a major role in the campaign with Chiefs mathematically able to bridge the gap against league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns to four points due to their games in hand – while they will also meet the reigning champions again this season on May 8.
