Zulu Royals, relegated from the Premier Soccer League (PSL) last season, are again trying to get back into the top flight via the courts rather than the football field.
This time they are trying to prove that Dikulu Bageta, a Congolese defender who played for Ajax Cape Town last season, was improperly registered by the league because of a dispute with his former club, TP Mazembe.
Two season’s ago — when Royals were called Amazulu but suffered the same relegation fate — they tried to return through the back door by alleging that Hellenic of Gareth Ncaca was improperly registered. They lost that case.Â
Now they are trying the same strategy with Bageta. The PSL registered the player last season after the Cape High Court ordered it to do so. Bageta was then allowed to play for Ajax Cape Town last season.
PSL chief executive Trevor Phillips said: ‘If I refused to register the player last season I would have been held in contempt of court and the high court judgement runs supreme over any of the Fifa rules and regulation.â€Â
The man known as the British Bulldog said that the case was now going to world football governing body Fifa, something that should have happened last season anyway.Â
Phillips said that the South African Football Association had been sent a letter by Fifa months ago stating that because the player, Bageta, was registered under a court order by the PSL the results of the past season will remain valid.Â
Last season’s court order had lapsed, prompting Royals’ action, but on Wednesday the court decided that the case should be referred to Fifa.