ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Johannesburg | Tuesday 10.30am.
COINING the phrase “Simply unbelievable” to describe the Rothmans Cup was a stroke of ironic wit that no copy writer had the foresight to know would be so pertinent this season.
In a new twist to a tangled soccer year, Jomo Cosmos have been booted out of the lucrative tournament and Free State Stars reinstated by the SA Foootball Association’s appeal board.
Cosmos’ 2-1 defeat by Manning Rangers on Saturday is now null-and-void and Rangers will have to meet Stars at an as yet undecided time and venue.
The drama began when Stars fielded a suspended player — Themba Seli — and Cosmos lodged an appeal that saw Stars banned from the tournament and fined R50000. Although beten in that game, Cosmos then progressed.
However, the appeal board on Monday found that Stars had not been given an opportunity to state their case.
“We looked at the matters pertaining to the issue, Safa and PSL rules. The PSL (disciplinary committee) was successful on the merits of the case but unsuccessful on the sentence, which was too harsh,” said Mophosho Mophosho, the appeal board chairman.
Stars spokesman Jabu Khumalo said: “We have consisstently maintained the sentece was too harsh and now we have been vindicated. We are looking forward to playing against Rangers in the semifinals.”
The appeal board recommended that the PSL revisit it’s rules about cautions and resolved that Seli will still serve his three match suspension.