Khoza
PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza has confirmed the league will appeal the Johannesburg high court ruling which set aside Ajax Cape Town’s automatic relegation.
Khoza insisted the new season will begin on August 3 as scheduled and have requested an urgent sitting from the court.
The future of the league was thrown into uncertainty after Judge Denise Fisher referred the Tendai Ndoro matter to the Fifa Players’ Status Committee for a final ruling.
After Black Leopards were promoted to the top flight via the playoffs, the league now has to solve the conundrum of a 17th team assuming their Ajax appeal is unsuccessful. Khoza recently ruled out the prospect of having an 18 team league.
In May, the South African Football Association (Safa) ruled that Ajax Cape Town had illegally fielded Ndoro, docking the Mother City team seven points. The ruling saw the club automatically relegated from the PSL.
Ndoro was accused of violating Fifa regulations by playing for three clubs in one season. Platinum Stars, Polokwane City and SuperSport United protested Ndoro’s eligibility. The PSL charged Ajax with using a player who had already played for two different clubs previously in a single season.
The matter over Ndoro’s eligibility went to a Safa arbitration. Ndoro played a game for Orlando Pirates in August‚ then signed for and played for Al Faisaly in Saudi Arabia. He signed for Ajax in late December and has played seven games for them since.
Ndoro reportedly cost the club R2.5-million from Al-Faisaly earlier this year‚ which at the time the club stated was on a two-season contract. He made eight appearances for the Urban Warriors in all competitions‚ scoring just a single goal.