Johannesburg — The case involving Kaizer Chiefs’ failure to honour some of their matches in December due to a covid-19 outbreak at the club could be put to bed sooner than expected as the club and the league have to agree on an arbitrator by Monday.
Early in December, Chiefs wrote to the Premier Soccer League, pleading for five matches to be postponed after not fewer than 50 personnel tested positive for Covid-19 at their base — where they were forced to close down all operations.
The PSL rejected Chiefs request, although the club pulled a no show for their two matches against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows. However, two weeks ago, Chiefs were subsequently found guilty by the league’s prosecutor Zola Majavu.
But Majavu couldn’t hand down his sentencing last week Friday, December 21, with Chiefs requesting that the matter be taken to the South African Football Association Arbitrator for further assessment before a decision is taken.
Majavu and his legal team agreed to Chiefs’ request. And according to online publication TimesLive, Chiefs and the PSL will have until Monday, January 31, to agree on an arbitrator. Or else the mother body will subsequently find them one.
TimesLive also reported on Wednesday that the case against Orlando Pirates’ media officer Thandi Merafe was dropped at the Orlando Police Station. Merafe was arrested and released on free bail after being accused of slapping counterpart and former IOL Sport football writer, Minenhle Mkhize.
Mkhize, the TS Galaxy media officer, was involved in the scuffle that resulted in The Rockets’ chairman Tim Sukazi being denied entry into the change room at the Orlando Stadium during his team’s clash against the Buccaneers early in December.
However, Pirates counter-attacked by opening a case of their own, reporting that one of their staff members was assaulted by a personnel from Galaxy. However, the two dockets, according to an official from the Orlando Police Station, have been closed.
“Both dockets are closed and finalised,” Nomvula Mbense from Orlando Police Station told TimesLIVE in a text message. "Cas 436/01/2021 is closed undetected. There was no prospect of a successful prosecution in the case of Cas 173/12/2021.”
Sukazi was caught on camera being manhandled by the Bucs’ security staff as he was trying to make his way into the stadium’s change room. Sukazi was denied entry despite being in possession of his all-access accreditation card.
Pirates were subsequently found guilty of the altercation by Majavu and his legal team last week Thursday, December 20. Their hearing and sanction was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, January 16, at the league's HQ in Parktown.
IOL Sport