Ajax’s court battle could lead to PSL chaos

IT’S A big week for both Ajax Cape Town and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) when the Tendai Ndoro case resumes before the South Gauteng High Court on Thursday. In short, if the judge’s decision goes in favour of Ajax, then local football will be thrown into complete disarray.

Zimbabwean striker Ndoro played for three clubs last season – Orlando Pirates, Al Faisaly in Saudia Arabia and Ajax – which is in contravention of Fifa rules. Initially, though, when Ajax sought clarity from the PSL’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC), Ndoro was cleared to play. The PSL appealed the DRC’s decision and, ever since, the case has devolved into a complete mess. There have been numerous arbitration hearings and court cases, and it’s still not over. Thursday’s High Court hearing is to have the arbitrator William Mokhari’s ruling to dock Ajax points for playing Ndoro overturned and, as such, retain the 15th position they achieved on the PSL standings.

The Capetonians believe they have a strong case to argue. In fact, earlier this month, in a similar matter, Second Division side Phiva Stars were docked points for fielding an ineligible player – but, and it’s an important but, the points docked were not awarded to the opposition as it was in Ajax’s case. This is the crux of Ajax’s argument.

With this as background, and with Ajax losing an urgent interdict to have the promotion play-offs halted, the mini-league continued and Black Leopards secured a place in the PSL for next season. Now, though, if Ajax are successful in court, the big problem begins for the PSL. If Ajax are restored to their 15th position, the play-offs have to be replayed; so it will probably lead to even more court cases.