Thidiela apology overlooked?

PSL see no remorse

As a senior member in the Board of Governors as well as in the PSL executive committee, Thidiela was expected to be a member in good standing, showing integrity and professionalism at all times.

Sources told the Siya crew that the Leopards boss had pleaded not guilty to the charges of his misconduct and abuse aimed at Hlungwani, which gave the panel the impression that he was in no way remorseful.

In the previous suspended sentence in his case against Alexander, Thidiela did not claim to be innocent and accepted the sanctions without appeal.

In the ruling, the disciplinary committee stated: “Having gone public to admit the folly of his unsolicited attack on Mr Hlungwani and having been found guilty of a similar offense just under two seasons ago, the DC would have hoped that the respondents (the club and its chairman) would, at the very least, pretend to appreciate the seriousness of the offenses and the damage they do to normal human relations.”

Thidiela said ‘sorry’

There is absolutely no doubt that these sanctions, still yet to be officially confirmed by the league, have rattled Thidiela and his Leopards ship.

The family is understood to be confused by the sentence handed because the “chairman has done all he can to show that what he did was wrong and he regrets his actions”. Not long after the recording of his verbal attack on Hlungwani was widely distributed, Thidiela is believed to have met the tribal leaders in Limpopo to apologise for his actions and what has since been labelled dehumanising utterances against someone from a different tribe and background.

Siya sources have also indicated that the 67-yearold attended anger management courses as he is well aware of the need to rehabilitate. Thidiela has also cut down on attending matches and only goes to the Thohoyandou Stadium for the team’s home games.

When contacted by the Siya crew for comment, Leopards said they were still studying the ruling and would only release a statement at a later stage. But the Siya crew has learnt that Thidiela will appeal the sanction and has until some time before the end of March to do so.