PSL hoping to see the back of the Ndoro eligibility dispute
● The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is hoping arbitration will bring finality to Tendai Ndoro’s eligibility saga, which has dragged on for months and turned what could have been an awesome 2017-18 PSL season into one riddled with off-field disputes.
This week Judge David Unterhalter dismissed the application by Ndoro’s club, Ajax Cape Town, to set aside a decision taken by arbitrator Nassir Cassim that the PSL’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) has no jurisdiction over this case.
Ajax had wanted the PSL to be interdicted from preventing Ndoro playing, and also challenged Cassim’s decision to refer the case to Fifa’s Players Status Committee.
Judge Unterhalter agreed with arbitrator Cassim in that the DRC, which ruled in favour of Ajax on January 31, had no jurisdiction in the matter.
Ndoro was initially on the books of Orlando Pirates early this season before he was signed by Saudi Arabian outfit AlFaisaly in August.
The dispute arose after Ndoro had signed for a third team, Ajax, in January. This was against the rules of Fifa which state that a player can sign for three teams, but can only play for two if those teams play in leagues in the same calendar year.
Like the South African league, the Saudi Arabian league starts in August, but finishes a month earlier than the PSL because they have 14 teams.
Ndoro moved back to South Africa after having problems with getting paid his salary at Al-Faisaly.
It has emerged that had Ndoro approached Fifa’s Player Status Committee in January he could have been declared a free agent and therefore granted an opportunity to sign for a third team, in this case Ajax.
That could have stopped the PSL teams, which include title-chasing Pirates and relegated Platinum Stars, from lodging protests against Ajax.
Ndoro played his first match for Ajax on January 12 and scored in stoppage time as they beat Platinum Stars 3-1.
He also featured in Ajax’s 3-0 victory over Pirates before being played again in a 1-1 draw against Polokwane City.
The PSL appealed against the DRC’s ruling and referred the matter to Fifa’s Player Status Committee for a final decision on the ruling of Safa’s arbitrator, Cassim, on March 28.
But finality was not to be attained at Fifa as the world governing body advised the PSL on April 13 to find the competent authorities in South Africa to rule on it.
Safa’s legal officer Tebogo Motlanthe told the Sunday Times this week that they are busy getting all the affected parties to agree on the name of the new arbitrator.
“We are trying to find a new arbitrator and we have to present three names to all those involved. Once they have chosen the arbitrator, we will then find a suitable date to deal with the matter as ordered by both the court and Fifa,” said Motlanthe.
The PSL said it was hoping the outcome of the arbitration “would then be binding on everyone” and no one would challenge it.