Chiefs fiasco may be a government issue
National legislation supercedes rules of all organisations
Football authorities are of the opinion that the Kaizer Chiefs Covid-19 debacle is beyond football and is now a matter of the government and the Department of Health.
A high-ranking PSL insider has revealed that people should be reminded that laws of the country, at some point, supersede those of any organisation.
Chiefs have not honoured their last two Dstv Premiership matches against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows, and have asked the league for a postponement of their five December fixtures after 31 staff members and players were infected with the Covid-19 virus.
Amakhosi fortunately, has had some players recovering in time for the league match against Sekhukhune United FC this afternoon – and this has given the league bosses a major headache on how they will handle the matter.
The matter of the two games Chiefs failed to play has also led to rumours of tension between the league chairperson Irvin Khoza and his right-hand man Kaizer Motaung.
“This is a big pathfinding occurrence. The stakes are high, there are contracts to be honoured, fixtures to be played, broadcasters and sponsors’ obligations and it will set a big precedent and will need a balancing act.
“If you have been following the pattern, you will notice that the league [in particular the chairman] has been staying away from having open fights with its members [the clubs].
“You must remember that laws of the country supersede laws of the PSL or any other organisation. A counter-balance is very important because Covid-19 is a serious issue in the face of the government,” added the insider who opted to remain anonymous.
“In fact, the biggest strength of the PSL is the relationship between Khoza and Motaung – it is continually challenged and people are always looking for flaws.
“People are still saying that it is wrong for board members to be owning clubs because they are conflicted by association. But contrary, this has worked wonders for the PSL to have those who have a lot to lose running the league rather than having independent people who have no vested interest. The league is not a two-horse race and is very competitive. So, there is no beef between the two bosses, but in fact they solve big problems.”
Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said that as per the government assertion, the lives of South Africans had to be put first.
Meanwhile, Motlanthe added that Fifa had responded to their letter and would furnish Safa with the reasons why they threw their appeal out.
Fifa last week responded that Safa’s protest and appeal for a replay against Ghana was inadmissible. Fifa did not communicate the reasons and Safa revealed they were seeking an explanation.
The stakes are high. There are contracts to be honoured, fixtures to play