Gutted Ertugral vows to stick with Ajax

There are not many who can claim to be more emotionally dedicated to the game than 58-year-old Muhsin Ertugral.

So it is hardly surprising that the widely-travelled Ajax Cape Town coach was “totally devastated” when he recently heard the club was to be automatically relegated from the PSL’s Premier League as a result of the League’s decision to subtract seven points from their tally because of the controversial fielding of striker Tendai Ndoro.

“My first reaction after hearing something like this could happen,” said Ertugral, “was to walk away from the game entirely. It seemed incomprehensible in view of all the factors involved in the issue of Ndoro playing for us – not least of which was the PSL’s own initial disciplinary chamber ruling that we could field the player.

“When I spoke to my associates overseas, they could not believe what had happened.

“But after digesting fully the implications,” said Ertugral, “I felt it was my duty and obligation to stick by Ajax in fighting the decision and do all within my power to help the club’s promising squad of young players in this unforeseen predicament”.

Ajax had finished second-bottom and were due to face NFD clubs Black Leopards and Jomo Cosmos in the play-offs for the final place in the Premiership.

Instead, based on the Ndoro decision, bottom side Platinum Stars leap-frogged Ajax and are now participating in the play-offs.

However, despite the PSL stance on Ndoro being verified by an arbitration ruling and a bid to stop the play-offs turned down in a court action, Ajax and Ertugral are intent on fighting on in a proposed high court appeal and at the international Court of Arbitration for Sport if necessary.

An ironic victim of Ajax’s down-grading is Ama Zulu, who through no fault of their own have been displaced in next season’s Top8 event by Super Sport United – a beneficiary of three of the seven points taken from Ajax.

Ama Zulu coach Cavin Johnson has said he is disgusted.

And while DS tv, are adamant there is no connection, an invitation to Ajax CEO Ari Efstathiou to state his club’s case on a TV programme was withdrawn at the last minute.