The Premier Soccer League (PSL) hopes that the saga involving Ajax Cape Town striker Tendai Ndoro gets resolved before it affects the relegation-promotion play-offs this season. It is believed that FIFA’s Players Status Committee has referred the matter back to South Africa to try and find closure on Ndoro’s eligibility to play.
The item was part of the agenda of the PSL’s executive committee and board of governors meeting on Monday. Earlier this month the Johannesburg High Court upheld the decision taken by the South African Football Association arbitrator, Nassir Cassim by referring the Ndoro matter to FIFA.
Ndoro was suspended from playing for Ajax Cape Town until the matter is resolved. The Zimbabwean international and his club Ajax sought an urgent interdict to overturn that decision.
Ajax is Ndoro’s third club this calendar season, which is in breach of FIFA rules. The Cape Town side are currently 15th on the log, and if they finish in that position at the end of the season, they will be involved in the promotion-relegation play-offs scheduled to start on the 16 May. “We are going to deal with the implications of this case, so what is the best route to follow to make sure we minimise the disruption, it might cause going forward. So we are hoping that we are going to give them a report back of what happened in the arbitration. What happened in the report back from FIFA, where do we go from here to mitigate any kind of delay or stretching the matter to a point of where it’s going to affect the play-offs,” said chairperson of the PSL, Irvin Khoza.
With the promotion play-offs still a month away, the PSL went ahead and conducted the draw involving three teams. The team that finishes 15th in the PSL will play against the team that finishes as National First Division runner-up, and the team that takes third spot to determine the other team that gets promoted along with NFD champions, Highlands Park.
“In advance of the end of the fixture everybody can prepare knowingly in front of the board of governors, in front of the media that we do this draw so that nobody must feel the draw was manipulated, the draw has been set up but everybody see that the draw is transparent,” said Khoza.
With 2018 being a World Cup year, the PSL will have to abide with FIFA rules and conclude the 2017/2018 league programme before the end of May. The 2017/2018 Premiership champions are expected to be crowned on 12 May, with the NFD champions to be crowned the following day.
The promotion play-offs are expected to last until the 2 June.
