Johannesburg – Sekhukhune United of Limpopo are the National First Division’s GladAfrica Championship champions after gaining promotion to the DStv Premiership for the 2021/22 season via a high court decision.
This comes after the Joburg high court ruled on Saturday in favour of the arbitration, handed down by Safa arbitrator Hilton Epstein when he awarded Sekhukhune three points.
Sekhukhune had contested that Polokwane City had fluffled the rules of the league in January when they failed to include five Under-23 players on their team sheet as required, during the match against them.
But the PSL, in support of Polokwane City’s application to set aside the arbitration decision to award three points to Sekhukhune, took the matter to court.
However yesterday, Judge Roland Sutherland made a milestone ruling in favour of Sekhukhune, dismissing the application by Polokwane and the PSL to review the arbitration award given by Epstein.
“Where a Disciplinary Committee or Arbitrator makes a finding of a misconduct in terms of the National Soccer League (NSL) handbook for which there is no express sanction specifically provided in the NSL handbook, the Disciplinary Committee or Arbitrator has a discretion on the appropriate sanction considering all relevant circumstances and range of possible sanction in Rule 57.13 of the NSL handbook,” Judge Sutherland declared in his judgement.
Babina Noko, as Sekhukhune are popularly known, move up to the top of the table and Royal AM, the Durban-side that was leading the log becomes the runners-up.
Royal AM will have to contend with the trouble of having to contest the promotion/relegation play-offs.
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