Johannesburg – The gloves are off between Sekhukhune United and the PSL. Babina Noko, as Sekhukhune are known, will not let the PSL and various court applications bully them into submission.
The Limpopo-based club that is caught up in the promotion scandal has been playing its cards close to the chest, but on Thursday night, it filed court papers and has brought an application to compel the league to implement the arbitrators’ award.
But late on Friday, the PSL wrote to acting judge president Roland Sutherland saying that “the hearing of each matter would likely require an entire court day if heard separately, but as the issues are interlinked both could be condensed into one day before the same judge and should be heard on the same day”.
Two weeks ago, Safa arbitrator advocate Hilton Epstein ruled that the PSL must award Sekhukhune three points from the match they played in January against Polokwane City after the latter breached the National Soccer League (NSL) Under-23 rule.
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In the court papers seen by Sunday World, Sekhukhune’s point of contention is that the arbitration award “is final and binding on the parties to the award and that the PSL must implement the said arbitration award”.
Last Sunday, there was drama when Royal AM and Sekhukhune both celebrated their automatic promotion to the PSL after their last round of matches. However, the matter is still far from over.
“On Monday, Polokwane City instituted an urgent application in the high court and sought to review and set aside the arbitration award, which found them guilty of breaching the Under-23 rule. We are saying that the arbitration award is implementable immediately, and that it is binding, until it is set aside,” said instructing attorney for Sekhukhune Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse.
“The arbitration award found that the appropriate sanction would be forfeiture of the points of Polokwane City and awarding three points to Sekhukhune as one of the competent and appropriate sanctions available to the arbitrator, according to the NSL handbook.
“When they served the papers on Monday, it was supposed to have been in court on Friday 28 May. Then the league wrote to the parties [PLK, SKK and Safa] to say they want to be co-applicants with Polokwane City and they do not want to be respondents, meaning that they are supporting the Polokwane City application.
“I must point out to you that this is against their own rules and regulations. PSL are actually acting against themselves. The NSL handbook says that an arbitrator award is final and binding.”
The PSL has requested more time to prepare papers, saying the matt er should be heard on June 8, to which Polokwane City agreed. “This would prejudice our clients to have to wait, there’s lots of considerations,” Mathang-Tshabuse added.
The three points that Epstein awarded to Sekhukhune have not been added onto their tally in the log standings by the PSL.
As things stand, Royal AM lead the first division table with 51 points while Sekhukhune are second on 50 points. PSL acting CEO Mato Madlala was not available for comment.
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