The Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) decision not to hand over the Motsepe Foundation Championship to winners, likely Durban City, after the league’s last matches today could completely change the image of the league title and the race for the promotional play-offs qualifications.
PSL’s decision follows the pending protest by JDR Stars on May 4, who played their match at home against the Chatsworth-based outfit under protest, citing that the club has fielded an improperly registered player in Saziso Magawana. Stars went on to lose 3-0.
The league has since noted Stars’ protest, and set Tuesday, May 20 aside to decide this case.
Earlier in the season, the already relegated Leruma United played their match against City under protest over the same player, but only to withdraw their case.
Some other information regarding Magawana is that he was a free agent when Durban City signed him. This after the club he played for, Marumo Gallants FC, relinquished their national first division status after buying Moroka Swallows’ status, leaving players, among them Magawana, without a club.
Should the league rule in Stars’ favour, and dock points from City for all the matches Magawana has played, then the Farook Kadodia-owned side could find themselves out of the league title as contenders, allowing second place Orbit College FC to lay their hands on the silverware and earn automatic promotion to the elite league, leaving Black Leopards and Kruger United as contenders for the promotional play-offs.
Until the decision is taken, for now Leopards’ dream ambition to bring back football glory days in front of their passionate fans at the Thohoyandou Stadium in Venda, Limpopo remains a serious challenge.
Leopards face Pretoria University at the Thohoyandou Stadium in a must-win last league match of the Motsepe Foundation Championship, which will decide whether they will qualify for the three-club mini league promotional play-offs or not.
With one spot in the play-offs already taken by the ambitious Orbit College FC, who are unshaken on their second spot position with 52 points, Leopards, who are on the fourth position with 44 points, will have to ask their football ancestral intervention to earn the last space in the play-offs, ahead of steady competitors such as third placed Casric FC, with 45 points, and Kruger United and Milford FC in fifth and sixth positions with 44 and 43 points respectively.
