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Seething Pitso vows to fight PSL charges

Pitso Mosimane
Pitso Mosimane

Pitso Mosimane returned from African Champions League success to a letter from the Premier Soccer League charging him for bringing the game into disrepute‚ but he says he will vigorously fight it.

The prosecution follows the pre-match shambles that overshadowed the MTN8 quarterfinal against SuperSport United in August when Sundowns defiantly warmed up on the wrong side of the field‚ disrupting the pre-match preparations of their opponents. They also refused initially to sit on the left-hand side bench as per the rules.

Mosimane was involved in a heated argument with PSL officials‚ including chief operations officer Ronnie Schloss and match commissioner Job Smith. He eventually relented but only after he was told that if he did not comply Sundowns would forfeit the game.

The Downs coach later apologised for his behaviour but after studying a report on the incident‚ the PSL have gone ahead and filed charges‚ albeit waiting until after the Champions League campaign was completed to serve Mosimane with his summons to appear before their disciplinary committee.

But an incensed Mosimane was having none of it on Thursday night after his club had beaten Polokwane City in the Telkom Knockout.

“I’m going to fight it. If I’m going to be told where to sit on the day of the match‚ it’ll be another fine for me. I don’t like surprises. Where is the consistency? What a movie I’m watching. It’s unbelievable‚” he ranted to reporters.

“And‚ by the way‚ for the PSL to make these charges their stadiums must also be compliant. I know where I am sitting in terms of the Fifa rules. I was at the World Cup‚ I know.”

The incident came after Mosimane refused to follow the rules on which side his team had to warm-up before the game and on which bench they had to sit during it.

According to PSL rules‚ teams must warm up and sit on the bench closest to where their change room is. Sundowns had a change room at Loftus Versfeld to left of SuperSport.

Aware of the rule‚ SuperSport refused to budge and so both sides warmed up on the same side of the field ahead of the match in a childish stand off.

 

– TMG Sport

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