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Ndoro's eligibility conundrum continues to haunt the PSL season

Tendai Ndoro, 29, has already played four matches for the club, but this is in contravention of Fifa rules, because he has already played for two other clubs - Orlando Pirates and Al Faisaly - this season.
Tendai Ndoro Tendai Ndoro, 29, has already played four matches for the club, but this is in contravention of Fifa rules, because he has already played for two other clubs - Orlando Pirates and Al Faisaly - this season.
Image: Chris Ricco

The Premier Soccer League has asked FIFA to re-look at the Tendai Ndoro case and refer the matter to a judge of the Players’ Status Committee for a decision after initially being told by world football’s governing body to sort out the matter themselves.

The case has reached an impasse and will be high on the agenda of the league’s executive committee who meet in Johannesburg on Thursday.

The PSL’s Dispute Resolution Chamber ruled in favour of Ajax Cape Town using Ndoro in spite of the FIFA ruling that no player may play for three different teams in a single season.

This was appealed by the PSL and a subsequent arbitration ruled Ndoro should not play.

But it also said the DRC had no authority to make any decisions in the matter and that FIFA should handle it.

Ajax sought to have the arbitration reviewed in the High Court but have had those efforts dismissed.

But they did get a boost when FIFA sent the matter back to South Africa to deal with.

PSL sources told SowetanLIVE FIFA had neither properly looked at the matter nor understood it and referred them to the example of the case of Hatem Ben Arfa.

The former French international was in a similar situation to Ndoro when French club Nice tried to register him in January 2015 after he had already appeared for Newcastle United and then gone on loan to Hull City.

Following the request made by the French Football Federation and the French league‚ a Single Judge of the Players’ Status Committee of FIFA handed down a decision which barred Ben Arfa from playing for a third team.

The PSL want FIFA to apply the same process to the Ben Arfa case.

If FIFA agree and Ndoro is banned‚ then the issue of the points Ajax won while fielding him will come into play again.

But just how the PSL proceed will be decided by the executive committee‚ sources added.

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