Crunch time for Ajax Cape Town as PSL BoG meets

12 July 2018 - 11:41
By Sazi Hadebe
General view of Ajax players looking dejected after the Absa Premiership match between Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium on May 12, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Image: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images General view of Ajax players looking dejected after the Absa Premiership match between Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium on May 12, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.

All eyes will be on Ajax Cape Town and the course of action they could take after Thursday’s Premier Soccer League Board of Governors meeting.

Ajax CEO Ari Efstathiou has threatened to delay the start of the 2018/2019 season if the league does not find an amicable solution to the Tendai Ndoro registration saga before August 3 — the day the league is scheduled to start.

But the question is what will be Ajax’s next move after Thursday’s meeting?

“We can’t sit and wait until the 30th of July to be told that unfortunately we start (the league) in four or three days time‚” said Efstathiou in a radio interview on Metro FM.

“What we have in the letter that we wrote to the PSL is that if they proceed with leave to appeal‚ at least they should delay the start of the season because it cannot happen.

“The dates don’t match. They cannot work.

“So we’ve recommended that they move the start of the season but if they don’t we’re looking at how we can interdict the start of the season.”

The signing of Ndoro came to a head last week after the PSL decided to appeal Judge Denise Fisher’s earlier judgement at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

The judgement reversed Ajax’s relegation and made the outcome of the recent promotion-relegation playoffs that saw Black Leopards elevated to the top-flight invalid‚ creating a significant headache for the PSL.

Judge Fisher ruled that only Fifa can adjudicate on the matter of Ndoro’s eligibility‚ though the global governing body has twice before referred the issue back to the South African Football Association when approached.

Efstathiou said he tried to address the PSL Exco last week on Thursday but was not allowed to do so.

He argued that Thursday’s PSL Board of Governors meeting will be nothing more than an opportunity to rubber stamp last week’s PSL’s decision to appeal Judge Fisher’s decision.

“So it’s more of the informative thing at the BoG rather than a vote‚” he said.

“If the Deputy Judge manages to get hold of Judge Fisher and she’s willing to come in before the 30th of July she could possibly hear it‚ but there’s no guarantee of that.”

The PSL said it will disclose their reasons for seeking leave to appeal the judgement handed down by Judge Fisher after the meeting of the BoG.