Cape Town – The eagerly anticipated showdown between Kaizer Chiefs and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) did not materialise at Wednesday’s arbitration sitting after independent arbitrator advocate Nassir Cassim SC postponed the process until mid-March.
No reasons were given but usually, postponements are granted when all or some of the parties are not adequately prepared for the arbitration process.
In this case, it could be likely that the arbitrator himself may have requested more time to research the matter since he did say at the outset, he would require substantial input on the case from both parties.
The postponement is an anti-climax especially since Zola Majavu has been working wonders as the PSL's new prosecutor. He has been settling several cases in record time since he took office in December.
Chiefs will be affected most by the postponement since it does not ease the uncertainty that is bedevilling their Premiership campaign. Chiefs will be hoping that the outcome of the arbitration will be that they will be allowed to play the matches against Cape Town City and Lamontville Golden Arrows.
The worst scenario for Chiefs is that they forfeit the points for both matches which means City and Arrows will each be awarded 3-0 wins. It will prove a double whammy because Chiefs' ambitions of nailing down a runners-up slot to runaway Premiership log-leaders Mamelodi Sundowns could be ruined.
After the PSL found Chiefs guilty of failing to show up for two matches in December, they were charged by the PSL in January. At the same time, the PSL confirmed that their request to have their matches postponed had been rejected.
The saga took a dramatic turn when Chiefs informed the PSL that they would turn to the country's controlling football body SAFA (South African Football Association) to intervene in the matter. The reasoning behind that move was that Chiefs were physically unable to field a team for the matches because their more than 30 players and coaching staff were hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
SAFA CEO Tebogo Motlanthe gave the two parties three names who could be the arbiter and later it was confirmed that Cassim would be the man to oversee proceedings when Chiefs and the PSL went head-to-head,
Early last year the PSL had already decided that teams could not use coronavirus pandemic to default. However, at the time when the PSL took that decision, they would not have foreseen a situation where one club woud have 30 to 50 club players and technical staff affected at one time.
Wednesday's announcement will also be a concern to Majavu, who is keen to settle the saga soonest. He has said on numerous occasions the matter should not be concluded late in the season when the outcome has a big influence on the final log positions for the season in May.
IOL Sport