Chaos incoming: Will Cape Town City replay game against Chiefs?

Following months of uncertainty and legal wrangles between the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Kaizer Chiefs, the league was recently said to have written to Chiefs to confirm dates and kick-off times for the two fixtures that Amakhosi were unable to fulfil in December due to a massive Covid-19 outbreak at the club’s Naturena headquarters.

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The away match against Lamontville Golden Arrows, which was originally scheduled for 8 December 2021 will now be played in Durban on Freedom Day, 27 April 2022. The other match – against Cape Town City, postponed from 4 December 2021 – will now take place on 30 April 2022 at FNB Stadium.

Despite those recent developments, iDiski Times reports that Cape Town City was not consulted by the PSL and in fact sent a letter to the league, requesting for their game to be scheduled after 10 May. Yet, there has apparently been no further communication.

City are set to travel to Pretoria to face Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday night, but the report also suggests they may then return to Cape Town (unless they receive correspondence from the PSL), even through their re-scheduled fixture was set to take in Johannesburg on Saturday.

To rewind to last year, Chiefs first wrote to the League on 1 December last year to alert them of the situation facing the club, requesting that the matches be postponed. The plea was rejected and the league decided to charge Amakhosi for not honouring the fixtures.

However, the club then took the matter to Arbitration under SAFA.

Zola Majavu, who is the PSL prosecutor, affirmed that the league would recognise the ruling as final and binding and not appealable.

The Arbitrator, Advocate Nazeer Cassim SC, ruled that the games should be rescheduled and ordered Chiefs to cover the travel costs of the other clubs, a decision that was welcomed by all at the Kaizer Chiefs Village.

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The league then announced that they would submit the arbitration ruling by Advocate Cassim for review outside of the football framework by taking the matter to the High Court.

CHIEFS ARE CURRENTLY FOURTH ON THE DSTV PREMIERSHIP LOG

The matter will only be heard after the games have been played as it is set for 10 May 2022.

Consequently, if the league is successful in the review application at High Court, then the log will be adjusted to reflect the position as if the replayed matches had not been replayed. If Kaizer Chiefs is successful in the review proceedings, then the log will reflect the outcome of the rescheduled matches.

The game against Arrows will kick off at 15:00 on 27 April and the clash against Cape Town City will supposedly commence at 15:00 on 30 April at FNB Stadium.

Ticketing information and other details will be communicated in due course