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Sports Reporter
THE date has been set for the Zifa Assembly to finalise on Castle Lager Premier Soccer League relegation format that has been marked by contrasting pronouncements by Zifa and PSL.Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze speaking through their official website said the Assembly which is the association’s supreme decision making body will meet on July 26 in Mount Hampden where they will deliberate on the PSL relegation matter and other issues.
The PSL is on record saying that they will welcome two teams promoted from the lower leagues following the amendment of the Zifa Constitution last year which recommended that two clubs from the National League will at the end of each season make it to the topflight.
In 2011 Fifa held an organisational review of Zifa and its affiliates with the aim of turning the national association into a professional organisation. During the workshop, which was also attended by Fifa Southern Region Development officer Ashford Mamelodi, Fifa development officer for Africa Francisco Bruscolli and consultant Brendan Menton, Fifa officials said it was untenable to have 25 percent of the teams in the top tier being relegated hence PSL’s decision to reduce the number from four to two.
However, after failing to establish the National League, Zifa announced that winners from the four Division One Leagues would play in a “Champions of Champions” knockout tournament that would also involve teams who would have finished on position 13 and 14 in the PSL.
Zifa’s format can result in four teams being relegated while the PSL only want two clubs chopped from this year as per advice from Fifa.
“I am glad to say that the Zifa Assembly scheduled for next month will finalise the issue of the relegation format for the Premier Soccer League. As you are aware the assembly is the highest parliament of football,” said Mashingaidze.
The Zifa Assembly has 58 members and 16 of them are the Premier Soccer League.
The league’s chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele told Chronicle Sport early this month that as far as they were concerned only two teams from the lower leagues would be coming on board.
“We are relegating two teams and accepting two,” Ndebele was quoted.
Reminded that there are four leagues in Division One whose regional winners are eyeing promotion Ndebele said; “I know that but we don’t really know how they will do it but as PSL we are chopping two teams and expecting a similar number,” said Ndebele.
Play-offs are now a common feature in most leagues around the globe. In South Africa, only the bottom team from their 16-team league gets relegated with winners of the National Division One getting the sole automatic ticket to the elite league.
Play-offs then feature the second last team in the Premiership against the second and third placed team in the second tier league.
derick.khumalo