Dstv connect to Castle PSL

Harare City had finished top of the Zifa Northern Region Division One while Dstv Rangers, were the runners up. But on October 26 last year, Dstv had filed a complaint alleging that Harare City had used an ineligible Webster Muronda.
The three-member committee of chairman Misheck Hogwe, Andrew Pamire (secretary) and Francis Mabika met twice last year over the matter but only managed to come up with a judgement on Friday.
In their ruling, the committee found Harare City council guilty of using Muronda illegally in six matches.
The committee agreed that Muronda registered to play for AMC in the Zifa Eastern Region and was issued with player’s licence 0408 during the first half of the season but the player later turned out for Harare City without due clearance. Harare City, had in their defence argued that they were ignorant of the fact that the player was improperly cleared.
“We also found that the registration of the player to play for Harare City was improper and irregular in as far as information that the player was a free agent was concerned.
“We also found that even if the argument of ignorance by Harare City was true, that would not absolve them in any way. There is no suggestion in the NRSL rules and regulations, Zifa or Fifa regulations that it shall be a defence if the club can show that it was ignorant of the status of the player,” read part of the judgement.
Hogwe’s committee said there is a standard penalty for a club that flouts the rules and regulations in such matters.
“There is a prescribed standard penalty and we do not have any latitude for discretion. The penalty for using an ineligible player is docking of three points each and every match in which the ineligible player partook.
The ruling by Hogwe’s committee came hard on the heels of another ruling by the Zifa Appeals Committee that set aside the docking of 42 points from Central Region side Hardbody.
Hardbody initially had 42 points deducted for allegedly using Tatenda Chingarah without proper clearance.
Meanwhile, Banket United and Blue Jets were on Saturday presented with floating shields and medals for winning the Zifa Mashonaland West Division Two League championships during a ceremony at the Chinhoyi University of Technology.
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube sourced the prizes and medals as a way of promoting football in the lower leagues.