Herentals barred from PSL indaba

Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter

HERENTALS were barred from the Premier Soccer League annual general meeting yesterday pending the determination of their appeal to overturn a decision docking them three points last season.

The Students were docked three points by the PSL disciplinary committee after being found guilty of allegedly influencing the outcome of their match against Black Rhinos.

The Harare side won that game 3-0.

However, should the decision to deduct three points from their tally be upheld by the ZIFA Appeals Committee, they will crash into Division One.

Herentals say that decision was flawed and are praying for relief from ZIFA with a decision now expected to be taken next week.

PSL chairman, Farai Jere, said they didn’t want to be seen to be battling a decision taken by their judicial arm by allowing Herentals to take part in the indaba.

“We looked at the Herentals issue, we checked with a lawyer Mr Everson Chatambudza (the Yadah Stars chairman), and he said our courts say if someone appeals he gets some form of relief,’’ said Jere.

‘‘But he also looked at the FIFA statutes and they say when an appeal is made against a decision it does not suspend the decision.

‘‘That’s why we asked Herentals to be excused from the meeting. We are expecting a decision from ZIFA by next week on the case.’’

To be seen not to be taking any sides, the PSL also did not invite the club likely to benefit, in the event Herentals lose their appeal, to their indaba.

Chapungu could return to the top-flight league via the backdoor should Herentals lose their appeal although the Students are confident thet have enough to overturn the PSL disciplinary committee decision.

The domestic league programme is likely to start a week after the Castle Challenge Cup which has been scheduled for March 14.

Five months after they were promoted into the Premiership, the trio of Tenax, Whawha and Bulawayo City were by yesterday still facing an uncertain future amid revelations they had still not paid their affiliation fees.

Teams must show commitment of their participation in the PSL by paying an annual subscription of $208 000.

But, by the time the assembly of clubs converged in Harare yesterday, only army side Cranborne Bullets, among the newboys, had paid their fees.

Tenax, Whawha and Bulawayo City have since been given a reprieve to pay their fees by next Friday.

Their failure to meet the initial PSL deadline has, however, impacted badly on the release of fixtures of the 2020 season as the league’s secretariat would need confirmation of the participating teams before they could arrange the games.

If the top flight teams remain with an odd number like 15 or 17, the league will have to co-opt the teams which were relegated from the Premier Soccer League according to how they finished.

But should the number come to an even number like 16 teams, the league will proceed like that but, at the end of the season, only two teams will be relegated.

“We also looked at the matrix on what is exactly is going to happen if we have two or three clubs, which fail to pay the affiliation fees,’’ said Jere.

“Three teams have not yet affiliated, we have given them until Friday next week to make the payments.’’

The three clubs who are yet to pay their subscriptions were relegated to mere observers at the annual meeting yesterday.

‘‘It was a good meeting, you could tell that the delegates really want to see the league doing well and our football improving,’’ said Jere.

‘‘We are the main league and the country and that should be shown in the standard of the game that we display.

‘‘We are all committed to making the PSL a better league and it was refreshing to see that the delegates wanted to talk about improving football and our brand.

‘’That gives us hope that we will be better this season and the activity on the market shows that most of the clubs want to make an impact and that can only be good news for our fans and our partners.’’

The PSL programme starts next weekend when Bosso host FC Platinum in the season-opening Castle Challenge Cup.