adminJOHANNESBURG. – The South African Football Association appeals committee has lifted the life suspension ordered on SAFA Mopani regional clubs Nsami Birds and Matiyasi FC.
The two clubs were embroiled in controversy that caused a stir all over the world after a 59-1 score line during a league match earlier this year. The result had an impact on promotion to the ABC Motsepe League within the region.
Matiyasi, who had promotion ambitions beat Nsami Mighty Birds 59-1. They were hoping to leapfrog their bitter rivals Shivulani Dangerous Tigers, who at the time had a superior goals difference of 16. Tigers beat Kotoko Happy Boys 33-1 on the same date.
But the bizarre score lines led to all four teams being charged by SAFA Mopani region and subsequently banned for life from all football activities.
Both Matiyasi and Nsami Birds appealed the decision. Represented by advocate Tiyani Vukeya, Nsami appeared before the SAFA appeals board chaired by Ashwin Trikamjee.
The appeals board ruled in favour of Nsami and SAFA was ordered to refund the team the appeal fee and the legal cost of the appeal. Adv Vukeya insists the ruling applies to the two clubs as the order for suspension affected both.
“The appeal which sat down on Friday was for Mighty Birds but it automatically favours Matiyasi because you can’t go ahead and still hear Matiyasi’s appeal if the Mighty Birds’ was successful. Already the order has been set aside so it will just be a formality for Matiyasi to appear (before the appeal board),” Adv Vukeya told FARPost.
But SAFA Mopani president Vincent Ramphago maintains the ban against the two teams remains as they were never served with appeal papers.
“It still stands (the ban). We are not apologetic about it. We have suspended the teams permanently,” Ramphago told FARPost.
“We just heard somebody (advocate Tiyani Vukeya) celebrating at a media space that they have won an appeal. The same lawyer we are told is representing both teams that manufactured the 59-1 score so we are waiting for that moment (to defend our case).
FARPost has gathered that there is no evidence that the score line was actually 59-1 and it has been established it was actually manufactured. The score line provided in the DC hearing contradicts the match reports and team sheets submitted to the association.
In the documents that this publication has seen, the 59 goals were recorded to have been scored by the Matiyasi players (including nine goals by the goalkeeper). The 41 own goals were recorded as having been scored by the opposition, Nsami, which brings the total number of goals to 100.
The records also show that the losing side was playing with seven players, including a goalkeeper. They also received three red cards during the match while one player left the pitch with an ‘injury’.
Online Reporter