CAPE TOWN - Judgement has been reserved in the Johannesburg High Court where Ajax Cape Town are seeking an urgent interdict to prevent the promotion playoffs from taking place.
By 3pm, though, the court was still in session and Platinum Stars and Black Leopards kicked off, as scheduled, the first of the games in the mini-league to determine who will play in the PSL next season.
Judge Raylene Keightley will study all the admissions of the various parties and a ruling on the case is expected by Friday. While the Leopards vs Platinum playoff match will be completed on Wednesday, there is the possibility that the rest of the games could be interdicted, depending on the judgement of the court.
PREVIOUSLY: PSL unfazed by relegated Ajax's decision to try stop the play-offs
Ajax lost the Tendai Ndoro case in the second arbitration hearing with regard to the eligibility of the Zimbabwean striker. The arbitrator William Mokhari SC found the Cape club guilty and, as a result, they forfeited matches against Platinum Stars, Polokwane City and Supersport United.
The arbitrator ruled on Tuesday that they lose all three matches 3-0 and are fined R50 000 for each offence. It led to Ajax being docked nine points, finishing last on the PSL standings and, subsequently, being relegated from the PSL. So, instead of featuring in Wednesday’s playoffs, their spot was taken by Platinum.
On Wednesday morning, Ajax took the matter to High Court with two applications: to interdict the playoffs and to set aside Advocate Mokhari SC’s arbitration award.
It turned into quite an intriguing day in court, with AmaZulu – who lost out on a top-eight spot because of the revised PSL log standings – supporting Ajax in the matter, while Polokwane, SuperSport and Platinum were fully behind the PSL’s contention that the playoffs continue, with Ajax relegated to the First Division.
The football world waits with interest, and with bated breath, to see what happens next in a saga that is most certainly doing more harm to the already-shaky perception of the well-being of the football industry.