Kaizer Chiefs sensationally win PSL arbitration case, matches must be replayed

Kaizer Chiefs have won their arbitration against the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for failing to honour two fixtures in December last year.

On Friday, SAFA arbitrator Nazeer Cassim SC handed down his verdict in favour of the Soweto giants, which reignites a faint title race.

Back in December, a mass Covid-19 outbreak at the club occurred, with no less than 52 members testing positive for the virus.

Amakhosi wrote to the league, urging the postponement of the relevant fixtures for the sake of public safety, but the PSL took nearly three weeks to respond and then relied on an early pandemic resolution that virus cases couldn't be used as a reason for postponements.

Chiefs took matters into its own hands during that time and opted not to honour their fixtures against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows before returning to play Sekhukhune United 10 days later.

According to TimesLIVE, if Amakhosi lost the arbitration then they would've had to come before a PSL disciplinary committee (DC) hearing and "would almost certainly have been docked the six Premiership points". 

In his ruling obtained by City Press, Cassim stated that the two PSL fixtures must be "replayed in order to enable soccer to triumph and the best team on the day in question to be rewarded for its efforts."

"I am averse to the litigation process deciding the winner. It is better that the results of the match be determined in the field," said Cassim.

"Chiefs must pay the wasted cost occasioned by Cape Town City in attending at Johannesburg on December 4 2021 to play the scheduled fixture. This also applies to the actual cost incurred by Golden Arrows, if any. Chiefs are also liable for the legal costs of City."