Tendai Ndoro has been ordered to stop playing for Ajax Cape Town immediately whilst his case has been referred to the world football governing body FIFA for ruling.
By Tendai Chisiri
Orlando Pirates and Platinum Stars were the original complainants against Ajax’s fielding of Ndoro – the third club in a single season for the veteran former Zimbabwe international‚ which is in contravention of FIFA regulations and which relegation-threatened Ajax have openly admitted they were unaware of.
The Zimbabwean star was at his third club this season, having started out at Orlando Pirates, before joining Saudi Arabian side Al Faisaly.
He has been in top for the Urban Warriors, but due to a Fifa rule prohibiting players from turning out for three different clubs in one season, Orlando Pirates and Polokwane City lodged protests with the PSL.
The PSL’s dispute resolution chamber ruled in favor of Ajax Cape Town and dismissed the protests early this year but on Wednesday SAFA ordered that Ndoro must immediately stop playing for Ajax Cape Town and a decision on whether the Premier Soccer League’s Dispute Resolution Chamber(DRC) were right to let him compete over the last three months is being deferred to FIFA.
The arbitrator who sat on the matter on Monday‚ Nassim Cassim‚ has decided the DRC did not have a right to rule on the matter when it came before them in January and instead said Fifa must rule “because the matter involved an overseas/international club”.
This is likely to lead to a further protraction of an already complicated affair that is plainly confusing many.
SAFA’s press statement read: “Arbitrator Nassir Cassim SC has ruled that the Tendai Ndoro matter be referred to the world football governing body‚ FIFA arguing the PSL’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) does not have jurisdiction over the matter.
“ … In his ruling on Wednesday‚ 28 March 2018‚ Cassim SC referred the case to FIFA saying it was because the matter involved an overseas/international club.
“He also ruled that in the meantime‚ the player should stop playing for Ajax.”
Fifa‚ who have already had correspondence with the PSL over the issue‚ are likely to find Ajax were wrong to field Ndoro and might defer sanction‚ further extending the matter as the clubs involved in the saga scurry for points at the business end of the season.
Cassim’s decision was announced by the South African Football Association (Safa) on Wednesday. They oversee matters of arbitration in football.
The matter portrays loopholes in the South Africa Premier League as decisions are being reversed.
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