Another D-Day for Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday as they appeal transfer ban

Kaizer Chiefs appeal over a Fifa transfer ban is set to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland on Wednesday, with the club hoping to be allowed to sign players in the upcoming transfer window.

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Fifa banned Chiefs from signing players for two transfer windows after they were found to have broken the rules in a deal that saw Madagascan international Andriamirado Andrianarimanana move to them from Fosa Juniors in August 2018.

If Chiefs are successful in their appeal, they should be allowed to sign new players and register them with the Premier Soccer League from September 22, when the transfer window opens ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

Chiefs did write to Fifa to ask them if they could get dispensation to sign players before their appeal was heard, with the 2019/20 campaign prolonged by the COVID-19 pandemic. They do not appear to have been successful, however, and must now rely on a successful appeal.

A successful appeal could also have an impact on who Amakhosi are able to bring in as a new head coach, if they decide to part ways with current incumbent Ernst Middendorp. Middendorp had a fairly successful first full season in charge, but ultimately missed out on the Absa Premiership title on the final day of the campaign.

Even before that, they style with which his Chiefs side played was not popular with sections of the Amakhosi support base.

Any new coach may well want to wait to see if Chiefs’ transfer ban is lifted, before entering into serious negotiations with the club.

Kaizer Chiefs were reported by Soccer Laduma on Tuesday to be having a meeting with Middendorp and the Chiefs players, though Amakhosi Head of Communications Vina Maphosa told Phakaaathi on Tuesday that he had no knowledge of such a meeting.

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