Chiefs face fresh PSL charges for using improperly registered players

Kaizer Chiefs will again face the Premier Soccer League’s Disciplinary Hearing, this time on charges relating to using improperly registered players.

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This was revealed by PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu on Friday morning. 

The charges emanate from December last year when Chiefs were left with a depleted squad following a Covid-19 outbreak at Naturena that made them fail to honour two of their official fixtures. 

When they resumed playing on December 12, they are alleged to have used players who are registered for the PSL’s reserve league the DStv Diski Challenge for top flight games.  

“I hereby confirm that Kaizer Chiefs have been charged for fielding two defaulters namely Tristan McCarthy and Mduduzi Shabalala in a match between them and Sekhukhune United on 12 December 2021,”  said Majavu. 

“These players were not properly registered for DStv Premiership but were registered for purposes of the reserve league. That is the basis of the allegations they are facing. 

“The matter has been enrolled for hearing on the 14th of April 2022… Once the matter is finalised, I will confirm the outcome of the DC. Until then, I will not be drawn into further commentary on the matter,” added Majavu. 

Chiefs had also been charged for failing to honour the two fixtures against Cape Town City and Golden Arrows in early December. They took the matter to the arbitrator who ruled in their favour. The PSL have however taken the ruling to review and they are now awaiting the result of that. 

Should Chiefs be found guilty on the latest charge, they could be stripped of the three points they earned in a 2-0 win on the day. 

But based on a recent ruling where Arrows were found guilty of a similar offence and given a slap on the wrist with just a small fine and an order to pay for the costs of the sitting, Amakhosi may well not suffer much. 

If however they are stripped of the three points, that could further derail their Premiership campaign and push them further down the standings.