Tshakhuma could still be back in the DStv Premiership!

Royal AM Chief Operating Officer Sinky Mnisi has refuted claims the club has abandoned its cases against the Premier Soccer League over the automatic promotion of Sekhukhune United.

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The Pietermaritzburg based side had lodged a complaint and wanted leave to appeal a court ruling that installed Sekhukhune United as winner of the GladAfrica Championship last season.

The claims that the club had abandoned the cases came after they acquired the DStv Premiership status of Bloemfontein Celtic in a deal said to be worth around R50-million.

Phakaaathi can confirm that the players who were contracted to Celtic have moved to Pietermaritzburg where they have merged with those who were with Royal AM last season.

Mnisi says they are still pursuing their case against the PSL, even though their leave to appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court of South Africa.

“I have heard suggestions that we have abandoned the case. But I can assure you that that is not the case. We are going full on with the case and we will exhaust every legal avenue before we let it go.

“It is a matter of principle, we feel we are the rightful winners of the Championship and we will not rest until that has been corrected,” said Mnisi on Monday.

He also revealed that the deal with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila is that if and when Royal AM win the case, TTM will add more money because they will have a Premiership status.

“The deal states clearly that should we win the case andare rightfully installed as the winners, they will add more money. We believe we are right and we will fight until we are vindicated,” said Mnisi.

The club’s legal representative, Advocate Lerumo Thobejane confirmed that they have made representations to the South African Football Association (Safa) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and are now awaiting the decision.

“We have taken the matter to arbitration with Safa and we are currently awaiting the appointment of an arbitrator. But we have also taken it to CAS, where we are now awaiting a decision. I believe we can get communication on it anytime soon.

“If the decision from CAS is in our favour, we will then withdraw the case with Safa. What we want with the case at Safa is for the PSL to be forced to enforce their own rules,” Thobejane told Phakaaathi.

An arbitrator overruled a PSL disciplinary committee’s ruling that docked Polokwane City the three points they had won in a match against Sekhukhune last season, but did not award them to Sekhukhune. This was after City were found guilty of not following the rules as they did not have a fifth Under-23 player on their team sheet.

Sekhukhune wanted to have the points docked from City awarded to them, and an arbitrator ruled in their favour which meant they overtook Royal AM at the top of the Championship standings.