Ajax have effectively been relegated by a decision from arbiter William Mokhari SC that they acted wrongfully in playing Zimbabwe striker Tendai Ndoro earlier this season.
Mokhari forfeited three matches‚ wins against Platinum Stars and SuperSport United‚ and a draw against Polokwane City‚ in favour of Ajax’s opponents as he ruled the club was the third Ndoro had played for this season‚ in contravention of FIFA regulations.
Ndoro has also played for Orlando Pirates and Saudi Arabian club Al-Faisaly in the 2017/18 season‚ but Ajax maintain there were extenuating circumstances‚ including that the player was not paid for some months by the Saudis.
Platinum Stars are on their way to Limpopo to take Ajax’s place in the relegation-promotion play-off clash against Leopards at Thohoyandou Stadium.
Dikwena‚ who were relegated from the PSL a few days ago‚ were given a lifeline after arbitrator Mokhari’s ruling.
Club officials confirmed to TimesLIVE earlier on Tuesday that they were frantically making plans to honour the fixture against Leopards.
But it remains to be seen if the game will go ahead‚ given Ajax’s intention to stop the play-offs.
Meanwhile, as a result of the arbitration’s ruling AmaZulu, who were in the top eight bracket have fallen out and are now perched 9th on the log. This means only two KZN teams -Maritzburg United and Golden Arrows- go through to the MTN8, instead of three.
Will Usuthu contest the outcome remains to be seen, reports Sydney Morweng-news editor.
Still on Ajax, it’s pouring troubles after it has been confirmed their sponsorship with mobile phone company Huawei will not be renewed this season.
The spokesperson for the company did not elaborate whether this was as a result of relegation or not.
