Kaizer Chiefs Plead Guilty to Premier Soccer League Charges, Fined for Fielding 2 Ineligible Players

Kaizer Chiefs Plead Guilty to Premier Soccer League Charges, Fined for Fielding 2 Ineligible Players

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:02 PM
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South Africa
  • Kaizer Chiefs pleaded guilty to fielding two ineligible players for a DStv Premiership game last season
  • Kaizer Chiefs were fined by the Premier Soccer League's Disciplinary Committee for the offence committed last year
  • Aiden McCarthy and Mduduzi Shabalala were also fined by the Premier Soccer League's Disciplinary Committee

Kaizer Chiefs have finally found out their fate from the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) Disciplinary Committee.

The Amakhosi were charged with fielding two ineligible players, Aiden McCarthy and Mduduzi Shabalala, in a league game against Sekhukhune United last year.

Kaizer Chiefs, Plead Guilty, Premier Soccer League, Charges, Fined, Fielding, Ineligible Players, Soccer, Sport, Disciplinary Committee, Zola Majavu, Kaizer Motaung
Kaizer Motaung's Amakhosi have been fined by the Premier Soccer League's Disciplinary Committee but will still meet PSL Prosecutor Zola Majavu on 17 May again. Image: Touchline/ Gallo Images
Source: Getty Images

Chiefs included McCarthy and Shabalala in the team after a Covid-19 outbreak at their Naturena facility left them struggling to put together a squad. Both youngsters did not play though. The players were registered to play in the DStv Diski Challenge and not the DStv Premiership, which is why they were charged by the PSL.

Chiefs appeared before the Disciplinary Committee today and pleaded guilty to the charge, Soccer Laduma reported.

"Kaizer Chiefs was fined a monitory amount of R200 000, 50 percent of which is suspended for a period of 12 months on conditions that during the period of suspension, they are not found guilty of the same offence," PSL Prosecutor Zola Majavu said.

McCarthy and Shabalala were also fined R10 000 each. The whole amount is suspended for 12 months providing that the players aren’t convicted of the same offence during that period.

The Amakhosi were also ordered to pay the cost of the two sittings.

The legal battle between the Sowetan giants and the PSL is not over though. Chiefs will still have to face the Disciplinary Committee on 17 May at 4pm, Goal.com reported.

The next sitting is in relation to Kaizer Chiefs failing to honour two fixtures last year. The matter was put on hold after Chiefs took the matter to SAFA for an arbitration ruling. The PSL then appealed that ruling.

Chiefs will now have to answer for failing to honour their fixtures and could face further punishments.

Kaizer Chiefs set for a busy month of May, will appear before the Disciplinary Committee and High Court

Kaizer Chiefs are going through a rough patch on the pitch as they look to return to winning ways, but they also face an uphill battle off the pitch. In May, the Amakhosi will face off against the Premier Soccer League twice in three days over two separate legal matters.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the club will first meet on May 10 in the Gauteng High Court, where the PSL are appealing the arbitration ruling, the club confirmed on its website, Sports Brief earlier reported.

The ruling was made in the club’s favour, meaning that the PSL had to reschedule two fixtures that the Amakhosi could not honour last year. Chiefs will play those fixtures this coming week, despite the case yet to be finalised.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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DSTV DiskiDStv PremiershipSouth Africa