Relegated Cape Town City’s bid to remain in the Betway Premiership has taken yet another knock after the punishment handed out to Marumo Gallants for fielding an incorrectly registered player.
After the PSL initially refused to prosecute Gallants over their incorrect registration of Monde Mpambaniso, Cape Town City approached the SAFA arbitration tribunal to force the league to look at the matter.
Gallants pleaded guilty when appearing in front of the PSL Disciplinary Committee for the improper registration of Mpambaniso. As a result of the guilty verdict, Gallants will have to pay a fine of R200,000, with 50% suspended for 24 months.
“The PSL DC ruled as follows: one, that Marumo Gallants be fined an amount of R200,000, half of which is immediately payable, and the other half suspended for 24 months, on condition that during the period of suspension they are not found guilty of the same offence again,” PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu said on Thursday.
“Should they reoffend, that suspended portion would be triggered immediately, and they will be further sanctioned for that subsequent misdemeanour.”
The punishment will not go down well with relegated Cape Town City bosses, who led the charge against Gallants hoping for a points deduction.
A points deduction would have seen Gallants finish bottom of the Betway Premiership, resulting in the Citizens retaining their place in the league.
This case represented the Cape Town club’s last throw of the dice to remain in the top flight after their attempts to buy another club’s status did not succeed. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for the Capetonians. While the guilty verdict confirms their concerns were valid, the absence of a points deduction means the club must now come to terms with life in the lower division.
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