Ajax vs PSL standoff steps up a notch after the Urban Warriors are given a court date

The standoff between Ajax Cape Town and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) over the drawn out Tendai Ndoro eligibility saga stepped up a notch after the Mother City club was given a court date in their bid to interdict the start of the coming Absa Premiership season.

The season is scheduled to start on August 3-5 but Ajax want the campaign to be halted until the Ndoro matter is resolved.

A PSL insider told TimesLIVE on Thursday that the Ajax interdict would be heard at the South Gauteng High Court on Tuesday.

TimesLIVE has also learned that the PSL’s leave to appeal the application against Judge Denise Fisher’s decision to set aside Advocate William Mokhari’s ruling to relegate Ajax might only be heard sometime next week as the former is not back at work yet.

Judge Fisher ruled on July 2 that the arbitration award by Mokhari should be set aside as the right place to hear the matter was Fifa’s Player Status Committee.

Early this week Ajax CEO Ari Efstathiou vowed to also challenge the PSL’s application for leave to appeal Fisher’s verdict and this mean whatever the outcome of Tuesday’s application‚ it will not be the end of the matter.

Efstathiou said should Judge Fisher give the PSL right to appeal her decision‚ they would also stand their ground until the process is complete.

“Ajax have stated time and again that we are willing to sit around the table and discuss with all the interested parties‚ but this has been rebuffed‚” Efstathiou told the reporters in Cape Town on Tuesday.

“We are now left with no option but to proceed with the action we are taking.”

Ajax are accused of playing Ndoro after they bought him from Saudi Arabian club Al Faisaly in January even though they were his third side last season.

Ndoro had also featured for Orlando Pirates at the start of last season.

Playing Ndoro was in contravention of Fifa regulations which state that the player can sign for three but only play official matches for two.