Cape Town City to face PSL axe
Cape Town City could be kicked out for the Absa Premiership for signing a sports betting-company as their shirt sponsor.
Cape Town City FC during the Absa Premiership match between SuperSport United and Cape Town City FC at Mbombela Stadium on December 09, 2017 in Nelspruit, South Africa. (Photo by Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images)
Shortly after the Cape Town club and sports betting company SportPesa agreed on a sponsorship deal, the Premier Soccer League stated the club was not permitted to wear jerseys with SportPesa’s logo.
The club has ignored this instruction, and could face expulsion. The league is also considering docking three point from each game that John Comitis’ team have worn the SportsPesa’s logo, which will leave the team in the relegation zone.
According to SowetanLIVE the case will go straight to arbitration in January, where City could lose its place in the league because:
– the shirt with the SportPesa logo on was never approved by the PSL as per league rules‚ and the club were directly instructed not use it;
– the club has had charges brought against it for every game where they have continued to wear the SportPesa logo. They had accumulated more than 20 charges by mid-October;
– this puts City in defiance of league instructions and article 9.1.16 of the NSL Handbook gives the league the power to “suspend‚ fine‚ terminate the membership of or otherwise sanction or deal with any Member Club” found guilty of such a transgression.
