How petty is the PSL? Their new crusade against Cape Town City is another one of a seemingly running battle against Cape football.
The rush to punish City for their recent sponsorship deal with FNB ranks up their with the demise of Ajax Cape Town.
Just to refresh the memory, Ajax were relegated off the back of the Tendai Ndoto saga.
Having cleared the club to register the striker despite Ajax being his third club in a season, they turned around and stripped the club of points picked up in games in which he played.
And this was on top of an initial club protest, which the league had ignored.
All they had to do was make the correct decision up front.
Instead they had no idea what their own rules were.
And in the end, a Cape club was lost.
Ajax aren't the only club who have been lost due to their own mismanagement and lack of oversight by the League.
But they are also one of only a few clubs who have been severely punished for skirting the rules, while the PSL are often much more lenient in other matters.
So it wasn’t surprising when this past week, League bosses decided to tackle City.
This coming Monday, City face a hearing after being charged for failing to get approval for their recent sponsorship deal.
According to a Tuesday announcement by PSL Prosecutor Zola Majavu, City didn't seek prior approval from the League for their new deal with FNB.
I suspect that the issue isn't really about permission but with the FNB branding.
The day the deal was announced, I remember remarking to a media colleague that City must be so happy that ABSA are no longer PSL sponsors.
But with the league still having Nedbank as the title partner for their major Cup competition, this is where the conflict is - you know, banks.
However this is where it gets weird and petty and just plain suur on the part of Mzansi football bosses.
With the PSL drukking clubs to be more proactive in getting sponsors, why are they so selective and judge-arig.
They were fine with Absa and Nedbank sponsoring them, so how is there a conflict of interest? Absa and Nedbank are, after all, two competing banks.
Also, City's previous shirt sponsorship deal was with DirectAxis, who are owned by FNB.
So why was there no conflict of interest then?
There are too many clubs in the League who sukkel to get sponsors for the PSL to be so picky and hypocritical for the game in Mzansi to survive.
And if City are punished for their new deal, it is nothing more than a hit job.
matthew.marcus@inl.co.za