Just as the football season ended with the mighty Liverpool crowned European champions for a record extending sixth time in English football – things are not going exactly cool on the African continent.
Tunisian club Esperance’s celebrations for clinching the prestigious Caf Champions league were to be short-lived. This after Africa’s football presiding body Caf ordered a reply instructing the Tunis outfit to return back the trophy and medals – much to the amazement of many football followers across the continent.
The final between Esperance and Wydad Casablanca ended prematurely after furious Wydad players staged a walk-off, vehemently protesting the referee’s refusal for a VAR review after their equaliser was chalked off.
The VAR was experiencing some technical difficulties and could not perform the review. After a marathon two-hour delay, Caf officials resolved to declare Esperance the winner and subsequently conducted the traditional trophy handover rituals. However, the fiery Moroccans would have none of that and filed a protest demanding the end result to be nullified.
In a strange twist of things, the very same Caf that awarded the continental club champions league trophy to Espernance, reversed their decision and ordered a replay, nogal via a voting process – very much against the spirit of Fifa’s “Fair Play” slogan.
It’s worth noting that this sort of unending shameful shenanigans will never happen in Europe or any other continental competitions – it can only occur in Africa but alas, what else can we expect from a football governing body that is run by blokes who have fallen out of favour with their respective associations on whose ticket they are paddling in the structures?
African football is rotten to the core with corruption, and unless associations tumble these selfish greedy bloodsuckers, disguised as football administrators, from the pedestal, the beautiful game will become a much sought-after delicacy for stray dogs on the African continent.
More disgusting, where have you ever witnessed a final contested over two legs unless you are from Kuvikiland?
Charity begins at home
So, yours truly is led to believe the much anticipated NPL annual Awards Ceremony has been temporarily cheesed off. Well, I’m not surprised at all given the shoddy nomination of candidates and virtually non- existing criteria applied to select deserving candidates.
Firstly, it goes beyond any comprehension as to how the organizers arrived at the trident of shortlisted candidates in the category for Players’ Player of the year award.
HELLO !!!! please take note logic suggests that this particular accolade is solely reserved for the Real McCoys of the game, in this case, the FOOTBALLERS.
It’s incumbent upon themselves to select their preferred candidates without any outside interference or influence unless my learned colleagues at Football House have a different definition or modernised interpretation for the actual meaning of the award under scrutiny.
Bobby Samaria was overlooked despite finishing as runner-up for the NPL tile race whilst claiming victory in the inaugural edition of the Standard Bank Top 8 Cup, notwithstanding the Reds’ impressive exploits in the Caf Champions League.
What really pisses me off is when our officials try by all means to justify their serial misinterpretation of justice with how things are done in the South African Professional Soccer League (PSL) without looking at their merits of their own case scenario.
Earlier this week, the social media was abuzz with excitement when a South African lower division club was docked points and subsequently got relegated for misconduct.
Some blokes were quick to make comparisons with the YA case, even going further stating that NPL were correct to deduct points and not allocate them to the affected opponents. They argued that the league did not seek to have points allocated to the affected teams simply because they did not file a protest in that regard, REALLY?.
Now, tell me since when do claimants dictate the terms of sanctions in any judicial system? I’m just wondering. A ruling stays like that and can only be disputed or challenged through an appeal. It cannot be thrown in the dustbin just because you don’t agree with the decision. I rest my case.