Notwane�s appeal thrown out
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday July 17, 2015 13:12
Notwane appealed to the CoA after they lost their case against the Botswana Football Association (BFA) at the High Court. The club was challenging a BFA decision not to award them soft points from Sankoyo Bush Bucks arising from the use a defaulter in last season’s beMOBILE Premier League games.
“At the moment, there is not much I can say, as we still have a case to answer at the BFA Disciplinary Committee (DC). We will then meet and map the way forward,” he said.
When delivering his judgment at the CoA, Judge Isaac Lesetedi said the dispute goes a long way back and if it drags for too long it will affect a lot of people from one entity. “What Notwane is seeking for the matter to be heard on urgency does not on its own solve the dispute in question. The members of the community are broader,” said Lesetedi. He also said if the matter continued to be delayed, it might significantly affect the smooth running of the Botswana Premier League and the First Division South leagues as it would bring about confusion in the teams affected. Justice Lesetedi said if the matter was to be heard, it would take more than one and half months to be resolved, while the Premier League is to start in the first or second week of August.
Notwane’s attorney, Tshiamo Motsumi argued that both leagues should be stopped or suspended pending the outcome of the matter. He said his client did not play the play-offs against FC Satmos because they agreed with the judgment, but it was because they were threatened by the BFA. “Notwane played the play-off under threat from the BFA, as defaulting the game would have resulted in being charged with non-appearance,” he said. But Mike Rasetshwane, legal representative for the association, said Notwane agreed to play the game because they agreed with the High Court judgment and therefore their application should be dismissed with costs.
The club’s 50 year long stay in the elite league came to end when they were thrashed by FC Satmos 6-4 in a relegation play-off. They will play in the First Division for the first time in their history.