Suspended Phiri to stay at TAFIC

Chakalisa Dube | Friday March 9, 2018 21:07

 

The club, however, is not appealing the sentence imposed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) Disciplinary Committee (DC) recently.

Phiri was also barred from taking part in all activities sanctioned by the BFA for the duration of his suspension. Following the ruling, there was an indication that the club will sack Phiri.

However, the team manager Carlos Motaung said the club has decided against sacking the troubled player.

“We have not released him. He will remain on leave while serving his suspension. Having made an assessment after the ruling, we think that we will need his services going forward,” Motaung said in an interview. The player is however, still not allowed to train with the club.

BFA suspended Phiri for slapping Township Rollers’ attacking midfielder, Edwin Moalosi during a league match in January. Initially, TAFIC and the Botswana Premier League provisionally suspended Phiri and Rapelang ‘Razor’ Tsatsilebe before they appeared for hearing at the BFA DC.

Phiri will remain on half salary while serving his suspension. Phiri, a Zimbabwean national, alleged Moalosi insulted his parents and called him a “mokwerekwere”, a demeaning word referring to a foreigner. Moalosi has since denied the accusations.

TAFIC spokesperson, Warrant Kolola said the club has also decided against appealing the suspension of coach Tsatsilebe.

Late last week Motaung said that the club was pondering launching an appeal.

Tsatsilebe was suspended by the BFA DC for seven games and fined P5,000 for taking part in the said brawl. 

TAFIC have fared badly since the suspension of their coach and Phiri. The club have now dropped to 13th position on the league table.

Rollers strikers, Joel Mogorosi and Mthokozisi Msomi have also been hit with a combined suspension of 17 games for their role in the incident. Rollers have launched an appeal against the DC ruling in relation to both Mogorosi and Msomi.