Mark Gleeson
The Premier Soccer League has a new, lady disciplinary boss. Advocate Ntietso Mofokeng comes from running the SABC’s legal affairs, a busy job one would presume.
When the PSL announced her appointment, it listed her impressive qualifications. But the accompanying press release forgot to give us her soccer credentials. Not that would seem necessary. Besides an understanding of the game and where professional football in this country is headed, what does she really need to know?
The new disciplinary boss has gone about her work with surprising independence, little deference to the past and perhaps, I suspect, a complete ignorance of what is good for the game.
Her predecessor Zola Majavu was an eccentric, maverick and, as his recent premature departure from the PSL chief executive officer’s post suggests, no team player.
But he did work for the good of the game, some times with alarming firmness.
The highlight of his tenure was a hefty fine to AmaZulu for not wearing the right socks.
He fined Mpumalanga Black Aces’ defender Felix Musasa R10 000 after breaking the leg of a Carara Kicks opponent
*R10 000 to Wits coach Roger de Sa for his verbal touchline tirade against referee Daniel Bennett
*R50 000 for Jomo Cosmos for delaying the kick off of the NFD game in October 2008
*R50 000 fine to Sundowns when coach Henri Michel failed to speak to the TV cameras
*R10 000 fine to Free State Stars when their captain failed to go to the MTN8 launch function.
Majavu’s firmness set standards. Few miss meetings these days, few are late, few fail to follow the procedures.
The new prosecutor has taken a completely different tact. While Majavu hit with a stick, she’s been wielding a handbag.
This past week at least.
In the National First Division, Sivutsa Stars used a suspended player in a game this season, one of the cardinal sins of the professional game.
The player had been due to serve a one match ban after an accumulation of yellow cards but Stars played him anyway. Their punishment - a R10 000 suspended for the rest of the season.
Also down in the second tier, Dynamos’ volatile owner Pat Malabela forced his way into the tunnel after a game against Black Aces in Witbank and, according to the charge sheet, used “threatening and abusive language towards the referee”.
Given that De Sa got 10k for chirping from the touchline, Majavu would have had Malabela on the braai.
But Malabela walked away this week with a paltry R10 000 suspended for the rest of the season.
So what message is the new advocate sending out? Does she know the unsavoury individuals she is dealing with? The chances they are prepared to take in order to win.
A
weak DC will see the gains of recent years lost. This, the new advocate must
quickly learn.
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.