CHICKEN INN have effectively become one of the Chibuku Super Cup first round casualties following their ill-advised decision to walk off the pitch during the match against Yadah at Ascot Stadium on Saturday.
BY FORTUNE MBELE
With the match tied at nil-all and with three minutes remaining, referee Munyaradzi Majoni awarded Yadah a penalty that Chicken Inn disputed before the players walked off in protest.
While the Premier Soccer League were yesterday still waiting for the match reports from the match officials who handled the tie, the Chibuku Super Cup competition rules are clear on the status of the match if it is abandoned and Yadah FC will progress to the next stage.
Article 7.6 states: “If a team does not report for a match except in cases of force majeure recognised by the Premier Soccer League or if it refuses to continue to play or leaves the stadium before the end of the match, the team will be considered as having lost the match in question. The match will be awarded to its opponents on a scoreline of 3-0 or more if in the case of an abandoned match, the winning team has already reached a higher score at the time the guilty team leaves the field of play.”
That rule, according to article 7.8 and 7.7, cannot be contested and the Gamecocks are automatically banned from participating in the competition next year.
“The defaulting team shall be banned from participating in the next edition of the Chibuku Super Cup,” states 7.7, while 7.8 says: “No appeals may be lodged against these decisions.”
Chicken Inn are also liable to a fine of $2 000 or more for their Saturday misdemeanor as article 8.8 under disciplinary offences and fines states: “Offence: Causing the abandonment of a Chibuku Super Cup match. Action to be taken: Refer to disciplinary committee, who shall impose a fine of not less than $2 000 on the guilty team. The match result is awarded to the opposing team on a 3-0 winning scoreline or more if the opposing team has already reached a higher score.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Chicken Inn join giants Dynamos and Highlanders, who were also bundled out of the competition, with the Glamour Boys losing 2-1 to Bulawayo City at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday, while Highlanders fell by the same score line to Harare City at Mandava.
FC Platinum also lost 1-0 to Chapungu at Mandava, while league champions Caps United are the only giants to have sailed through to the quarter-finals after beating league title contenders and Chibuku holders Ngezi Platinum 1-0 at Baobab on Sunday.
Caps United, Harare City, Bulawayo City, How Mine, Yadah FC, Chapungu, Black Rhinos and Chapungu have made it to the quarter-finals of the $75 000 trophy.
