PSL, Black Leopards Spat over Fifa player quota

REGULATIONS: University of Pretoria to report Ten-man Lidoda Duhva for fielding a 10-man team

By Masoja Cele

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has issued a stern warning to the Motsepe Foundation Championship-affiliated Black Leopards that no further postponement of their matches would be entertained.

Fifa has imposed a transfer ban on Leopards soon after they had bought the status of Cape Town All Stars.

Before Stars sold their status they faced unresolved compensation impasse with the world football body.

This week the Motsepe Foundation fixture pitted Leopards against Lerumo Lions.

But will they be able to field a formidable team that includes the five under 23 players against Lions?

The club has been sanctioned by Fifa to refrain from signing new players until their matter has been settled.

Last week Lidoda Duhva applied to the PSL for postponement of their fixture against Upington City. But they couldn’t meet a compulsory requirement of fielding five under 23 players.

For all championship fixtures, all the teams are required to include five under 23 players, with at least two on the field at all times.

In the opening 2025/26 fixture Leopards lost 3-0 against Casric Stars. The Limpopo team could only field 10 players with Thendo Mukumela, a defender, as a makeshift goalkeeper.

As if that were not enough, Leopards, in their clash against University of Pretoria, failed to meet the quota. The duel ended in a 2-2 stalemate.

AmaTuks have lodged a complaint against Leopards for not meeting the Fifa requirements.

The protest is still to be tested before the PSL disciplinary committee.

Chairman of the club Tshifhiwa Thidiela in interview with media, said the South African Football Association (Safa) must bear the responsibility for “mishandling the handover process when Leopards bought Cape Town All Stars franchise early last season”.

“All Stars were issued with a correspondence to run an assessment for World Football Governing Body’s clearing house website.

“Because Safa didn’t follow the directive, then Fifa inflicted the ban until you do the assessment,” said Thidiela.

But Premier Soccer League has warned the club there would be no more further postponements of their championship fixtures “as the club remains under a Fifa transfer ban”.