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The PSL disciplinary committee has found David Thidiela and his club Black Leopards guilty of abusing, threatening and ethnically discriminating against referee Victor Hlungwani.
This was revealed by the league’s prosecutor Nande Becker who told City Press yesterday that: “Both the club and Mr David Thidiela have been found guilty but there have not been sanctions yet.
“The league [PSL], Mr David Thidiela and Black Leopards must file heads of arguments by Friday. The DC [disciplinary committee] will then come up with an appropriate sanction.”
David Thidiela did not answer his phone. Leopards general manager Tshifhiwa “Chief” Thidiela said the club was not in a good space to comment.
But those in the know told City Press that the Limpopo-based club had expected a guilty verdict because the league had allegedly denied the club’s lawyers enough time to acquaint themselves with the case.
The club failed to appear before the initial disciplinary committee hearing in October. David Thidiela submitted a doctor’s note that he was not fit to attend until December.
A few days before appearing before the tribunal early last month, David Thidiela sent a stinging letter to Safa and Fifa calling for the two bodies to institute a commission of inquiry into the National Soccer League, the PSL’s holding company.
In the letter David Thidiela launched a personal attack on PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza saying that he had captured the league with a coterie of officials with whom he had surrounded himself.
Khoza denied all the allegations contained in that letter at an urgently called board of governors meeting and said he had his own files on David Thidiela.
As if the latest guilt verdict was not enough, Leopards’ woes are set to get worse as their coach Dylan Kerr could find himself in trouble with the league if what is contained in the match commissioner’s report is found to be true.
City Press has learnt through three sources that the 52-year-old Leopards’ tactician is alleged to have called a fourth official a “bloody African” during the Limpopo derby against Baroka FC earlier this month.
Although the league and Becker refused to comment, City Press understands that the PSL is studying match commissioner Rudzani Mulaudzi’s report following the Absa Premiership game that Leopards won 2-1 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on January 6.
While Mulaudzi confirmed he was the commissioner at the match, he said he had no authority to comment on what happened or on the contents of his report.
All this is set to add more spice in the Nedbank Cup last- 32 fixture between Black Leopards and Orlando Pirates at Thohoyandou Stadium on Saturday.
This will be more than just a game of football because of the tension between the two club bosses, David Thidiela and Khoza.
On the field Englishman Kerr seems to have stabilised the Venda-based side since taking over the reins three months ago.
Prior to their home league clash with Golden Arrows yesterday, Leopards were on a three-match winning streak following their victories over AmaZulu, Baroka and SuperSport United.
Central to Lidoda Duvha’s scintillating form has been striker Musonda Mwape whose brace in the 2-0 win over SuperSport last weekend took his tally to seven goals – equal to Highlands Park’s Mothobi Mvala – in the race for the golden boot award.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, will return to Limpopo to try to do a double over Leopards who they beat 2-1 in the first round of their league meeting in August, albeit the game not being played at Lidoda Duvha’s fortress, Thohoyandou Stadium, which the PSL ruled did not meet the standards to host a game of such magnitude.
At the time, the league had just given the Venda venue the green light to host elite league matches even though it was initially deemed not to be up to the required standards after Leopards were promoted to the Premiership at the beginning of the current campaign.
