YOUNG African on Friday submitted an appeal with the Namibia Premier League to have their dismissal from the top flight rescinded.
The move appears to have forced the premier league governing body to postpone the Standard Bank Top 8 Cup which was scheduled for next weekend.
The club, through their lawyers, contend that the club’s demotion to the first division with immediate effect on Monday, after being found guilty by an NPL Disciplinary Committee of registering a player under a false identity last season, was “prejudiced, premature and misguided”.
Moreover, Young African believe that the ruling failed to adhere to Article 57.1 of the NPL Manual on Rules and Regulations which stipulates, in part, that such penalties or orders by the DC “will only become effective when the internal remedies available to the parties so sentenced have been exhausted”, or when the “time limit to exercise the next available internal remedy has expired”.
The NPL DC found Young African guilty on a count of fraud and misrepresentation after using an ineligible player last season. The case was initially brought by Young Chiefs at the end of last season, who alleged that Young African had registered Tapiwa Simon Musekiwa as Albert Mujikirera by using a tampered Zimbabwean passport.
Additionally, Young African was hit with a N$25 000 penalty fine on each count, to be payable before the end of May, while points amassed in matches the player featured were to be awarded to their opponents.
Young African’s relegation also impacts the composition of the inaugural Standard Bank Top 8 competition due to start next weekend with Orlando Pirates, which finished ninth, expected to take their place.
On Friday, the NPL informed its members that the tournament has been shifted to 23 February. No reason was provided for the postponement.
Meanwhile, Nampa reported on Friday that Ngarizemo said the league through its prosecutor approached them during lunch to change their plea from not guilty to guilty so as to incur a fine of between N$50 000 to N$500 000.
“We took the deal because of various reasons mainly the fact that the budget was exhausted, and my focus as the owner and coach of the team was diverted. The players were also confused as to what was going on. The fans were staying away from the matches and we also did not want to stop or delay the NPL action unnecessarily, hence we agreed to the deal,” he explained.
He further stated that the league Exco had failed to follow its internal procedures by imposing drastic measures in their judgement.
Speaking to Nampa too on the same day, Kadhila Amoomo, the NPL prosecutor denied offering Young African a deal, saying:
“How can I advise them to plead guilty when I was not acting on their instruction? Where was his lawyer when I was advising him on all of this? Because Mali (Ngarizemo) had his own lawyer who represented him during the hearing. He must focus on his appeal and leave me out of his issues,” he fumed.
