SAFA Mopani regional president Vincent Ramphao.
By: Refilwe Sebola
The SAFA Mopani Hollywood Bets Champ of Champs event, originally planned for this weekend at Lulekani Stadium, has been postponed until further notice.
This decision was made after SAFA Mopani received an appeal notice regarding a disciplinary committee verdict involving Mariveni United, Meadowbank FC, and themselves.
Allegations suggest that Mariveni paid the referee and Meadowbank FC to let them score multiple goals in order to surpass log leaders Mokgwathi United and win the league on goal difference. Meadowbank FC reportedly did not honor their game and instead participated in the tournament.
Nevertheless, Mariveni assisted in organizing at least eight players for Meadowbank and provided them with boots for the game. The final score was reported as a 19-0 victory for Mariveni, but the referee’s official report stated a 20-0 win for Mariveni, raising suspicions due to differences in handwriting and language used in the report.
The disciplinary committee found Mariveni guilty of manipulating the game’s outcome, leading to Mokgwathi United being declared champions of their stream. However, Mariveni has appealed the decision.
The chairperson of Mariveni United , Tsakani Hlungwani, an attorney by profession, has strongly refuted the allegations and requested that any party making such claims provide substantiating evidence. Hlungwani asserted that her football club never engaged in any form of bribery to influence the game, stating, “We will never engage in such conduct. While we have faced similar situations in the past, we have consistently maintained our integrity and have never attempted to manipulate the outcome of any game. There is no reason for us to engage in such actions now.” She further expressed, “Yes, we managed to score 19 goals against eight players. We have previously secured victories with significant goal differentials, such as 11-0 and 20-0. SAFA gave us three points in this game because they know we won it.”
If Mariveni loses the appeal, they could potentially face exclusion from future league participation.