Black Leopards are set to appear before the Johannesburg High Court today as they seek to overturn their relegation to the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League.
The club is challenging the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) decision not to order the replay of their first four matches of the 2025/26 season, arguing that they were unfairly disadvantaged due to player registration issues.
According to Leopards, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) initially issued registration cards for several newly signed players before later withdrawing them because of South Africa’s FIFA registration ban. As a result, the club claims it was forced to begin the season without a full squad.
Black Leopards’ opening fixture against Casric Stars saw them field just 10 players, while they also faced University of Pretoria and Lerumo Lions without the required number of Under-23 players, circumstances they believe compromised the integrity of those matches.
The club is now asking the High Court to overturn SAFA’s decision and order the replay of the affected fixtures, a ruling that could have significant implications for the final standings and their relegation from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
Today’s court proceedings are expected to be closely followed by South African football stakeholders, with the outcome potentially setting an important precedent for future disputes involving player registration and competition regulations.
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