Bloemfontein Celtic confirm arbitration date for Langerman's case against Mamelodi Sundowns

Bloemfontein Celtic have confirmed their arbitration date for the complaint lodged against Mamelodi Sundowns over a week ago. 

Siwele are protesting Sundowns' decision to name Tebogo Langerman in their matchday squad for the Nedbank Cup final. 

Langerman was suspended for the encounter which was played at Orlando Stadium, where the Brazilians beat Celtic 1-0 to lift the trophy and completed a domestic treble.  

In a brief statement released on Saturday, Phunya Sele Sele said the hearing will take place on September 25, 2020. 

According to Celtic, Langerman's suspension only came to their attention during the game when Sundowns were about to introduce the veteran wing-back. 

It appeared at the time that Sundowns were also not aware that the 31-year-old wasn't supposed to be in the matchday squad, as they quickly reversed their decision to introduce him when Celtic brought it to the match officials' attention. 

The PSL rule book states that a protest should be lodged at least 30 minutes before kick-off, meaning should a team fail to meet the deadline, then the said protest would be reduced to a complaint. 

In what was a surprising move by the league, the Celtic matter was referred to the South African Football Association (Safa) arbitration and not the PSL Disciplinary Committee. 

The reason for the PSL DC to recuse themselves from handling the matter was because of its urgency, and it will be heard at 10:00 next week Friday. 

It is unclear what outcome the Safa arbitration will reach depending on the arguments presented by the representatives from the two clubs.

Celtic are pushing for Sundowns to be stripped off their Nedbank Cup championship and be given to them on the basis that they breached the rules. 

While Langerman didn't play a minute of that Nedbank Cup final last week, the rules are clear that being part of the matchday squad, a player is considered to be part of the match. 

But according to former PSL general manager Ace Ncobo, Celtic's case isn't too tight and Sundowns could escape with a R100 000 fine at the end of it all.