Highlanders Football Club has been booted out of the Chibuku Super Cup following a judgment by an independent disciplinary committee appointment by the Premier Soccer League on their abandoned quarterfinal clash against Simba at Wadzanai Stadium last month..
The match was abandoned after Simba Bhora was controversially handed a late penalty and Highlanders players and officials protested against the decision and decided to leave the pitch.
The committee awarded the match to Simba Bhora on a 3-0 scoreline, while Highlanders have also been fined $6 000.
A memorable season continues for Shamva-based side Simba Bhora who now proceed to the semi-finals of the premier knockout competition.
The team is also poised to win their maiden league title.
"The accused, Highlanders FC, is hereby sentenced to pay a fine of US$6000. Of this amount, $4000 is suspended on condition that the club is not found guilty of any offence that brings the game of football into disrepute for the remainder of this season. The effective fine of US$2 000 together with the costs of the hearing, shall be paid within two weeks of receipt of this judgment. The abandoned match be and is hereby awarded to Simba Bhora FC on a 3 nil scoreline," read part of the statement.
"The regulations allow the DC to impose further penalties. There is no doubt that the performance of the referees was poor. They were sanctioned for their poor performance. Some weight has to be given to this important fact in the mitigation of sentences. "Ignoring this will result in an injustice and a legal absurdity.
"We have also taken note of the fact that Highlanders FC have already been fined US$6 000 for the violent behaviour of its fans during the same match. We resolved to give additional weight to this and treat the two offences together for purposes of assessing the penalty. It is for these reasons that we will use our discretion to depart from the minimum mandatory sentence and not impose additional penalties.
"Having said that, we must impose a fine that sends a message to all clubs that the law of the jungle will not be tolerated. Clubs must not take the law into their own hands. We will not trivialise the offence which, without doubt, brought the game and the sponsors into disrepute.
"What makes this more serious is the fact that the abandonment was not caused by supporters, but by players (led by the team captain) and team officials who should know better and lead by example. The club has shown no contrition at all. It continues to justify this errant behaviour by its players, who were clearly being urged on by members of the technical team.
"Before we conclude, this matter must also state that football authorities responsible for referees must take action to holistically and permanently address complaints regarding the performance of referees in a manner that restores and builds the confidence of stakeholders.
"These have been repeatedly raised in a number of matters that have been brought before us. While we take judicial notice of all these complaints, aggrieved parties must ensure that their grievances are resolved in terms of due process and in a manner that complies with the rule of law," the disciplinary committee said.