Silver Spurs FC will contest the play-offs of the Third Division League in the Cape Town region after they won the arbitration case against archrivals Hanover Park FC and SAFA Cape Town. 

The Silvertown-based Spurs, who are affiliated with Rygate Local Football Association, will take on Matroosfontein from the Northern Suburbs LFA at Gugulethu NY49 Sports Stadium on Tuesday 31 August 2021. The winner will represent Cape Town in the six-team Western Cape provincial play-offs that are scheduled to take place at Erica Park next weekend for the two spots in the ABC Motsepe League. 

Hanover Park had finished on top of the league’s Stream B – two points clear of second-placed Spurs – after the completion of the league early in August, and were scheduled to face Stream A winners, Matroosfontein on 14 August.

Spurs had lodged a complaint with SAFA that Hanover Park had fielded Mogamat May, who was, according to their complaint, ineligible to play on the basis that he should have been suspended after he accumulated his forth caution in their match against Cape Town City on 26 June. The case was dismissed by the Disciplinary Committee (DC) of Safa Cape Town on the basis that the player had accumulated three cautions, and Spurs appealed the decision. 

It was decided that the matter bypass the appeals board and be taken straight to the arbitrator, and Arbitrator Advocate DJ Jacobs SC sat for the case on Thursday in Mitchells Plain LFA offices, with both clubs as well as Safa Cape Town represented.

In his ruling, Adv Jacobs set aside the 12 August 2021 findings of the DC, and ordered that Hanover Park forfeit the three points they took home from their 5-2 victory over Vasco Da Gama in Parow on 7 August.  

The points forfeiture means that Hanover Park now finishes third in their stream, one point below leaders Spurs who won the stream on a superior goal difference over second-placed Trinitarians. They will now battle it out with Matroosfontein in two days’ time for a place in the play-offs.