MARK WARD
Hanover Park’s Diadora FC, current Coke Cup champions and Athlone LFA league winners, added the third division play-off title to their list of accomplishments at the weekend when they beat Westridge FC 5-0, at the Rooikrans sports complex, in Grassy Park.
Safa Cape Town’s president, Bennett Bailey has moved to give clarity after some doubts emerged over recent results in the third division play-offs, which took place over the past two weekends.
Bailey’s bid to clear the air comes in the wake of Diadora and Clover having to wait until the start of the 2024-2025 season to make their respective debuts in the regional league.
According to Bailey, the main reason for the move is mainly due to the transfer window period – in which players can move to clubs of their choice – closing at the end of November.
Several players who participated in the play-offs are being sought by coaches of several teams for their upcoming campaigns in both the second and third divisions or local LFA competitions.
Both Diadora and Clover qualified for the third division after winning their respective groups in the play-offs which ended on Sunday.
The Hanover Park side beat a gallant Westridge FC 5-0 while Clover emerged victorious with a 3-0 win over Kalawa. Both matches were played at the Rooikrans Avenue sports gound in Grassy Park, on Sunday.
“The timing of the play-offs is necessitated mainly due to the players having to exercise their right to play for other clubs. Several players are members of clubs participating in the Western Cape second and regional third divisions. Those leagues ended earlier this year. The second division is however about to start while the third division has already commenced,” said Bailey.
Bailey was probed why the play-offs went ahead despite allegations of match fixing during the play-offs. This follows Diadora’s 35-1 win over Electric City which triggered alarm bells.
“A process has been put in place to deal with the matter. We shall wait for this to be completed and take appropriate action, if indeed any should be. Until such time the results as seen on Sunday remain,” said Bailey.
Meanwhile, Shakes Mangaliso, coach of Diadora, is celebrating a remarkable season in which he has won an historic treble with the club from Hanover Park. Having already won the prestigious Coke Cup and the Athlone LFA league winners’ trophy, he added the third division play-off title to his historic treble.
