Thidiela: We do not want to disrupt the football process
by Sipho Mlotha · KickOffBlack Leopards chairman Chief Thidiela has opened up about what the club plans to do if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules against it.
Lidoda Duvha has not played a match since being relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship to the amateur ABC Motsepe League last season.
SAFA Limpopo has now officially excluded the club from the ABC Motsepe League 2026/2027 campaign.
Leopards is contesting the relegation, arguing that the Premier Soccer League demoted it unlawfully after withholding its players’ registration cards before FIFA formally issued its ban.
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Leopards has taken its case to CAS.
“We asked to focus on our case and not disrupt football. We are football people, and that is why we did not seek an interdict and allowed the Motsepe Foundation Championship to begin,” Thidiela tells KickOff.
“We may be fighting for our rights, but at the end of the day, we are football people. We do not want to disrupt the football process, even though we still believe we have a strong case.
“We want to resolve our case before resuming football. If it is resolved only in the middle of the season, we will let the season proceed without us. Even if our case is resolved before the season ends, we will sit out this campaign.
“We will not disrupt football. If the ruling goes against us, we will accept relegation; if we win, we will accept that outcome as well.”