Relegated Motsepe Foundation Championship outfit Black Leopards have turned to the legal expertise of Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi in a last-ditch effort to save their professional status, FARPost has been informed.
The Limpopo club is set to receive an arbitration verdict this Monday that will determine if they can replay four fixtures from the start of the season—a period where they were forced to field a depleted squad, with two of those matches played under official protest due to a registration dispute with the PSL.
The club has approached the arbitration to have their four opening matches of the season replayed. This publication understands that Leopards has roped in one of the respected legal minds, Advocate Ngcukaitobi, as their senior counsel on the matter being heard in Johannesburg.
The matter comes from the incident that occurred at the beginning of the season when Leopards were forced to play four of their opening matches without a full squad.
WHY BLACK LEOPARDS HAS CHALLENGED THE PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE?
The club played their first four matches of the campaign against Casric Stars with 10 players, using an on-field player, Thendo Mukumela, as a makeshift goalkeeper. This is after the registration cards of their new signings were withdrawn by the PSL a day before their opening match, following confusion about a FIFA ban.
They also played their next three matches without the required number of Under-23 players due to the same issue. This publication also understands that two matches against the University of Pretoria and Lerumo Lions were played under protest. Both matches ended in a draw.
At the time, there had been confusion on whether the club had been slapped with a ban due to a FIFA Clearing House Client Portal inherited from All Stars FC after they had purchased their status.
However, FIFA later confirmed that at the time the new player registrations were withdrawn, the club was not yet banned. They were eventually banned in October 2025, a ban which was then lifted in February 2026.
BLACK LEOPARDS RELEGATION CONFIRMED FOLLOWING WEEKEND RESULTS
Leopards are set to finish the 2025/26 season second from bottom, their second relegation to the SAFA ABC Motsepe League in three years.
The club has since filed for arbitration, seeking to set aside the PSL’s decision to withhold the registration cards, led by Tembeka Ngcukaitobi.
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