Bern’s Case To Be Heard By DRC This Week
Sportswire has learned that the long-running dispute involving Liam Bern, Cape Town Spurs, and AmaZulu will be heard by the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) on Tuesday.
This follows a similar case brought by Bern’s former teammates, Asanele Velebayi and Luke Baartman. All three players are seeking to be declared free agents after Cape Town Spurs were relegated to the ABC Motsepe Regional League at the end of last season.
According to PSL regulations, a player’s contract is non-existence if the club is relegation to the ABC Motsepe Regional League. However, Spurs argues that the players, who have existing contracts, still require a transfer fee.
The current state of affairs
Baartman and Velebayi won their cases at the DRC and were subsequently signed by Kaizer Chiefs. However, Spurs has appealed the decision to the South African Football Association (SAFA) Appeals Board, which is why neither player has been able to play for Kaizer Chiefs yet.
AmaZulu signed Bern during the off-season but has not registered him with the PSL, a fact confirmed by the club’s president, Sandile Zungu.
The club is waiting for the outcome of the DRC hearing, hoping that Bern will be declared a free agent, similar to Baartman and Velebayi.
If the DRC rules against Spurs, the club still has the right to appeal to the SAFA Appeals Board, as they have done with the other two players. The final ruling will determine if Bern can be officially registered and play for AmaZulu.
