Stars agree to play cup opener 'under duress'

Ria Stars have agreed to play Moroka Swallows in the first semifinal of Saturday's Telkom Charity Cup after a club-versus-league stand-off over the scheduling of the fixture threatened to derail the tournament.

Premier Soccer League PRO Andrew Dipela issued a statement to the effect that after in-depth discussions with Ria Stars, the fixture between Ria and Swallows will begin at 10am.

The row started after the league rearranged the kickoff time for the two semifinals - the other clash is between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs (12pm) - for crowd control reasons.

"The league appreciates that this decision was not easy to accept for both Ria Stars and Swallows, but thank the clubs for their commitment to place the interest of the fans safety and security above their own," said Dipela.

But it appears the dispute may be far from over as owner Ria Ledwaba claimed she had agreed to play the game under duress and intends taking the organisation head-on after the tournament.

A defiant Ledwaba said on Thursday she agreed to honour the game for the sake of her players, moreso after receiving countless calls from the government and supporters branches pleading with her to change her standpoint.

"I merely agreed to honour the game for the sake of all the people who voted for us," said Ledwaba. "And it was the pleas from my boys which forced me to relent.

"But it is not over. The PSL must learn to do things properly. They should have covered themselves by announcing, prior to the draw, that the cup committee had the right to decide on the times of the kickoff.

"But by failing to do so, they invoke that clause when it suites them. That's not on and I'm not only disappointed but the time has come to run things properly at the PSL offices and I am going to request a lot of answers after the tournament."

The storm may not be over, but at least everything will go ahead as planned and it's back to business at Ledwaba's club.

On Thursday, she announced that midfielder Frank Makua's suspension has been lifted and both the PSL and South African Football Association have been informed about the latest developments.

Makua stayed away from the club's pre-season preparations and was linked to various Gauteng clubs.

"He has been looking sharp in training and while he may be available for selection, the final decision rests with coach Kenny Ndlazi," said Ledwaba.

Meanwhile, Stars' opponents Swallows eased up their training and announced an addition to the squad, former Hellenic hard man Peter Petersen.

Coach Viktor Bondarenko expressed his satisfaction with the Birds' preparations and was looking forward to the game.

In the Pirates camp, midfielder Steve Lekoelea, who spent last season hobbling on crutches after sustaining a knee injury, is likely to make an appearance even though stand-in coach Augusto Palacios said the youngster will not be rushed back to action.

At Chiefs Village in Naturena, where the club will announce a partnership with Standard Bank on Friday morning, Amakhosi coach Muhsin Ertugral and the team took it easy as well.

The gates at FNB Stadium open at 8am and only 79 000 tickets will be made available at Ticketweb outlets countrywide at R25 for adults.