It could have been the right call by the judicial body in terms of interpreting the laws as they handed down their sentence on the Township Rollers’ Onkarabile Ratanang saga.
The key issue that the Disciplinary Committee raised is that there was no official protest lodged over the use of Ratanang. Therefore the sanction had to be in line with that argument and meant the punishment was a light P15,000 fine.
It felt less than a slap on the wrist. While the Rollers family will feel relieved, after fearing the worst when a guilty verdict was returned, the case has left a sour taste in the mouths of many. The case had sent emotions from across the divide, sky high.
Even neutrals joined in, in what was an emotive case. This was regarded as a case that would test the resolve of football authorities, and provide the sternest test to the independence of the sport’s judicial bodies.
A lot of conspiracy theories were conjured up with claims Rollers was being unfairly treated, while some argued, if an offense was committed, Popa should feel the full wrath of the law.
In the end, Rollers would argue poetic justice prevailed while some will maintain the case has set a bad precedence. I see the case as a bad P15,000 joke that has not enhanced the reputation of local football.
Instead, it leaves a game in sixes and sevens, but still vital lessons can be drawn. The key highlights was that there was no official protest to set the investigation of Ratanang’s registration into motion. Again, it’s probably the first case, even compared to the ones before the courts of law, to have a guilty verdict before arguments were heard.
From then it became a laughable and ugly yo-yo, with the pendulum swinging this way and that way. There were suspensions, lifting of suspensions without any hearing, plunging football further into an embarrassing abyss.
At one stage, Rollers pleaded they had no case to answer, but the prosecution remained steadfast a crime had committed, including questions of whether there was fraud and corruption.
It was made out to be a humongous case, or it was indeed humongous but the technicalities threw the spanners in the works. It was football’s biggest elephant in the room, but as someone aptly summed it, at the end, the elephant gave birth to a mouse.
But amid the chaos, football can pick key takeaways, particularly regarding the laws that govern the game. It appears the law, in the absence of an official protest, legalises improper conduct. So clubs can register players outside the window and if there is no protest, play as if everything is normal? That needs to be revisited.
The case clearly was not argued on its merit, but more on the technical side.
The legal gurus will tell you that it’s not the size of the accusations but the arguments that matter. Therefore, the seriousness of the allegations do not always going to equate to a hefty sentence, as was indicated in the Rollers case.
The worst case scenario would have seen the club expelled or massive points deduction. But Rollers dodged the bullet. The case might be closed, but football could be reeling from a decision that will be debated for generations.
