CAS dismisses Ngezi appeal, upholds award to Benjani

Ngezi Platinum Stars Football Club has lost its final appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with the tribunal confirming that the club terminated former head coach Benjani Mwaruwari without just cause.

In an award dated 23 February 2026, CAS dismissed the club's appeal in case CAS 2025/A/11286, upholding an earlier ruling by FIFA Players' Status Chamber that ordered Ngezi to pay US$570,000 in compensation, plus five percent interest from 14 March 2024 until full payment is made. The arbitration was conducted by sole arbitrator Andrew Mercer from the United Kingdom.

Ngezi was represented by Lyrique Du Plessis and Eben Koen of BDP Attorneys, Cape Town, while Mwaruwari was represented by Ndabezinhle Nyathi of Touchwood Intermediaries Oy, Helsinki, Finland. FIFA's senior legal counsel Roberto Najera Reyes also participated in the proceedings.

The CAS arbitrator confirmed that Ngezi had failed to challenge FIFA's jurisdiction during the original proceedings and could not raise that objection for the first time on appeal. The tribunal upheld the finding that the contract termination was without just cause and ordered the club to bear the full arbitration costs and contribute towards Mwaruwari's legal expenses.

With no further sporting appeals available, the ruling now shifts the matter to regulatory compliance. Failure to satisfy the confirmed financial award could trigger sporting sanctions, including transfer and registration bans, similar to previous cases involving Highlanders and coach Baltemar Brito, where clubs were temporarily barred from player transfers.

This ruling follows a separate FIFA decision in August 2024 awarding compensation to Mwaruwari's former assistant coach, Bongani Mafu, highlighting ongoing challenges for Zimbabwean clubs in adhering to international contractual obligations.