The Dutch league will suspend promotions and relegation if less than 85% is played

The Dutch soccer federation announced on Wednesday the rules that will apply if the Eredivisie is suspended, as happened last season due to the coronavirus, and established that no team will be promoted or relegated if less than 85% of the games have been played. It is one of the rules released by the highest authority in Dutch football to give legal certainty to the competition in case of cancellation of the season due to force majeure. The federation has established three scenarios:

The first applies if less than 50% of the matches have been played and the suspension from the competition is total– No champion is declared, rank changes are not executed, and European places are not awarded.

The second scenario applies if the season is ended when between 50% and 85% of the matches have been played. The federation would use the classification of the moment to designate who goes to the Champions League and the Europa League. There would be no champion designation or category changes, unless one of these situations has been solved mathematically.

In the third scenario, the season is canceled when all teams have played at least 85% of the matches -29 days- and the classification table is used to determine the champion, the European positions, the promotions and the relegations. In the event of a tie on points, priority will be given to the team with the best goal difference throughout the season., as is usual in the Netherlands.

The regulation has been adopted because there were no rules to establish what to do with the Eredivisie in case of forced suspension, as ordered by the Government last April to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“It is good that there is clarity in advance“said in a statement the director of the Eredivisie, Jan de Jong, for whom the new rules will avoid” legal fights that mainly benefit lawyers. “

The two teams that last season were first in the second division, Cambuur and De Graafschap, took the annulment of the promotions to the courts, but the Justice did not agree with them and the federation finally reached an economic agreement with both clubs.