Serie A, what happens with relegations and promotions if the championship does not start again
Which teams are relegated and which teams are promoted if the championship does not start again?
The possible solutions
In recent days we have seen what could happen in Serie A if the championship does not restart on the criteria to be used to determine which teams will participate in the European cups. The topic is obviously hot and also concerns the lower part of the standings, to decide who will have to relegate and consequently in cascade which teams in Serie B will be entitled to promotion. These are currently the most realistic scenarios.
The situation
Historically, the most furious battles in Italian football have been fought in the slums of the rankings, because if salvation or relegation is at stake, the economic prospects of the medium and long term change drastically and this will be even more valid in a future of crisis. of liquidity that will not only concern football. For this reason, if the ranking is frozen, any criteria used to establish retrocessions and promotions will almost certainly be contested by companies that will be penalized by that criterion. The most emblematic case is that of the B series, which directly promotes the first and second classified but decrees the third promoted through the playoffs. If they were canceled, a natural consequence of the declared season ended in advance, an avalanche of appeals by teams that will not be able to participate in the knockout phase to win the promotion is practically certain.
Relegations to B
This is currently the ranking at the bottom of Serie A.
13 Fiorentina
14 Udinese
15 Torino
16 Sampdoria
17 Genoa
18 Lecce
19 Spal
20 Brescia
At the moment there are two hypotheses. The first, unrealistic, is that we decide to freeze the Serie A classification by eliminating the relegations and promoting the first two of the cadet championship from B, namely Benevento and Crotone. It would mean, however, to have a 22-team A 2020-21 series with a practically unmanageable expansion of the calendar given the uncertainties on the return times on the pitch and above all on the possibility of remaining there as new lockdowns cannot be excluded even in the next season, as well as the ‘cancellation of the Serie B playoffs that would be contested by the teams that would be excluded.
Promotions in A
The alternative is to decrease the number of relegations and promotions from three to two, with the consequence of sending Brescia and Spal to B, which also seemed destined to retreat for the classification, and Benevento and Crotone to A. The 20-team Serie A would be saved, but would prevent Frosinone, Pordenone, Spezia, Cittadella, Salernitana and Chievo from playing the third promotion in the playoffs. The situation also affects Serie C, because if the Serie B championship is not extended to more than 20 regulation teams, four relegations will be foreseen in C. As for Serie A, the number of relegations to three could be reduced and allow the promotion to Serie B of the three teams currently leading the group of C, currently Monza, Vicenza and Reggina. In this case the current last three of the series B, Livorno, Trapani and Cosenza would go to C. This criterion would allow to avoid a dispute that would occur with four relegations, because the latter would be decided by the playouts to be played between the fourth and fifth last which are currently Cremonese and Venice. The Lombards, who have 30 points, however, must recover a game against Ascoli who is the sixth last and has 32. By winning they would go to 33 and at that point it would be Ascoli to play the playouts.
