Restarting the League amid the pandemic will bring several modifications. The classification of eight teams to the second phase (not just four as agreed at the beginning of the year) and the dispute of semifinal home runs, a consolation tournament among the 12 eliminated that could give a place to the South American Cup, return from five to seven substitutes, the authorization of five changes in each team during the matches and a Financial Fair Play, are the main innovations in the statutory changes and the tournament system that were applied in the extraordinary assembly of the Dimayor, which was held electronically between Friday (after constituting a universal assembly for the issue of Jorge Enrique Vélez leaving the presidency) and Saturday.
The League will be reactivated where it stopped (before date nine), on the weekend of Sunday, August 30, a tentative date that still depends on the approval of the National Government (Mindeporte and Minsalud).
The idea is for the first eight teams to qualify for the next stage, for semifinal home runs to be disputed and for the first of each group to contest the title in round-trip matches.
All this playing in the squares of each club and without an audience in the stands.
The return of the seven substitutes in each team was also defined (this year only five had been used) and the implementation of the five substitutions in each team per game, something that allows Fifa in the event of the long pause forced by the pandemic .
The five substitutions would reduce the physical wear and tear of some players and would help prevent muscle injuries seen in the restart of competition. The main European leagues that resumed activities endorsed the five changes.
The winner of that group of losers could qualify for the Copa Sudamericana if he defeats (in round-trip matches) the team that by reclassification is reaching the ‘Colombia 4’ quota for that continental tournament.
A similar model was implemented in 1995 and Santa Fe reached a place in the Conmebol Cup, of which he later became runner-up (he lost the final with Lanús).
The Financial Fair Play arises
Dimayor will put into practice what is known as ‘Fair Play Financiero’, which is an investment cap that no club will be able to overcome.
It establishes limits on the losses that teams can have and forces them to have no outstanding debts with other squads, with tax issues and with footballers.
Failure to comply with this ‘fair play’ agreement will mean sanctions. We will have to wait for more details from Dimayor in this regard.
Average decline
The decline is maintained by average, as has been occurring. However, it was pending if the loss of category this year is annulled.
The president of Águilas Rionegro, José Fernando Salazar, proposed to cancel the two descents this year and that in 2021 there are 22 teams in the first division. His proposal will continue to be debated at the next assembly, on August 7.
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