The board of Greece’s Super League on Wednesday decided that from now on the champion will be determined after play-off games and the number of clubs will be reduced to 14 as of the 2018-2019 season.
As of next season (2017-2018), the first six teams of Greece’s top football division will play double matches between them and the team that ranks first will win the championship. The points each team gathers during regular season will apply in the final ranking. In the 2018-2019 season the number of Super League clubs will be reduced to 14, instead of 16 now.
In the next season (2017-18) the two bottom teams will be relegated to the second division (Football League). The Football League champion will be promoted to the Super League and the 13th and 14th teams of the top league will play against the second of the Football League in order to clinch the 14th place for the next season.
From the 2018-2019 season and on, the bottom eight teams (7th-14th) will have play-out games to determine which ones will stay in the division and which one (the 14th) will fall. The 13th club in the ranking will play against the second of the Football League to determine which one will be in the top division in the next season.
Under the new rule, Football League teams will play 26 games in the regular season and another 10 in the play-offs. The decision was not unanimous, as 13 teams voted in favor of the reduction of clubs, but Larissa, Panaitolikos and Levadeiakos disagreed. The regulation required a 3/4 majority (ie. 12 teams) therefore the restructuring of the league passed marginally.
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