THE CYPRIOT First Division is set to undergo a major overhaul after the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) decided on a new format for the league that will involve more games and the creation of groups in the fight for places at the end of the season.
The new format of the First Division, which will be in place for next season, will include up to 32 games, an additional six after the 26 championship games have been concluded.
According to the new structure of the First Division, the league will be split into three groups of four teams that will play each other twice before the end of season league positions are decided.
Points amassed in the two rounds of the championship will be carried forward into the group games while the teams finishing 13th and 14th will be relegated automatically into the Second Division.
The first four teams will play for the league title and European qualification, the teams that finished the season in places 5-8 will play each other home and away to decide their final position in the league while the last relegation place will be decided on who finishes twelfth in the games between the teams having finished 9-12.
The much needed revamp is set to spice up the league that has been criticised for lacking competitiveness in the past, with entry into the top four providing for a number of highly entertaining games between the island’s top teams.
Chairman of cup-winners Anorthosis Famagusta Andreas Pandeli believes that this is a massive step forward for Cypriot football.
“We regard this as a very positive move in order to increase the competitiveness of the Cypriot First Division, this is definitely a good move. In a small country like Cyprus this is a correct decision,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
There is however the worry that given these extra games will prolong the championship, some players could face burn out at the end of the season that for some teams has already started. Omonia Nicosia and APOEL, the two top teams in last season’s championship, have already begun training ahead of the next season, as they will have to face European matches in Europe as early as July.
On the question whether the additional games will have a detrimental effect on the fitness of players, Pandeli was adamant that this would not be the case.
“Six additional matches is not too demanding, teams should be able to cope easily with something like that. We cannot say that this concerns as at the moment,” he said.
