The regulations of the Serie C playoffs
There will be 28 teams making up the playoffs, nine per group plus the winner of the Italian Cup if it is not part of the top 10 in the standings. And this is the case of Catania. The post season will be divided into several stages: the group stage, the national stage and the final four. And in the end the fourth team will be promoted to Serie B, after Mantua, Cesena and Juve Stabia.
THE GROUP PHASE
The teams from fourth to tenth (qeighth against tenth, sixth against ninth, seventh against eighth place) will take the field from the first phase. The nine qualifiers will then join the fourth in the rankings in the second phase of the first round. The matches will be direct elimination with a single home match of the best in the rankings. In case of a draw there will be no extra time or penalties, but the regular season ranking will always count.
THE NATIONAL PHASE
The six qualifiers plus the third-placed teams in the groups and the winner of the Italian Cup will participate in the second phase, the National one, for a total of ten teams. And there will be a seeding division: best versus worst. In the second phase of the second round, the five teams that will win the pass plus the three second teams, therefore eight clubs, will play. There will be a round trip (with the best in the regular season rankings returning home) and in the event of a draw in the two matches, the best ranked team will advance. There will be no extra time or penalties.
FINAL FOUR
The four qualifiers will participate in the final four, competing in two semi-finals and then in the grand final. The pairings will be decided by draw. In case of a draw, extra time will be played and, if necessary, penalties.
Marani and the possible postponement of the playoffs
The president of the Lega Pro, Matteo Marani, spoke on the sidelines of the awards ceremony Cesena, promoted to Serie B, and announced the possible postponement of the playoffs due to the issue relating to Taranto. The Apulian club, in fact, has appealed to the Coni Guarantee Board to get back the four points taken away. “We have convened an extraordinary Board of Directors for tomorrow at 12.30pm to decide the starting date of the playoffs – said Marani -. The possible postponement of the start date of the playoffs will be discussed by the Council tomorrow. In the next 24 hours, according to the indications of the FIGC, we should know the official day of the hearing at the CONI”.
The president added: “I am sorry, as president, for the inconvenience that this affair causes to the clubs, to the 28 teams and to millions of fans, who rightly await the start of the playoffs. For months we have been working to make them more beautiful and richer, with VAR in all matches, but once again the timing in the control system proves not to be in line with the speed needs of a professional championship.”
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