The General Assembly elected new members of Its governing bodies and approved several changes to the competition protocols
The General Assembly elected new members of Its governing bodies and approved several changes to the competition protocols
Elections for the vacant positions in the League Football Association bodies were also held during the General Assembly. After the relegation of Ústí nad Labem from the second highest competition, Petr Heidenreich left the role of vice-chairman of the League Committee for the F:NL after many years. His position was taken by František Jura from 1.SK Prostějov, who won the election among the delegates of the second highest competition. The same reason led to the change in the position of the LFA Control Committee member for FORTUNA:LEAGUE, where Petr Hort from the relegated Karviná was replaced by the newly elected representative of Hradec Králové, Mr. Richard Jukl.
The representatives of the clubs then unanimously voted for changes in the National Competition protocol, which reacts to the sporting developments in the highest levels of Czech club football. Taking into account the three B teams already among the teams of the second highest competition, the clubs agreed on detailed rules for possible variations in the promotion and relegation system between the first and second highest competitions. The measures in the league norms will now correct for cases where one of the reserve teams would finish in the final FORTUNA:NATIONAL LEAGUE table in one of the top three positions. In principle, with a few exceptions, "B" teams placed in the top three places will not be counted in the final standings for the purposes of promotion to the FORTUNA:LEAGUE or participation in the promotion play-offs.
Other changes in the National Competition protocol will include the cancellation of the possibility of "redemption" from the disciplinary penalties for players or officials for repeated yellow cards after the end of the FORTUNA:LEAGUE regular season. The yellow cards will now be carried over to the play-offs phase of the top competition, with the addition that if a player receives a fourth, eighth, twelfth, etc. yellow card in the 30th round, they will be banned from the opening round of the FORTUNA:LEAGUE FINALS. Players and officials will continue to receive a one match penalty for every fourth case in a season.
In FORTUNA:LEAGUE, coaches will now be able to use up to 11 substitutes for the five substitutions allowed from the 2022/23 season, as opposed to the usual seven players in previous years. The clubs have approved the interesting innovation following the example of some foreign competitions and also after some 1st division clubs had to invest in stadium equipment and increase the space of the benches for substitutes and squad members. This is also the reason why the change could not be introduced for the second highest competition this year.
The clubs also approved today the intention to tighten the licensing conditions for second league stadiums. As part of the Club Licensing Regulations, FORTUNA:NATIONAL LEAGUE clubs will be obliged to have artificial lighting in their stadium from the 2024/25 season. As of the 2027/28 season, it will be necessary to install a pitch heating system to host matches of the second highest competition.
