Diego Maradona’s club, Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, have dramatically escaped relegation, fortuitously, after the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) announced the cancellation of the country’s Superliga due to Coronavirus pandemic.
The Argentinian Copa de la Superliga is the second competition in their football season competed for by all the 24 clubs in the Primera Division divided into Group A and B. Though the regular season ended in March and won by Boca Juniors, it was going to be after the Superliga that the three relegated clubs would be confirmed.
Maradona took charge of a relagation troubled Gimnasia last September. He did well by leading the side from the bottom of the log to 19th position at the end of the regular season – the Primera Division.
Gimnasia were to continue fighting to avoid relegation in the Superliga as the Argentinian league relegation system also considers teams’ performances in the abridged Superliga. Clubs’ results in both the regular season and the Superliga across a three-year cycle also count in determining the three relegated teams.
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With the cancellation of the remainder season (Superliga) Maradona’s Gimnasia and others that faced relegation worries have been guaranteed their Primera Division status until 2022.
“We are ending the tournaments,” Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentinian Football Association (AFA), told the TNT television channel on Monday.
“The idea is to start playing again when authorities allow it and with maximum security.”
Tapia clarified that while there will be no relegation from the Primera Division to the Primera National, teams from lower cadres would still be promoted.
