Romania's top division will be expanded from 14 to 16 teams as of next season, a move that has saved Dinamo Bucharest -- one of the country's most popular clubs -- from relegation, the domestic football federation (FRF) said on Thursday.
The 18-times Romanian champions Dinamo, who failed to play their final five league matches due to a high number of COVID-19 cases at the club, were set to be relegated to the second tier after finishing 13th in the 14-team league.
The final positions in the relegation group table were decided on a points-per-game basis.
The FRF's decision, however, means that cash-strapped Dinamo will retain their top-flight status.
Bottom club Chindia Targoviste will meet Mioveni, who finished third in the second division, in a promotion/relegation playoff with the top two teams in the second tier being automatically promoted.
The FRF said that next season's 30 regular-season rounds would be followed by playoffs among the top six teams and playoffs among the bottom 10 clubs.
On Monday CFR Cluj clinched their third successive Romanian title after beating Universitatea Craiova 3-1 in a playoff which decided the country’s representative in the Champions League.[L8N2F55VH]
(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov; Editing by Toby Davis)
