Are the Greek Super League Playoffs Flawed? 

By Stephen Kountourou 

Ever since it came to fruition in 2019/20, the playoffs have been a part of the Greek Super League format whereby after 26 matches the league splits. The top six clubs play each other home and away, to decide the winner of the title and who plays in European competition the following season. The remaining eight teams go into the playouts, where they play each other only once and whoever finishes in the bottom two is relegated to Super League 2. 

However many have criticised the playoff and playouts format, saying it was a pointless addition to the League season and with calls for a return to a normal league system that was in place previously. That is until this season. But even with the most anticipated playoffs today just beginning this does beg the question, are the playoffs flawed? 

The big positive for the playoffs this season has certainly been the title race. Unlike previous seasons where the title has already been all but sealed by the end of the regular season, the 2022/23 playoffs come with actual jeopardy. 

All four of Panathinaikos, AEK, Olympiakos and PAOK are battling it out to come out on top and with every match comes the possibility of a team moving one step closer to glory or taking one back to failure. This intensifies the situation further with almost every match being a derby which gives a cup final, must-win feel to every fixture. 

On a more general note there is a great financial incentive for the league to have more derbies matches as well. With games against the bigger teams, comes more match day paying fans, higher attendances in stadiums and TV higher viewership which would also generate more revenue for clubs. 

Freelance Sports Journalist Alec Mcquarrie said: “If you want Greek teams to be competitive in Europe, then surely playing more frequently against the better teams in the Greek Super league is going to give you more practice for when you face similar opposition in Europe, right at the end of the season, just before UEFA qualifying rounds.”

Another positive comes in the playouts half of the table and in particular the relegation battle. Consistently in recent years, the sides fighting at the bottom have all but been condemned to the drop or at least by the time the playouts come around. This season however is a very different situation. 

All three of Lamia, Levadiakos and Ionikos are within close proximity of each other and even with fewer fixtures in the playouts than the playoffs, every game is vital for the bottom three in which only one can stay in the Super League for the next season. Although it is also worth mentioning that the relegation fight theoretically could have happened even in a normal league format.

Even with the exciting battles at the top and bottom of the Super League table going into the playoffs, there is still a very evident issue with this system. Teams like Atromitos, Panetolikos and Asteras Tripolis, have almost nothing to play for in the seven playout matches. 

While they missed out on the top 6 they are also almost certainly safe from relegation which makes the last few games of the season redundant for them. Under a more traditional format, they would have been able to compete with 5th-place Aris and 6th place Volos to finish higher in the league or gain a place in European competition next season. But they are locked out of that opportunity. 

On reflection of whether the playoffs are flawed or not, it can be looked at objectively. 

They have allowed for what could be an enthralling end to the title race this season with all of the big four fighting to finish on top. But fans have been critical of how it dilutes derby matches with examples ranging from Olympiakos, who will have faced AEK and Aris six times in the league and Cup, and Panathinaikos and PAOK with the same amount of matches played against each other. 

The relegation battle has been intriguing too and with no big sides to face it could go down to the wire for teams attempting to make a great escape. However, the teams who have missed out on the playoffs now have nothing to play for. 

When asked about how the system could be improved Alec Mcquarrie said: "There are some really big teams in the lower leagues that could definitely hold their own in the Super league - clubs like former Greek champions and two-time Cup winners AEL, or a team like Xanthi who stayed in the top flight from 1990-2020. I think there are enough teams there to populate an 18-team league and it’s not unheard of – the Super league used to be that size for a number of years in the 70s and 90s.”

So despite the current playoff system at the top of Greek football being a flawed one, it has made for one of the most exciting ends to a season in recent history.  

@SteveKountourou

Hellas Football