When the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) resumes on April 26, the final matches in league play will be played simultaneously, in accordance with FIFA Fair Play rules.
The last round of games will be played on Sunday, April 26, and Sunday, May 3, with all games starting at 3:30 p.m. The semi-finals will begin on Sunday, May 10, 2015.
The competition is currently on a two-week break to facilitate Montego Bay’s participation in the Caribbean Football Union Club Championships. Waterhouse were forced to withdraw from the championships for financial reasons which prevented them from travelling to Trinidad.
However, when the competition resumes, according to the Professional Football Association of Jamaica, in the interest of making the league as transparent as possible, matches being played during the final three rounds of games will start at the same time. This will help to minimize instances of teams acting on the results of other games played before theirs.
Changes
“On the heels of having an exciting RSPL season thus far, with very close point standings, the PJAF Board has reinstated the FIFA fair play ruling, in which all six games are to be played on Sunday. Therefore, the Monday-night live match excitement you love will be on Sundays, still live and aired on TVJSN from April 26 to May 3,” said Toni Ann Reid, assistant brand manager at Red Stripe. “If you miss it on Sunday, then catch the rebroadcast at the usual time, 8:30 p.m., Monday on TVJ’.”
Two teams have already qualified for the play-offs , Arnett Gardens, which have already won the preliminary round and the $1 million prize, and Waterhouse, which cannot be passed in the standing by more than two teams.
Four teams are battling for the other two semi-finals spots – Montego Bay United on 52 points, Humble Lion on 49, Harbour View on 46, and Tivoli Gardens on 44 points.
In the semi-finals, Arnett Gardens will engage the fourth-place team in home and away games, with the second-place team playing the third-place team in similar encounters. The overall winners of both ties will then advance to the grand final.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the table, two teams, Sporting Central Academy and Reno, are battling to stay in the league. Sporting are slightly ahead on 33 points, with Reno just two points behind. One of these two teams will be relegated along with Barbican Football Club.
Source: Jamaica Gleaner