The Slovak Super Liga (Fortuna Liga), the top football league in Slovakia, will resume in June, while there is still uncertainty regarding the 2. Liga (the Second League) of Slovakia, which might resume or not.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, football competitions for all the other leagues have been stopped and the results of the 2019-2020 season have been cancelled. The representatives of three regional football associations (East, Centre and West Slovakia) have issued a common declaration on the 26th of March 2020, providing strong arguments for the cancellation of the season, as no matches have been played in spring and it is unlikely to restart the season in due time. Therefore, there will be no promotion or relegation, and all teams will start the 2020-2021 season in the same league as in 2019-2020, taking into account the final standings of the last completed season, 2018-2019.
Teams have to enrol for the new season, according to the usual rules in this respect, before or on the 15th of June 2020. In case one or more teams fail to enrol to their corresponding league or choose to enrol in a lower league, another team may replace them, taking into account the tables at the end of the 2018-2019 season. The 2020-2021 season may start as usual, at the end of July or in August.
For the Slovak 3. Liga - East, the cancellation of the season is especially painful for the teams that were in a good position to fight for promotion to the 2. Liga, such as 1. FC Tatran Prešov and ŠK Odeva Lipany, and perhaps MFK Vranov nad Topl'ou and FK Humenné, which were not far from top before the winter break. There are still some (slim) hopes for top classified 1. FC Tatran Prešov to promote to the 2. Liga, depending on what happens to the 2. Liga in the near future. On the other hand, most of the other teams in the 3. Liga - East were probably content with the cancellation decision, and the happiest clubs were probably those at the bottom of the table, TJ FK Vel'ké Revištia and MFK Slovan Giraltovce, that were facing relegation and are now saved from it. 1. FK Svidník were on the 8th position, right in mid-table.
The 2020-2021 season will be a very tough one, for at least two reasons. First, many clubs are and will be affected by the crisis, in economic and financial terms. After the 15th of June 2020, one may see if all 16 teams are enrolled for the new season or not. Secondly, the 2020-2021 season is meant to prepare a structural change in the 3. Liga at national level, as the existing four regional groups (East, Centre, West and Bratislava) will be reduced to two groups (East and West) starting with the 2021-2022 season. This means that about half of the teams will be relegated to the 4. Liga and therefore most clubs will focus on avoiding relegation and classify in the first half of the table.
The 2019-2020 table of the 3. Liga - East at the moment of cancellation is shown below.
Final table
1
|
1.
FC Tatran Prešov
|
17
|
14
|
1
|
2
|
52-14
|
43
|
|
2
|
ŠK
Odeva Lipany
|
17
|
14
|
1
|
2
|
51-14
|
43
|
|
3
|
MFK
Vranov
|
17
|
12
|
2
|
3
|
41-13
|
38
|
|
4
|
FK
Humenné
|
17
|
11
|
3
|
3
|
37-13
|
36
|
|
5
|
MFK
Snina
|
17
|
8
|
3
|
6
|
26-24
|
27
|
|
6
|
MŠK
Tesla Stropkov
|
17
|
8
|
3
|
6
|
27-27
|
27
|
|
7
|
FK
Poprad B
|
17
|
8
|
2
|
7
|
29-32
|
26
|
|
8
|
1.
FK Svidník
|
17
|
7
|
4
|
6
|
27-27
|
25
|
|
9
|
TJ
Mladosť Kalša
|
17
|
7
|
4
|
6
|
32-34
|
25
|
|
10
|
OŠFK
Šarišské Michaľany
|
17
|
7
|
2
|
8
|
18-26
|
23
|
|
11
|
Milénium
Bardejovská Nová Ves
|
17
|
6
|
2
|
9
|
30-40
|
20
|
|
12
|
FK
NOVES Spišská Nová Ves
|
17
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
18-26
|
15
|
|
13
|
FK
Družstevník Plavnica
|
17
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
16-32
|
15
|
|
14
|
FK
Pokrok SEZ Krompachy
|
17
|
4
|
2
|
11
|
19-26
|
14
|
|
15
|
MFK
Slovan Giraltovce
|
17
|
2
|
1
|
14
|
12-45
|
7
|
|
16
|
TJ
FK Veľké Revištia
|
17
|
2
|
0
|
15
|
11-53
|
6
|
