Belenenses will play in Liga 3 in the 2022/23 season, replacing Cova da Piedade, Those who have not met the regulatory requirements to participate in national football competitions. The confirmation, on Monday, came in the list published by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) of clubs licensed for competitions.
Cova da Piedade does not appear on the list of clubs authorized to participate in Liga 3 – just as it does not appear on the list of clubs for the Portuguese League – and therefore it is the Restelo crest that will fill the remaining vacancy by the Almada crest.
The Blues were the best third-placed team in the promotion stage, between the two series, and thus accompanied Fontinhas, Moncarapachense, Paredes and Vilaverdense in their ascent to the third tier of Portuguese football.
In the Portuguese championship, two clubs whose survival is guaranteed, Oleiros and Ferreira de Aves, are not included in the list of clubs licensed to compete. Thus, it is up to the respective provincial associations, respectively those of Castelo Branco and Viseu, to nominate the clubs for these vacancies, in view of the regulations.
As for the vacancy left by Belenenses in the Portuguese championship, the same thing happens: AF Lisboa is the one who has to nominate a club to replace the Blues, which belongs to the Lisbon Region Federation.
