The Cordoban team, Salerm Puente Genil, has secured its place in Segunda RFEF for the upcoming season. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has awarded the club the vacancy left by CD Unión Malacitano SAD, whose registration application was denied. This decision creates an opening in Group X of Tercera Federación, which several teams are vying for.
The RFEF announced the resolution on July 30, granting the spot to Puente Genil based on sporting merit. The Cordoban club finished last season as the best-ranked among the relegated teams from Group IV of Segunda RFEF, with 40 points, giving them priority for the vacancy. The club had submitted several appeals asserting this right based on their sporting classification.
Puente Genil now has two business days to finalize its registration and meet the administrative and economic requirements. The Cordoban team is expected to return to Segunda RFEF, a category from which they were relegated just weeks ago.
The composition of the Segunda RFEF groups is still to be determined. Although Puente Genil would initially occupy Unión Malacitano's spot in Group III, the club prefers to compete in Group IV for geographical reasons. This change could impact other clubs, and the RFEF has already removed the published schedules for that category.
The vacancy in Tercera Federación's Group X also needs to be filled. Following a precedent from 2022, Montilla CF, fourth in Group I of the División de Honor Andaluza, is the leading candidate. The club has expressed its strong belief that it holds the best sporting right to occupy this spot, citing federation regulations.
However, there is a possibility that the same criterion used for Segunda RFEF will be applied, meaning the best-relegated team would be reinstated. In this scenario, Sevilla C, the second reserve team of Sevilla FC and the highest-ranked among the relegated teams from Group X of Tercera Federación, would also be in contention for the spot.
