Subject: [idea] Option to reject promotion

Teams throwing games in the final rounds to avoid promotion has always been a thing - and far more frequently since the introduction of the genius fans expectations system. I think this is bad for the game's image and throwing games could also interfere with other battles in the leagues.

So my proposal is: Winners of the leagues should have an option to reject promotion. Of course no one should be forced to stay in a league either, so a relegated team must agree to stay in your place (or lower placed team in your league to agree to move up).

I don't know if this sort of thing is possible in other online managers but in the real world it happens frequently at lower levels.

I like the idea in principle. In reality I think it would cause a lot of problems. Better to just fix the benefit of being promoted really.

TBH I can't think of any potential problems. For example:

- If you activate the option, the runner-up has 24 hours to agree to direct promotion. In case of acceptance, the playoff is canceled.
- If he refuse/do not respond, the relegated team with which you are swapping places decides whether to stay or not.
- If he also refuse, the 3rd team in the league gets the promotion option.

It could go on, but perhaps this is enough to avoid too much complexity - if three teams refuse, you accept your fate and move up to the higher league.

Ok I'll give you an example.

3 friends in the game and they want to play in the same league as each other. So they manipulate promotion, accepting or refusing it depending on where they're going until they're all in the same league. Now having got into the league they want together, they decide to stay there, forever blocking and potentially manipulating the league so that there is no way through for anyone else.

It's just not a good idea in general to have teams roadblocking promotion spots, especially when we already have an issue with bot-teams being protected from dropping down.

Also, if teams are clearly stronger than their opponents and they win all their matches to prevent promotion, they could park in a league forever, manipulating their fans expectations in a way that they always van actieve the expectations upon promoting. Their disadvantage for staying within An easier league Will always be much smaller than getting ass whooped in a higher league.
I don't like the idea because it stands totally against the philosophy of Sportsmanship. Like Camus' said...they should adjust the benefits of promoting a league so it always benefits a team, wether they get their ass whooped or not. Sponsorship, attendance, promotion awards...league position awards... They should all be lifted towards a valuable amount which Will always benefits the promoting team. And in exchange, having angry supporters or sponsors, for parking your team deliberately within a lower league for seasons on, making sponsors able to withdraw their weekly investment when a minimum requirement is not reached and spectators not only leaving the team but also damage the stadium or pushing pressure on the directors board, having A punishment fee or even the immediate sacking of the head coach as a result. I think the philosophy for playing for the best possible place is excellent, but the execution within Sokker is very poor. But the expectations should be lowered and made more realistic in return. I like to see multiple achievements possible within a season and each achievements should lift the Mood of the supporters and sponsors and should be rewarding. Make a manager make decisions and choices which Will guide the team towards multiple achievements should imo be the main goal for each team. And playing in 1st league should always be very challenging but promoting towards first should also always be rewarding.
(edited)

Yes, I agree that the main problem is its more profitable for most teams to stay in the lower league - especially for teams with more money, whose fans have the highest expectations in every division.

But the owners obviously like their confusing system of fan expectations and have explained that the bottom places in Division A cannot be more profitable than the top places in Division B - because it would create too big gap between the top and bottom leagues in countries with many levels.

So the remaining question is: will we allow teams to opt out of promotion or we will continue to force them to deliberately lose games - enough to finish 2nd - disrupting the fair play of the entire league :)

The game have a thousand things to concern about before promotion funcionality...