Optimism reigns among representatives of the eight teams and directors of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
The Board of Directors hopes that, before the end of September, the Office of Asset Control (OFAC), dependent on the United States Department of the Treasury, will authorize Major League Baseball to issue the license that will allow the 2001 season to be mounted. 22 of the LVBP with personnel affiliated with the so-called organized baseball.
Sources linked to various teams and familiar with the negotiations indicated to the newspaper Líder that the New York law firm that was hired by the league to expedite the procedures for the renewal of the license, which expires on November 21, has made significant progress in its due diligence and a positive announcement is expected in a couple of weeks at the latest.
Said license authorizes clubs, among other things, to negotiate with players, hire technical personnel and referees, acquire supplies and request MLB authorities to supervise the different scenarios.
It is expected that in the case of the 2021-22 campaign, the hired specialists will have presented the commercial documentation of the Tigres and Navegantes clubs to prove that they are foundations whose operations do not depend on their regional governments.
Once the license is approved, the league will decide the start date and duration of the 2021-22 championship. It is speculated that, if all goes well, they would be starting for the last week of October.
The previous season was played by the bubble system in Caracas, Maracay, Valencia and Barquisimeto. The 40-game tie ran from November 27 to January 10.
