Cryptic crossword clue
They may decide promotions from dismissals under pressure 4-4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word PLAY-OFFS

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
P
L
A
Y
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O
F
F
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "they may decide promotions (e.g. in football leagues)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case they may decide promotions (e.g. in football leagues) = play-offs.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does PLAY-OFFS mean?

PLAY-OFFS noun
  1. A final game in a series needed to break a tie.
  2. A short series of games to select a league champion.

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