photo by Zweifüssler

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Miami, FL

Argentina's Football Association was planning to reorganize its league system which would increase the number of teams in the Primera Division from 20 to 38 for the 2012/13 season. AFA president Julio Humberto Grondona is the brain behind the proposal, and 15 of the 20 top-flight teams had voted to make the change. The new league would include clubs from Argentina's second-tier league, Nacional B Division, as well as the 2011/12 champions of third-tier leagues Torneo A Argentino and Primera B Metropolitana.

This reorganization means that River Plate will return to the top flight of Argentine football after their being relegated for the first time in their history last year to the second division. River Plate finished last season in 4th place with a record of 8-7-4, however, relegation from Argentine Primera División is not like that of the English Premier League, where the worst teams are relegated every season.

In Argentina, relegation is currently based on an averaging system. At the end of every season the two teams with the worst average record over the past three years are relegated, and the two with the best record over the past three years are promoted. The teams placed 17th and 18th in the average table play in a promotion/relegation playoff against the 4th and 3rd placed Primera B Nacional teams. River Plate did finish in 4th this season, but finished in 14th place last season, and finished 20th (last place) two years ago. That placed them at the bottom of the three year average, and in a playoff to star in the Primera División.

The new Primera División will be split into two zones of 19 teams. Rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate will play in separate zones, but like MLB' inter-league play there will be inter-zone matches. These matches will feature the Boca-River matches. The top five teams in each group will play in the Torneo Campeonato, which will crown the league's champion. The remaining 28 teams will play to avoid relegation.

The proposed league received heavy criticism from the media, claiming that this league was simply an attempt to promote River Plate to the Primera División as soon as possible. As a result the Argentine Football Association decided "to suspend consideration of the proposal" earlier this week.

AFA president Julio Grondona added: "The tournament won't change. The idea is suspended. I won't call to any assembly in October, November or December. I have no interest in any change. It will be the clubs who should take now any further step for making any change to the tournament - changes that they had been claiming for a long time."(1) The AFA also made statements putting the blame on the media for misleading the public into opposing the proposed league.

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sources: (1) espn.com

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