Within three years, the averages of the descent will become a memory, but they will end up with a mixed system unprecedented in the history of world football. But the AFA leaders make it possible. Likewise, it must be said that averages were not an Argentine or Julio Grondona invention in the early 1980s.
In 1950, in the Uruguayan Primera B tournament, relegation was defined by the average of two tournaments. This mode was applied in the country in the 1957 First Division tournament, two tournaments were considered and Ferro was the first descent: Finished last in both tables. For 1958, three seasons were considered and the Tigre descended, also last in both rankings. was used until 1963, The students are last in the table of the averages, they have to go down, but there is a restructuring, the decreases are canceled and middle school was forgotten for a while.
Until Grondona saved them after the relegation of San Lorenzo in 1981. In December of the same year the AFA Executive Committee approved the application of averages from 1983, the first year taking into account two tournaments and from 1984, three . Always the Metropolitan, because the national team was also played but there were no candidates.
In December 1981, no one knew which teams would occupy the last places in both rankings, but Grondona had an internal conviction: a big, powerful, or financially tidy team might have one bad campaign, maybe two, but never three.
When subway 83 is over, The race occupied the last position (he finished 16th out of 19 in 1982 and 17th out of 19 in 1983) and was relegated for the first and only time in its history. At the tournament table, River came out next to bottom, but averaged 16th out of 19. He was saved. Starting in 1984, three seasons were counted and Rosario Central (three bad seasons) and Atlanta (recently promoted) were relegated.
After 40 years of averages, the greats have only fallen three times: Racing in 1983, River in 2011 (low average but due to promotion) and Independiente in 2013. San Lorenzo escapes thanks to promotion (also Racing). Boca never went down.
The end of a phase comes in a dropper. There will be two drops per average and one per overall table in 2023; one for the average and two for the general table in 2024; and 3 direct relegations in 2025. Whoever puts the regulations together must take into account the variations that may occur in a last appointment with teams involved in both groups.
For now, we are once again faced with something unprecedented, unusual, but consistent with the nonsense story of the AFA and its executives.
Source: Clarin
