The last 5 AFA regulatory documents: relegations cancelled, titles created and last minute promotions

It’s become a habit, a bad one, but in the end it’s a habit. Sudden changes in Argentine football are commonplace and hide, in most cases, political gestures on the part of the executive committee of the Argentine Football Federation and also displays of power to “mark the pitch”. The final decision of Federal Councilwhich brings together more than 220 leagues in the interior of the countryhas once again aroused the disapproval of the fans, except for those who could ‘advantage’ a measure that is difficult to understand.

It is not bad that we decide to encourage greater opportunities for sporting success for clubs, it is clarified. But they do it five days before the final of the Regional Amateur Tournament is played, which instead of four promotions to Federal A (Third Division of Argentine football), will be five. The announcement was made last Tuesday, when the decisive matches will be played next Sunday, January 11th.

It is not the first time it has happened – nor the last -, and it is not something that is limited to a certain category, but rather it has become a constant that is promised that the management of Claudio Chiqui Tapia would endwho assumed the presidency of the AFA in March 2017. As if to limit it, we have chosen to review the latest five regulatory documents since shortly before the Argentine national team became world champions in Qatar 2022.

The International Super Cup in the United Arab Emirates

In June 2022, the AFA signed a four-year deal with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council to bring the Argentine Super Cup, the single-match trophy pitting the Professional League and Argentine Cup champions, to that venue.

What happened? Patronato had the brilliant idea of ​​becoming Argentina Cup champion in 2022, eliminating none other than River and Boca in his path. Evidently, the Arab dollars were little attracted by the fact that an internal team with little history was the one to put the shield on their land.

AS The International Super Cup was inventedwhich was reserved for the winner of the Champions Trophy (at the time racing) and the team that obtained the most points in the annual ranking (sum of Professional League and League Cup), which at the time was almost also the Academy, which opened the doors to Boca Juniors. The rules of this new tournament were published on December 28, 2022 and the first edition was played on January 20, 2023.

The second champion does not yet have a date (it would be after the Professional League Cup which is underway), but the protagonists are there: River Plate (first in the general ranking of the 2023 season and champion of the 2023 Champions Trophy) and Talleres (second in the ranking general of the 2023 season).

Ah, the Argentine Super Cup between Patronato and Boca was played in March 2023 in Santiago del Estero, where Xeneize won 3-0 with a hat-trick from Dario Benedetto.

Problems with the descent? Let’s take one away

The decrease in the number of Professional League teams must be one of the few things the football world agrees on, in a country constantly in crisis. That “election promise” of Chiqui Tapia (he would have dropped to 22 teams) should have started last season, with three descents to the First National e two promotions from the Second Division. But some things happened…

He June 22, 2023 An extraordinary meeting of AFA executives took place at the Lionel Andrés Messi facility in Ezeiza. At that time, there were major teams involved in the fight to remain as Independent, Velez AND Hurricane.

What was voted unanimouslywith 45 of the 46 members of the assembly present (only Talleres de Córdoba absent), it was to eliminate one of the relegations and lower the worst average and the one with the fewest points in the annual ranking to the Primera Nacional.

Finally, a couple of months later, Sarandi Arsenal fell on average and Columbus of Santa Fe lost the category in a tie-break against Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.

You too, First National

In the image and likeness, as well as in addition, a similar situation occurred in the Second Division. The difference is that it happened three days before a tiebreaker was supposed to be played Almagro AND San Telmoto define with whom the loser will cross paths Tristan Suarez -the team supported by the Municipality of Ezeiza- in the application for promotion to the First National Team.

In this way, Tricolore, Candombero and Lechero maintained their status as participants in the Second Category and expressed their satisfaction on their social networks.

According to the AFA, the reason for this unexpected change on the fly has to do with the need to readjust the 2024 competition of the category with the participation of 38 teams.

“To readjust the format of the 2024 competition, the regulations are modified with the elimination of the third relegation, thus generating a balance with an even number of participating teams”the parent company of Argentine football officially reported at that time.

From First C to First B, with a new level unlocked

On December 13, 2023, the Primera C tournament had already ended. The teams were on vacation when they were supposed to get together to celebrate. The AFA confirmed the promotions of Liners AND Italian sport to the Third Division, due to the regulatory need to have 22 teams in that category.

“According to Bulletin 6221 and as expected, the Liniers Social and Sports Club has been promoted to First Division B to complete the quota of 22 teams for next season”This is explained by the statement released a few minutes ago by the governing body of Argentine football in which the promotions are confirmed.

“Similarly, with Club Atlético San Miguel having obtained promotion to the Primera Nacional today, the number of teams in the category has returned to 21. This is why the Club Sportivo Italiano (after the others promoted from the category) is promoted to the First B to complete the quota according to the general table of tasks”complete.

Cele received a category promotion for being fourth and the best placed in the general classification under those directly promoted (the champion Excursionistas, San Martín de Burzaco, Laferrere and Midland, who did it in the Redoubt) and a few hours later he was added Tano (sixth in the year, surpassed only by those already promoted), thanks to San Miguel’s victory on penalties over Douglas Haig – in Federal A – which opened a new place.

The Federal Amateur Tournament, the last link

The Federal Regional Amateur Tournament is being defined, of the 376 teams that started playing it last year with the objective set in the Federal A, an internal prelude to the First National, only eight remain in the competition.

The final four will be played this weekend to determine who will advance to the next category. Up to this point there is nothing new. Yes, it was the unexpected announcement a few hours after the definition with the news that there will be five promotions.

The Federal Football Council, the body that brings together all the leagues affiliated from the Interior to the Argentine Football Federation (AFA), has decided to grant an extra place to the Federal A which will be played in a quadrangular with the four losers of Sunday’s final .

The protagonists will be: Deportivo Rincón vs Colón de San Justo Santa Fe (on the pitch of Estudiantes de Río Cuarto); Truckers – Kimberley de Mar del Plata (in Arsenal de Sarandí), Altos Hornos Zapla – Sarmiento de La Banda (Bicentennial of Catamarca) and Gutiérrez de Mendoza – Defensores de Formosa (San Francisco, Córdoba).

This was nothing new, given that the Regional Tournament had taken place last season It also changed its rules in the decisive phase: on that occasion instead of four planned promotions ended up being six.

In this context, the unusual case was that of San Martin de Mendozawho had lost the final but moved up the category without winning because Independiente de San Cayetano, the team they had to face, was out of the competition by the Disciplinary Tribunal which punished the acts of violence in the match lost against Germinal de Rawson.

Even in the last Federal A the Council was reduced four by two the descents when the regular phase had already ended.