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Argentina’s Football Relegation

Sam Kelly

By | June 17, 2011

Relegation D-Day is almost upon us…

The Copa América is a couple of short weeks away in Argentina, and the league championship was decided last weekend with Vélez Sarsfield winning and Lanús slipping up hours later to hand the title to the former. There’s still some unfinished business to see to on the domestic scene before the continent’s national sides can commence battle though. Saturday and Sunday see the final round of the Torneo Clausura played, and Saturday in particular looks set to be one of the most roller coaster days of football ever seen in the Argentine championship.

That’s because whilst the title has already been decided, the relegation battle is still very much alive and kicking, even with only one game left. And why’s it going to be so confusing to follow? Here’s why: the scenario going into this final round means that on Saturday afternoon, five matches are going to have to be played simultaneously. Bear with me. I can explain.

Argentina’s relegation table is not the same as the normal league table. It’s taken over three seasons, and points won in that time are divided by the number of games played. If a side hasn’t been in the current division for each of the last three seasons, then only those they have been there for are counted (so they have fewer points, but they’re also divided by fewer games, hence why an average rather than an absolute number of points is used). At the start of each season, the furthest back of the three seasons in use is wiped, and teams start again with their last two season records, to which the current one is added.

Now, here’s why a whole five matches are going to have an affect on the outcome this time round. At the end of each season, the two teams who are bottom are relegated to the Nacional B, Argentina’s second division, to be replaced by the top two sides of the Nacional B from that season. Easy enough. The two teams directly above them are entered into a playoff. Third-from-bottom play against the third-placed side in Nacional B, whilst the fourth-from-bottom side in the Primera División Promedio (‘average’, the name given to the relegation table) play against the fourth-placed side in the division below.

What this means is that the current standings lead to two dogfights at once, with only one game to go. The bottom three places are filled by Quilmes (bottom, and only promoted a year ago), Gimnasia La Plata, and Huracán. These sides are fighting amongst themselves; two will be relegated, only one will get the prize of entry into the playoff against the third-placed side from Nacional B, and a second chance to save their skins. Therefore their three matches have to take place at the same time, since it would be unfair for any side to have prior knowledge of the others’ results.

Thing is, Quilmes’ game is against another of the sides who were promoted a year ago. And that side – Olimpo, of Bahía Blanca in southern Buenos Aires Province – are involved in the other battle. Along with giants River Plate and the smaller club Tigre, they’re trying to avoid the upper of the two playoff spots (which Olimpo are currently in; but like Quilmes, an Olimpo win would be divided by fewer games played than the other teams they’re competing with, and therefore would be worth more). What this means, of course, is that River and Tigre have to play their matches at the same time as Olimpo – and Gimnasia, and Huracán. Five games, all at once. Don’t be surprised if you’re watching in a bar or cafe and the staff keep frantically flicking back and forth between matches!

el monumental

Of course, you may well be reading this prior to heading to one of the games, perhaps through Landing Pad’s own tours, in which case it’s probably fair of me to assume you’ll be going to see River Plate vs Lanús. So what’s the situation for the Núñez giants – who, for now at least, are one of only three clubs never to have played below the top flight in Argentina*?

Put simply: River have to hope Olimpo don’t beat Quilmes. If Olimpo don’t win, River will be safe from the indignity of the playoff no matter what – even if they lose to Lanús. But if Olimpo do beat Quilmes, River must also beat Lanús, a combination of results which would leave the two having to play off to determine who plays against the fourth-placed side from Nacional B.

But wait, I hear you cry, you’re forgetting Tigre’s place in this battle! Quite right. If both River and Olimpo win, and Tigre lose, then Tigre will finish in that dreaded playoff spot, and the other two will be safe (in this case no playoff will be needed). If both win and Tigre draw, though, all three will finish level on points average, and have to play off in a three-team round robin to decide the unlucky relegation playoff participants.

Tigre, of course, can avoid all such worries by winning their match. Do that, and they’re fine even if both the sides below them win their games. And of course, they won’t be in any danger if only one side wins; any dropped points for either River or Olimpo would result in Tigre being safe.

River play Lanús, who until last week were gunning for the championship. The hosts will no doubt be pleased, then, that Lanús’ loss in their last game means they’ll have nothing to play for on the last day. Olimpo’s opponents, by contrast, have their very survival at stake. Quilmes have to win, as well as hope that neither Gimnasia nor Huracán do (in fact, they specifically need Huracán to lose), if they’re to reach the potential salvation of their own playoff place.

For once, it might just be that watching a match on a TV – in a cafe, or at home – will be the best way to do it for those of us lucky enough to follow Argentina’s league from Buenos Aires all the time, because in the stadia there are bound to be all sorts of misleading tales flying round the stands regarding what’s going on in other matches. And if you’ve been paying attention to this article, then however confused you’re feeling (and I really have explained this in the simplest terms I can, believe it or not!), you’re likely to be an awful lot more-informed than any Argentines whose company you enjoy the game of your choice in will be. Of course you could just do what I would guess a lot of the locals will do; watch the game blind to the implications, and trust the machinations of the table to spit everyone out at the end. But to my mind, that would take away the best thing of all about such a manic Saturday afternoon of football: the sheer, unadulterated tension.

By Sam Kelly
17th June 2011
LandingPadBA Staff

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