| Season | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Alianza Lima 20th Primera División title |
| Copa Libertadores | Alianza Lima Sporting Cristal Cienciano |
| Copa Sudamericana | Alianza Atlético Coronel Bolognesi |
| Top goalscorer | Luis Alberto Bonnet (20) |
|
← 2002
2004 →
|
|
The 2003 Torneo Descentralizado (known as the Copa Cable Mágico for sponsorship reasons) was the eighty-seventh season of top-flight Peruvian football. A total of 12 teams competed in the tournament, with Sporting Cristal as the defending champion. Alianza Lima won its twentieth Primera División title after beating Sporting Cristal in the final playoff.
Contents |
Starting in the 2003 season, half-year champions had to finish in the top six of each tournament to dispute the national title instead of the top four. A Copa Sudamericana qualifying round was disputed between the top four of the Torneo Clausura. No relegation took place at the end of the season due to a player's strike during the Clausura. The player's strike also caused an international qualifying round be played between the top five of the aggregate table who had not already qualified to an international tournament for 2004.
Juan Aurich and Sport Coopsol finished the 2002 season in 11th and 12th place, respectively, on the three-season average table and thus were relegated to their regional leagues. They were replaced by the champion of the 2002 Copa Perú Atlético Universidad and the 2002 Segunda División champion Unión Huaral.
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza Atlético | Sullana | Campeones del 36 | 8,000 | Grass |
| Alianza Lima | Lima | Alejandro Villanueva | 35,000 | Grass |
| Atlético Universidad | Arequipa | Monumental UNSA | 45,000 | Grass |
| Cienciano | Cuzco | Garcilaso | 42,056 | Grass |
| Coronel Bolognesi | Tacna | Jorge Basadre | 19,850 | Grass |
| Deportivo Wanka | Huancayo | Huancayo | 20,000 | Grass |
| Estudiantes de Medicina | Ica | José Picasso Peratta | 8,000 | Grass |
| FBC Melgar | Arequipa | Mariano Melgar | 20,000 | Grass |
| Sport Boys | Callao | Miguel Grau | 18,000 | Grass |
| Sporting Cristal | Lima | San Martin de Porres | 15,000 | Grass |
| Unión Huaral | Huaral | Julio Lores Colan | 10,000 | Grass |
| Universitario de Deportes | Lima | Monumental | 80,093 | Grass |
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting Cristal | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 50 | 20 | +30 | 49 | 2004 Copa Libertadores Group Stage |
| 2 | Alianza Lima | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 46 | |
| 3 | Coronel Bolognesi | 22 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 35 | |
| 4 | Cienciano | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 34 | |
| 5 | Sport Boys | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 31 | |
| 6 | Alianza Atlético | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 29 | |
| 7 | Unión Huaral | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 40 | −12 | 29 | |
| 8 | Universitario | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 32 | 35 | −3 | 28 | |
| 9 | FBC Melgar | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 22 | |
| 10 | Estudiantes de Medicina | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 23 | 35 | −12 | 21 | |
| 11 | Deportivo Wanka | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 31 | −9 | 19 | |
| 12 | Atlético Universidad | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 43 | −18 | 18 |
Updated to games played on June, 2003
Source: Peruvian Football Apertura 2003
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cienciano | 3 – 2 | Sporting Cristal | 1 – 1 | 2 – 1 |
| Alianza Lima | 2 – 1 | Coronel Bolognesi | 0 – 0 | 2 – 1 |
Cienciano and Alianza Lima qualified to the 2003 Copa Sudamericana, which Cienciano went on to win.
A strike by professional players cut the Clausura short. Most matches of Rounds 16 and 17 were played with under-20 and amateur players, but were later annulled. These are not included in the table below.
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alianza Lima | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 9 | +20 | 34 | 2004 Copa Libertadores Group Stage |
| 2 | Alianza Atlético | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 13 | +12 | 29 | |
| 3 | Sporting Cristal | 15 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 27 | |
| 4 | Sport Boys | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 27 | |
| 5 | Coronel Bolognesi | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 25 | |
| 6 | FBC Melgar | 15 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 22 | |
| 7 | Unión Huaral | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 21 | |
| 8 | Cienciano | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 15 | |
| 9 | Atlético Universidad | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 15 | |
| 10 | Universitario | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 13 | |
| 11 | Deportivo Wanka | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 13 | |
| 12 | Estudiantes de Medicina | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 10 | 35 | −25 | 6 |
Updated to games played on November, 2003
Source: Peruvian Football Apertura 2003
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
While not officially the Clausura champions because of the strike, Alianza Lima was leading the tournament, as well as the aggregate table, so a final playoff against the Apertura winners Sporting Cristal was held in January 2004, once the strike was called off.
| January 31, 2004 |
Alianza Lima | 2–1 (AET) |
Sporting Cristal | Estadio Nacional, Lima |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Silva 33' J. Farfán 91' |
J. Soto 27' |
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alianza Lima | 37 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 69 | 29 | +40 | 80 | |
| 2 | Sporting Cristal | 37 | 22 | 10 | 5 | 79 | 38 | +41 | 76 | |
| 3 | Coronel Bolognesi | 37 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 60 | |
| 4 | Sport Boys | 37 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 45 | +16 | 58 | |
| 5 | Alianza Atlético | 37 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 54 | 41 | +13 | 58 | |
| 6 | Unión Huaral | 37 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 40 | 57 | −17 | 50 | |
| 7 | Cienciano | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 48 | 42 | +6 | 49 | |
| 8 | FBC Melgar | 37 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 46 | 52 | −6 | 44 | |
| 9 | Universitario | 37 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 56 | −12 | 41 | |
| 10 | Atlético Universidad | 36 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 35 | 61 | −26 | 33 | |
| 11 | Deportivo Wanka | 37 | 7 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 55 | −22 | 32 | |
| 12 | Estudiantes de Medicina | 37 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 10 | 35 | −25 | 27 |
Updated to games played on November, 2003
Source: Peruvian Football Apertura 2003
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
After the strike was called off in January 2004, it was decided that, since the tournament had not been completed, a qualifying tournament would decide the allocation of the third Peruvian berth for the Copa Libertadores 2004. The tournament was to include four teams, in principle from the third to the sixth teams according to the aggregate table. But since Cienciano had played one match less and would have surpassed Unión Huaral had they won it, a preliminary playoff was held between them. Sport Boys withdrew from the tournament in disagreement with the decision. Had the Clausura Rounds 16 and 17 not been annulled, the team would have been third in the aggregate table, and could have claimed the remaining berth. Also, some teams saw the tournament as a way to favor Cienciano, who had just won the Copa Sudamericana 2003, to give them a chance at representing Peru at the Copa Libertadores.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unión Huaral | 2 – 4 | Cienciano | 2 – 2 | 0 – 2 |
| Team #1 | Score | Team #2 |
|---|---|---|
| Alianza Atlético | 1 – 0 | Coronel Bolognesi |
| Cienciano | 1 – 0 | Alianza Atlético |
| Coronel Bolognesi | 0 – 2 | Cienciano |
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cienciano | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 6 | Copa Libertadores 2004 Preliminary Round |
| 2 | Alianza Atlético | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2004 Copa Sudamericana Preliminary Phase |
| 3 | Coronel Bolognesi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0 |
Updated to games played on November, 2003
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.