Apertura and Clausura in Argentine football
The Apertura and Clausura system is the format currently used by the Primera División Argentina. It was introduced for the 1990-1991 season.
Format
The Argentine Primera has 20 teams, the season is divided into two tournaments: Apertura championship which opens the season and is contested in the second half of the year, and Clausura championship which closes the season and is played in the first half of the following year. Each Apertura or Claurura consists of a single round robin of 19 rounds, and there are 10 matches per round.
1990-91 controversy
The first season saw the two champions play a championship decider to determine the overall champions. Newell's Old Boys beat Boca Juniors on penalties controversially denying Boca their first official league championship since 1981, when Boca had been clearly the best team of the season. Since the following season, both the champions of the Apertura and the Clausura have been recognized as official champions.
1991-92 onwards
Between the 1991-92 season and the 1994-95 seasons, the league used the old two points for a win system. From the 1995-96 season AFA adopted the 3 points for a win system.
season | Apertura champions | Points | Clausura champions | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
1991-92 | River Plate | 31 | Newell's Old Boys | 32 |
1992-93 | Boca Juniors | 27 | Vélez Sársfield | 27 |
1993-94 | River Plate | 24 | Independiente | 26 |
1994-95 | River Plate | 31 | San Lorenzo | 30 |
1995-96 | Vélez Sársfield | 41 | Vélez Sársfield | 40 |
1996-97 | River Plate | 46 | River Plate | 41 |
1997-98 | River Plate | 45 | Vélez Sársfield | 46 |
1998-99 | Boca Juniors | 45 | Boca Juniors | 44 |
1999-00 | River Plate | 43 | River Plate | 42 |
2000-01 | Boca Juniors | 41 | San Lorenzo | 47 |
2001-02 | Racing | 42 | River Plate | 43 |
2002-03 | Independiente | 43 | River Plate | 43 |
2003-04 | Boca Juniors | 39 | River Plate | 40 |
2004-05 | Newell's Old Boys | 36 | Vélez Sársfield | 39 |
2005-06 | Boca Juniors | 40 | Boca Juniors | 43 |
2006-07 | Estudiantes (LP) | 44[1] | San Lorenzo | 45 |
2007-08 | Lanús | 38 | River Plate | 40 |
2008-09 | Boca Juniors | 39[2] | Vélez Sársfield | 40 |
2009-10 | Banfield | 41 | Argentinos Juniors | 41 |
2010-11 | Estudiantes (LP) | 45 | Vélez Sársfield | 39 |
2011-12 | Boca Juniors | 43 | Arsenal | 38 |
Number of Championships by team
- Excluding 1990-91 which was won outright by Newell's Old Boys.
Apertura
|
Clausura
|
Total championships
- 12: River Plate
- 9: Boca Juniors
- 7: Vélez Sársfield
- 3: San Lorenzo
- 2: Independiente
- 2: Newell's Old Boys
- 2: Estudiantes (LP)
- 1: Racing
- 1: Lanús
- 1: Banfield
- 1: Argentinos Juniors
- 1: Arsenal
References
- ↑ Estudiantes beat Boca Juniors in a championship decider, after the two teams finished level on points
- ↑ Boca Juniors beat Tigre and San Lorenzo in a 3 way championship playoff
- Argentina 1990s by Osvaldo José Gorgazzi and Victor Hugo Kurhy at rsssf
- Argentina 2000s by Osvaldo José Gorgazzi at rsssf
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