Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
Country Bolivia
Confederation CONMEBOL
Founded August 23, 1977
Number of teams 12
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Liga Nacional B
Domestic cup(s) Aerosur Cup
International cup(s) Copa Libertadores
Copa Sudamericana
Current champions Bolívar
(Torneo Apertura)
Most championships Bolívar (23 titles)
TV partners Entel Tv
Canal 7
Cotel Tv
Unitel.tv (Highlights only)
Red Uno de Bolivia (Highlights only)
Website LFPB
2014–15

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈliɣa ðe ˈfutβol pɾofesjoˈnal βoliˈβjano]; English: Bolivian Professional Football League) is the top-flight professional football (soccer) league in Bolivia. It started in 1977, though football had been played in Bolivia since the early 1900s, specifically in La Paz and Oruro.

An amateur league (which became semi-pro in 1950) started in La Paz in 1914, the LPFA (La Paz Football Association, which is currently called the Asociacion de Futbol de La Paz), the first association of soccer in Bolivia. The LPFA was considered for many years the top soccer tournament in the country.

Founded in 1925, the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol didn't organize a national championship until 1958. These championships included representatives of all regional associations, although the LPFA had also included representatives of Oruro and Cochabamba in its championships. Despite this cup being considered the top Bolivian football championship, the LPFA league was still considered the most competitive one.

The creation of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano ended the distinction. It also resulted in the creation of three separate entities: the FBF's role was restricted to the international representation of Bolivia in the sport, the newly created LPFB became the organizer of the sole 1st Division tournament, and the LPFA, together with the rest of the regional associations, became the organizer of the Second (and lower) division regionalized tournaments.It's the first and currently the only professional sports league in the country.

Since 1975, a total of 10 clubs have been crowned champions of the Bolivian football league system. Of the 35 clubs to have competed since the inception of the La Liga in 1977, nine have won the title: Bolivar (18 titles), The Strongest (10), Jorge Wilstermann (5), Blooming (5), Oriente Petrolero (4), San José (2), Universitario (2), Real Potosí (1), Aurora (1). The current champions are Universitario, who won the title in the 2014 season (Torneo Clausura).

Overview

The championship format has changed over the years. Beginning in 1977, the league ran with sixteen clubs divided into two series, but switched to fourteen clubs in two series playing two tournaments each year beginning in the mid 80s and economical problems with some teams led to another cut in the number of participants to twelve in 1991. Another change came in 2005 when teams decided to adapt to the International FIFA calendar, meaning the season would be played from August to June rather than from February to December, in order to avoid problems defining which teams would qualify for international tournaments. The league played a short tournament from February to June in 2005, and the official 2005-06 season started in August. This led to yet another problem — second division teams weren't keen on the idea of putting off relegation until June 2006. After negotiations, the league determined that relegation of the lowest standing club would take place after the completion of the Apertura tournament, making the Bolivian league an odd tournament where teams were relegated in the middle of the season. But this decision was overturned in November 2006 and the league switched back to a calendar-year season in 2007 starting with the Apertura tournament in March 2007.

Historically, teams from La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz have dominated the league. Until 2007 only San José won the league in 1995, but since then teams from the "big three" have struggled to win the league again and 3 teams from smaller cities have won it (Real Potosí, San José and Universitario).

Three teams share the record of never been relegated to "La Simón Bolivar" (2nd division): The Strongest, Oriente Petrolero and Bolívar (although they were relegated in 1969 before the LPFB era).

Current Competition System

For the 2008 season, and for the first time, three tournaments were played instead of the usual two. The Apertura tournament was played from March to July on a Round-Robin system; the Clausura tournament played from August to October where the teams were divided into two series of 6 teams each, Group A composed of all western teams (plus Universitario) and Group B composed of all eastern teams (plus Wilstermann and Aurora), the top two teams of each group advanced to the semifinals and the finals. The newly instated Play-off tournament consisted of home-away matches (and with away goals rule used for the first time).

An average points from the previous two seasons determines relegation, with the last placed team being directly relegated and replaced by the winner of the Liga Nacional B. With the 11th placed team playing a promotion play-off with the runner-up of the Liga Nacional B

Current teams (2014-15)

Team Home city Home stadium
Blooming Santa Cruz Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera
Bolívar La Paz Hernando Siles
Jorge Wilstermann Cochabamba Félix Capriles
Nacional Potosí Potosí Víctor Agustín Ugarte
Oriente Petrolero Santa Cruz Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera
Petrolero Yacuíba N/A
Real Potosí Potosí Víctor Agustín Ugarte
San José Oruro Jesús Bermúdez
Sport Boys Warnes (Santa Cruz) Samuel Vaca Jiménez
The Strongest La Paz Hernando Siles
Universitario Sucre Olímpico Patria
Universitario de Pando Cobija N/A

List of champions

Torneo Integrado, Torneo Nacional, Copa Simón Bolívar (1954 - 1976)

Season Champion Runner-up Third Place
1954 Litoral The Strongest Municipal
1955 San José Chaco Petrolero Bolívar
1956 Bolívar Municipal Litoral
1957 Integrado Always Ready Municipal Chaco Petrolero
1957 Jorge Wilstermann Aurora San José
1958 Jorge Wilstermann Municipal San José
1959 Jorge Wilstermann Always Ready Bolívar
1960 Jorge Wilstermann Aurora Municipal
1961 Municipal Aurora Chaco Petrolero
1962 Chaco Petrolero The Strongest Municipal
1963 Aurora Municipal
1964 The Strongest Aurora Municipal
1965 Municipal Jorge Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero
1966 Bolívar 31 de Octubre Jorge Wilstermann
1967 Jorge Wilstermann Always Ready Blooming
1968 Bolívar Guabirá Litoral
1969 Universitario (LP) Bolívar Oriente Petrolero
1970 Chaco Petrolero The Strongest
1971 Oriente Petrolero Chaco Petrolero The Strongest
1972 Jorge Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero Petrolero Cochabamba
1973 Jorge Wilstermann Municipal 31 de Octubre
1974 The Strongest Jorge Wilstermann Bolívar
1975 Guabirá Bolívar Oriente Petrolero
1976 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero Guabirá

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano

Season Champion Runner-up Third Place
1977 The Strongest Oriente Petrolero Bolívar
1978 Bolívar Jorge Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero
1979 Oriente Petrolero The Strongest Blooming
Bolívar
1980 Jorge Wilstermann The Strongest Chaco Petrolero
1981 Jorge Wilstermann Blooming Guabirá
Municipal
1982 Bolívar Jorge Wilstermann Blooming
Oriente Petrolero
1983 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero Blooming
The Strongest
1984 Blooming Bolívar Oriente Petrolero
The Strongest
1985 Bolívar Real Santa Cruz Jorge Wilstermann
1986 The Strongest Oriente Petrolero No third-place awarded
1987 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero No third-place awarded
1988 Bolívar The Strongest No third-place awarded
1989 The Strongest Oriente Petrolero No third-place awarded
1990 Oriente Petrolero Bolívar No third-place awarded
1991 Bolívar San José Oriente Petrolero
1992 Bolívar San José Jorge Wilstermann
1993 The Strongest Bolívar Blooming
1994 Bolívar Jorge Wilstermann The Strongest
1995 San José Guabirá Bolívar
1996 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero The Strongest
1997 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero Blooming
1998 Blooming Jorge Wilstermann The Strongest
1999 Blooming The Strongest Bolívar
2000 Jorge Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero The Strongest
2001 Oriente Petrolero Bolívar The Strongest
2002 Bolívar Oriente Petrolero The Strongest
2003 Apertura The Strongest Bolívar Jorge Wilstermann
Clausura The Strongest Jorge Wilstermann Bolívar
2004 Apertura Bolívar Aurora Jorge Wilstermann
Clausura The Strongest Oriente Petrolero Real Potosí
2005 Adecuación Bolívar The Strongest Oriente Petrolero
2005–06 Apertura Blooming Bolívar Oriente Petrolero
Clausura Bolívar Real Potosí Universitario
2006 Segundo Torneo Jorge Wilstermann Real Potosí Oriente Petrolero
2007 Apertura Real Potosí Bolívar La Paz
Clausura San José La Paz Blooming
2008 Apertura Universitario La Paz San José
Clausura Aurora Blooming La Paz
Real Potosí
2009 Apertura Bolívar Real Potosí San José
Clausura Blooming Bolívar The Strongest
Oriente Petrolero
2010 Apertura Jorge Wilstermann Oriente Petrolero Aurora
Clausura Oriente Petrolero Bolívar Aurora
2011 Adecuación Bolívar Real Potosí Oriente Petrolero
2011–12 Apertura The Strongest Universitario Oriente Petrolero
Clausura The Strongest San José Oriente Petrolero
2012–13 Apertura The Strongest San José Bolívar
Clausura Bolívar Oriente Petrolero San José
2013–14 Apertura The Strongest Bolívar San José
Clausura Universitario San José The Strongest
2014–15 Apertura Bolívar Oriente Petrolero The Strongest
Clausura

Titles by club

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years Runners-up years
Bolívar
23
12
1956, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004 Apertura, 2005 Adecuación, 2005–06 Clausura, 2009 Apertura, 2011 Adecuación, 2013 Clausura, 2014 Apertura 1969, 1975, 1984, 1990, 1993, 2001, 2003 Apertura, 2005–06 Apertura, 2007 Apertura, 2009 Clausura, 2010 Clausura, 2013 Apertura
The Strongest
13
7
1964, 1974, 1977, 1986, 1989, 1993, 2003 Apertura, 2003 Clausura, 2004 Clausura, 2011 Apertura, 2012 Clausura, 2012 Apertura, 2013 Apertura 1954, 1962, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1988, 1999, 2005 Adecuación
Jorge Wilstermann
12
7
1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1981, 2000, 2006 Segundo Torneo, 2010 Apertura 1965, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1994, 1998, 2003 Clausura
Oriente Petrolero
5
15
1971, 1979, 1990, 2001, 2010 Clausura 1972, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004 Clausura, 2010 Apertura, 2013 Clausura, 2014 Apertura
Blooming
5
2
1984, 1998, 1999, 2005–06 Apertura, 2009 Clausura 1981, 2008 Clausura
San José
3
5
1955, 1995, 2007 Clausura 1991, 1992, 2012 Clausura, 2012 Apertura, 2014 Clausura
Aurora
2
5
1963, 2008 Clausura 1957, 1960, 1961, 1964, 2004 Apertura
Municipal
2
5
1961, 1965 1956, 1957 Integrado, 1958, 1963, 1973
Chaco Petrolero
2
2
1962, 1970 1955, 1971
Universitario
2
1
2008 Apertura, 2014 Clausura 2011 Apertura
Real Potosí
1
4
2007 Apertura 2005–06 Clausura, 2006 Segundo Torneo, 2009 Apertura, 2011 Adecuación
Always Ready
1
2
1957 Integrado 1959, 1967
Guabirá
1
2
1975 1995, 1968
Litoral
1
0
1954
Universitario (LP)
1
0
1969

List of all-time topscorers

This is the list of the 15 all-time topscorer since the Bolivian league was established in 1977. Goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of February 2009.

# Name Nationality Career Goals
1. Víctor Hugo Antelo Bolivia 1983–2000 350
2. Juan Carlos Sánchez Argentina Bolivia 1979–1992 263
3. Luis Fernando Salinas Bolivia 1980–1993 201
4. Jesús Reynaldo Bolivia 1977–1993 196
5. Raúl Horacio Baldessari Argentina Bolivia 1977–1989 161
6. Limberg Gutiérrez Bolivia 1997–present 157
7. Joaquín Botero Bolivia 1997–present 144
8. Cristino Jara Paraguay 1998–present 141
9. Silvio Edmundo Rojas Bolivia 1977–1992 140
10. Luis William Ramallo Bolivia 1982–1999 138
11. Juan Berthy Suárez Bolivia 1990–2000 135
12. Erwin Romero Bolivia 1977–1992 134
13. Carlos Fernando Borja Bolivia 1977–1995 129
= Arturo García Bolivia 1983–1999 129
15. Jorge Hirano Peru 1986–1992 124

External links