2008–09 Argentine Primera División season

Primera División
Season 2008–09
Champions Apertura: Boca Juniors (29th title)
Clausura: Vélez Sarsfield (7th title)
Relegated Gimnasia y Esgrima (J)
San Martín (T)
Copa Libertadores 2009:
Boca Juniors
San Lorenzo (by average)
Estudiantes (LP) (by average)
2010:
Vélez Sarsfield
Copa Sudamericana Lanús
Vélez Sarsfield
San Lorenzo
Tigre
Top goalscorer Apertura: José Sand (15)
Clausura: José Sand (13)
Season: José Sand (28)

The 2008-09 Primera División season was the 118° season of top-flight professional football in Argentina and the nineteenth season in which the Apertura and Clausura system is used.

Boca Juniors won the Apertura championship for their 23rd national title after a three team playoff with Tigre and San Lorenzo. The Clausura championship was won by Vélez Sársfield for their 7th national title. Gimnasia (Jujuy) and San Martin (Tucumán) were relegated to the Primera B Nacional.

Format

The format for the 2008-09 season remained unchanged. The season is split into two tournaments called Apertura and Clausura. Each tournament is contested by the same 20 teams in a single round-robin format. The champion of each tournament is determined by points. Should the tops teams be tied at points at the end of each tournament, a playoff is held at a neutral site. Relegation is determined at the end of the season.

Club information

Club City Stadium Capacity
Argentinos Juniors Buenos Aires Diego Armando Maradona 24,800
Arsenal Sarandí Julio H. Grondona 16,300
Banfield Banfield Florencio Solá 40,500
Boca Juniors Buenos Aires Alberto J. Armando 49,000
Colón Santa Fe Brigadier General Estanislao López 32,500
Estudiantes La Plata Jorge Luis Hirschi 23,000
Gimnasia (Jujuy) San Salvador de Jujuy 23 de Agosto 24,000
Gimnasia (La Plata) La Plata Juan Carlos Zerillo 24,544
Godoy Cruz Godoy Cruz Malvinas Argentinas 40,268
Huracán Buenos Aires Tomás Adolfo Ducó 48,314
Independiente Avellaneda Libertadores de América 52,823
Lanús Lanús Ciudad de Lanús - Néstor Díaz Pérez 46,619
Newell's Old Boys Rosario Newell's Old Boys 38,095
Racing Avellaneda Presidente Juan Domingo Perón 51,000
River Plate Buenos Aires Monumental Antonio V. Liberti 65,645
Rosario Central Rosario Dr. Lisandro de la Torre 41,824
San Lorenzo Buenos Aires Pedro Bidegain 43,494
San Martín (Tucumán) Tucumán La Cuidadela 35,000
Tigre Victoria Monumental de Victoria 26,282
Vélez Sársfield Buenos Aires José Amalfitani 49,540

Promotion and relegation

Olimpo and San Martín (San Juan) were relegated at the end of the 2007–08 Primera División season. They were replaced by Godoy Cruz and San Martín de Tucumán, both of whom were promoted from the Primera B Nacional.

Gimnasia (Jujuy) and Racing played the relegation/promotion playoffs against Unión and Belgrano, respectively. Both Gimnasia (Jujuy) and Racing won their playoff matches and retained their status in top-flight football.

Managerial changes

This is a list of the managerial changes in the Primera División made during the season.

Team Outgoing manager Manner of
departure
Date of
vacancy
Replaced by Date of
appointment
Position
in table
Huracán Argentina Claudio Ubeda Resigned Sep. 14, 2008 Argentina Héctor Martínez (interim) Sep. 15, 2008 20th (A)
Estudiantes (LP) Argentina Roberto Sensini Resigned Sep. 17, 2008 Argentina Leonardo Astrada Sep. 20, 2008 18th (A)
Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) Uruguay Guillermo Sanguinetti Resigned Sep. 29, 2008 Argentina Leonardo Madelón Oct. 2, 2008 12th (A)
Independiente Argentina Claudio Borghi Resigned Oct. 5, 2008 Argentina Miguel Santoro Oct. 6, 2008 15th (A)
Rosario Central Argentina Pablo Sánchez Sacked Oct. 6, 2008 Argentina Gustavo Alfaro Oct. 10, 2008 19th (A)
Godoy Cruz Argentina Daniel Oldrá Resigned Oct. 28, 2008 Argentina Diego Cocca Oct. 29, 2008 18th (A)
Huracán Argentina Héctor Martínez (interim) End of contract Nov. 3, 2008 Argentina Ángel Cappa Nov. 4, 2008 15th (A)
River Plate Argentina Diego Simeone Resigned Nov. 9, 2008 Argentina Gabriel Rodríguez (interim) Nov. 10, 2008 20th (A)
Vélez Sarsfield Argentina Hugo Tocalli Resigned Dec. 3, 2008 Argentina Pedro Larraquy (interim) Dec. 4, 2008 6th (A)
Argentinos Juniors Argentina Nestor Gorosito Resigned Dec. 14, 2008 Argentina Claudio Vivas Dec. 27, 2008 11th (A)
Vélez Sarsfield Argentina Pedro Larraquy (interim) End of contract Dec. 15, 2008 Argentina Ricardo Gareca Dec. 16, 2008 9th (A)
River Plate Argentina Gabriel Rodríguez (interim) End of contract Dec. 15, 2008 Argentina Nestor Gorosito Dec. 23, 2008 20th (A)
Racing Argentina Juan Manuel Llop Sacked Feb. 21, 2009 Argentina Ricardo Caruso Lombardi Feb. 24, 2009 20th (C)
Rosario Central Argentina Gustavo Alfaro Sacked Feb. 28, 2009 Argentina Reinaldo Merlo Mar. 2, 2009 18th (C)
Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) Argentina Omar Labruna Resigned Mar. 10, 2009 Argentina Héctor Arzubialde Mar. 11, 2009 19th (C)
Estudiantes (LP) Argentina Leonardo Astrada Resigned Mar. 11, 2009 Argentina Alejandro Sabella Mar. 15, 2009 18th (C)
Independiente Argentina Miguel Santoro Resigned Mar. 21, 2009 Argentina Américo Gallego Mar. 27, 2009 8th (C)
Banfield Argentina Jorge Burruchaga Resigned Mar. 22, 2009 Argentina Julio Falcioni Mar. 23, 2009 9th (C)
San Lorenzo Argentina Miguel Ángel Russo Resigned Apr. 9, 2009 Argentina Diego Simeone Apr. 16, 2009 10th (C)
Rosario Central Argentina Reinaldo Merlo Resigned Apr. 14, 2009 Argentina Miguel Ángel Russo Apr. 16, 2009 9th (C)
Arsenal Argentina Daniel Garnero Sacked Apr. 25, 2009 Argentina José Rizzo (interim) Apr. 26, 2009 16th (C)
Arsenal Argentina José Rizzo (interim) End of contract May 4, 2009 Argentina Jorge Burruchaga May 5, 2009 18th (C)
Argentinos Juniors Argentina Claudio Vivas Resigned May 23, 2009 Argentina Claudio Borghi Jun. 2, 2009 20th (C)
Boca Juniors Argentina Carlos Ischia Resigned Jun. 16, 2009 Argentina Abel Alvez (interim) Jun. 17, 2009 15th (C)

Transfers

Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura (English: Opening Tournament) was played between August 6 to December 14, 2008. The champion earned a spot in the 2009 Copa Libertadores.

Standings

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 San Lorenzo 19 12 3 4 34 17 +17 39 Qualification to the Championship playoff
Boca Juniors 19 12 3 4 33 21 +12 39
Tigre 19 12 3 4 31 19 +12 39
4 Lanús 19 11 4 4 34 23 +11 37
5 Newell's Old Boys 19 8 7 4 26 18 +8 31
6 Arsenal 19 8 4 7 26 27 1 28
7 Estudiantes (LP) 19 8 4 7 24 25 1 28
8 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 19 6 9 4 17 15 +2 27
9 Vélez Sarsfield 19 7 5 7 22 27 5 26
10 Colón 19 5 8 6 29 25 +4 23
11 Godoy Cruz 19 6 5 8 25 28 3 23
12 Banfield 19 5 8 6 18 21 3 23
13 Argentinos Juniors 19 5 8 6 25 26 1 23
14 Racing 19 5 7 7 19 22 3 22
15 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 19 6 3 10 19 31 12 21
16 San Martín (T) 19 5 5 9 15 18 3 20
17 Huracán 19 5 5 9 18 29 11 20
18 Independiente 19 4 6 9 15 23 8 18
19 Rosario Central 19 4 3 12 20 26 6 15
20 River Plate 19 2 8 9 20 29 9 14

Updated to games played on December 14, 2008.
Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference; 6th head-to-head goals scored. This does not apply to defining the champion. If two or more teams are tied in point at the end of the tournament, a playoff will be held at a neutral venue within 72 hours for the championship
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (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; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results

Home \ Away[1] ARJ ARS BANBOCCOLESTGJUGLPGCRHURINDLANNOBRACRIVRCESLOSMTTIGVEL
Argentinos Juniors 00 50 20 04 01 00 01 20 41
Arsenal 30 32 01 32 21 10 11 22 22 33
Banfield 22 01 00 12 00 21 10 21 13 22
Boca Juniors 32 12 40 11 21 21 21 10 23 23
Colón 52 01 00 11 12 33 11 11 22
Estudiantes (LP) 20 22 20 31 10 10 11 11 31
Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 11 01 20 14 11 21 43 10 10 10
Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 11 01 00 00 10 31 10 01 00 10
Godoy Cruz 11 41 21 23 00 10 10 12 13
Huracán 03 10 10 11 10 02 14 03 30
Independiente 11 12 01 32 11 11 02 01 10
Lanús 42 21 11 32 11 43 00 20 10
Newell's Old Boys 24 11 10 21 30 10 33 20 10
Racing 02 21 00 11 11 02 41 21 00 00
River Plate 12 01 12 33 11 33 20 00 12
Rosario Central 30 00 01 32 30 01 12 12 11 23
San Lorenzo 20 30 30 21 11 41 13 21 10 01
San Martín (T) 00 10 01 12 11 11 20 20 02 31
Tigre 21 10 10 31 20 10 30 31 12
Vélez Sarsfield 03 10 20 02 00 02 21 01 20 11

Updated to games played on December 14, 2008.
Source: RSSSF
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Championship playoff

Since San Lorenzo, Tigre and Boca Juniors ended the tournament with the same number of points, a three-way playoff was played to determine the champion.

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Boca Juniors 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage
2 Tigre 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3 San Lorenzo 2 1 0 1 3 4 1 3

Source: RSSSF
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (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; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

December 17, 2008
Tigre 12 San Lorenzo
Lázzaro  76' Report Barrientos  18'
Bergessio  20'
Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Referee: Saúl Laverni


Top-ten goalscorers

Pos Player Team Goals
1 Argentina José Sand Lanús 15
2 Argentina Martín Morel Tigre 13
3 Argentina Esteban Fuertes Colón 11
4 Argentina Alejandro Gómez Arsenal 8
Argentina Mauro Boselli Estudiantes
6 Argentina Rubén Ramírez Colón 7
Argentina Lucas Viatri Boca Juniors
Argentina Pablo Barrientos San Lorenzo
Argentina Leonel Núñez Independiente
Argentina Carlos Luna Tigre

Updated as of games played on December 14, 2008.
Source: Scorer Stats (Spanish)

Torneo Clausura

The Torneo Clausura (English: Closing Tournament) began on February 6, 2009 and ended on July 5, 2009. The champion earned a spot in the 2010 Copa Libertadores.

Standings

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Vélez Sarsfield 19 11 7 1 29 13 +16 40 2010 Copa Libertadores Second Stage
2 Huracán 19 12 2 5 35 19 +16 38
3 Lanús 19 12 2 5 32 26 +6 38
4 Colón 19 10 4 5 29 19 +10 34
5 Racing 19 8 6 5 23 21 +2 30
6 Estudiantes (LP) 19 8 5 6 22 18 +4 29
7 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 19 7 7 5 23 21 +2 28
8 River Plate 19 7 6 6 24 25 1 27
9 Godoy Cruz 19 7 5 7 23 26 3 26
10 Rosario Central 19 7 4 8 23 21 +2 25
11 San Lorenzo 19 7 3 9 27 26 +1 24
12 Banfield 19 6 5 8 25 25 0 23
13 Tigre 19 6 5 8 24 25 1 23
14 Boca Juniors 19 6 4 9 22 25 3 22
15 Newell's Old Boys 19 4 9 6 21 22 1 21
16 Independiente 19 6 3 10 22 36 14 21
17 San Martín (T) 19 5 5 9 20 23 3 20
18 Arsenal 19 4 6 9 19 30 11 18
19 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 19 4 5 10 15 24 9 17
20 Argentinos Juniors 19 2 9 8 19 32 13 15

Source: AFA
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head points; 5th head-to-head goal difference; 6th head-to-head goals scored. This does not apply to defining the champion. If two or more teams are tied in point at the end of the tournament, a playoff will be held at a neutral venue within 72 hours for the championship
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (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; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results

Home \ Away[1] ARJ ARS BANBOCCOLESTGJUGLPGCRHURINDLANNOBRACRIVRCESLOSMTTIGVEL
Argentinos Juniors 02 11 20 01 11 24 11 21 00 22
Arsenal 31 01 00 11 41 05 11 11 20
Banfield 20 10 22 31 50 01 31 00 03
Boca Juniors 30 21 23 12 11 31 02 11 30
Colón 11 20 13 10 20 00 20 30 20 24
Estudiantes (LP) 32 10 13 10 10 11 10 00 00 21 01
Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 12 00 41 02 02 01 03 11 01
Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 11 20 20 32 00 11 12 01 31
Godoy Cruz 10 11 13 22 11 20 01 10 32 02
Huracán 41 30 21 01 21 02 32 30 40 10
Independiente 20 01 15 21 41 20 31 01 41 00
Lanús 10 21 03 51 21 31 21 21 21 11
Newell's Old Boys 11 11 11 11 11 30 11 22 10 01
Racing 11 41 10 30 10 14 21 10 12
River Plate 31 20 22 12 10 22 20 11 21 31
Rosario Central 21 20 01 12 11 01 12 31 11
San Lorenzo 30 31 11 12 01 02 11 51 01
San Martín (T) 10 01 01 30 23 01 30 22 00
Tigre 11 00 21 20 01 11 41 01 13 12
Vélez Sarsfield 11 20 21 20 40 10 20 22 11

Updated to games played on July 5, 2009.
Source: RSSSF
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top-ten goalscorers

Pos Player Team Goals
1 Argentina José Sand Lanús 13
2 Argentina Daniel Montenegro Independiente 12
Argentina Esteban Fuertes Colón
4 Uruguay Hernán López Vélez Sarsfield 11
Argentina Carlos Luna Tigre
6 Uruguay Santiago Silva Banfield 9
7 Argentina Leandro Caruso Godoy Cruz 8
Colombia Radamel Falcao River Plate
Argentina Gonzalo Bergessio San Lorenzo
10 Argentina Javier Pastore Huracán 7
Argentina Martín Palermo Boca Juniors

Updated as of games played on July 5, 2009.
Source: AFA

Relegation

Relegation from the Primera Division is determined on the basis of performance over the last three seasons. Every club has its points earned divided by the number of matches played and an average (Spanish: promedio) is determined. The clubs who finish in 17th and 18th play a relegation play-off against the 3rd and 4th placed clubs in Primera B Nacional. The clubs who finish in 19th and 20th are directly relegated to Primera B Nacional.

Pos
Team 2006–07
Pts
2007–08
Pts
2008–09
Pts
Total
Pts
Total
Pld
Avg
Relegation
1 Boca Juniors 83 70 61 214 114 1.877
2 Estudiantes (LP) 81 69 57 207 114 1.815
3 San Lorenzo 73 64 63 200 114 1.754
4 Lanús 59 56 73 190 114 1.666
5 Vélez Sarsfield 56 59 66 181 114 1.587
6 River Plate 71 66 41 178 114 1.561
7 Tigre 56 62 118 76 1.552
8 Huracán 52 58 110 76 1.447
9 Arsenal 62 51 46 159 114 1.394
10 Independiente 57 59 39 155 114 1.359
11 Colón 46 45 57 148 114 1.298
12 Godoy Cruz 49 49 38 1.289
13 Argentinos Juniors 46 61 38 145 114 1.271
14 Newell's Old Boys 35 56 52 143 114 1.254
15 Racing 49 40 52 141 114 1.236
16 Banfield 39 54 46 139 114 1.219
17 Rosario Central 52 41 40 133 114 1.166 Relegation Playoff Matches
18 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 40 36 55 131 114 1.149
19 San Martín (T) 40 40 38 1.052 Primera B Nacional
20 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 43 35 38 116 114 1.017

Updated as of July 5, 2009; Source:AFA

Relegation/promotion playoffs

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Relegation/promotion playoff 1
Atlético de Rafaela 33 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 30 03
Relegation/promotion playoff 2
Belgrano 12 Rosario Central 01 11

Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) remains in the Argentine First Division after a 3 - 3 aggregate tie by virtue of a "sports advantage". In case of a tie in goals, the team from the First Division gets to stay in it. Rosario Central wins 2-1 and stays in the Argentine First Division, while Belgrano does not get promoted and remains in Argentine Nacional B.

International qualification

Copa Libertadores

The Apertura champion qualifies to the 2009 Copa Libertadores and the Clausura champion qualifies to the 2010 Copa Libertadores. The last two Argentina spots for the 2009 Copa Libertadores were determined by the sum of all points obtained in the past three tournaments.

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Boca Juniors 57 32 13 12 98 54 +44 109 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage 1
2 San Lorenzo 57 31 10 16 93 65 +28 103 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage
3 Estudiantes (LP) 57 27 16 14 60 60 0 97 2009 Copa Libertadores First Stage
4 Tigre 57 28 11 18 83 76 +7 95
5 Lanús 57 27 12 18 94 83 +11 93 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage 2
6 Newell's Old Boys 57 24 15 18 63 59 +4 87
7 Vélez Sarsfield 57 24 13 20 71 69 +2 85
8 Argentinos Juniors 57 23 15 19 77 70 +7 84
9 River Plate 57 21 17 19 80 75 +5 80 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage 3
10 Arsenal 57 22 13 22 67 76 9 79
11 Banfield 57 21 14 22 76 78 2 77
12 Independiente 57 20 17 20 73 61 +12 77
13 Huracán 57 18 18 21 57 67 10 72
14 Colón 57 17 17 23 73 74 1 68
15 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 57 15 18 24 51 68 17 63
16 Racing 57 14 20 23 56 68 12 62
17 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 57 13 17 27 61 90 29 56
18 Rosario Central 57 13 17 27 67 82 15 56
19 Godoy Cruz 19 6 5 8 25 28 3 23
20 San Martín (T) 19 5 5 9 15 18 3 20

1. Boca Juniors qualified as the 2008 Apertura champion.
2. Lanus qualified as the 2007 Apertura champion.
3. River Plate qualified as the 2008 Clausura champion.

Copa Sudamericana

Qualification for the 2009 Copa Sudamericana is determined from an aggregate table of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The top four teams in the aggregate table qualify; Boca Juniors and River Plate were invited every year till this season, regardless of their standings in the season.

Pos
Team
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Lanús 38 23 6 9 66 49 +17 75 2009 Copa Sudamericana First Stage
2 Vélez Sarsfield 38 18 12 8 51 40 +11 66
3 San Lorenzo 38 19 6 13 61 43 +18 63
4 Tigre 38 18 8 12 55 44 +11 62
5 Boca Juniors 38 18 7 13 55 46 +9 61 2009 Copa Sudamericana First Stage
6 Huracán 38 17 7 14 53 48 +5 58
7 Colón 38 15 12 11 58 44 +14 57
8 Estudiantes (LP) 38 16 9 13 46 43 +3 57
9 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 38 13 16 9 40 36 +4 55
10 Newell's Old Boys 38 12 16 10 47 40 +7 52
11 Racing 38 13 13 12 42 43 1 52
12 Godoy Cruz 38 13 10 15 48 54 6 49
13 Arsenal 38 12 10 16 45 57 12 46
14 Banfield 38 11 13 14 43 46 3 46
15 River Plate 38 9 14 15 44 54 10 41 2009 Copa Sudamericana First Stage
16 Rosario Central 38 11 7 20 43 47 4 40
17 San Martín (T) 38 10 10 18 35 41 6 40
18 Independiente 38 10 9 19 37 59 22 39
19 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 38 10 8 20 34 55 21 38
20 Argentinos Juniors 38 7 17 14 44 58 14 38

Source: AFA
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (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; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

See also

External links

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