Argentina. This was transitional year – instead of two championships, the country was going to have one and that in new time-table: no longer fall-spring season, but spring-fall, which meant that the championship will be spread in two years – 1985-86 and so on. What were the possible benefits of the new time-table is unclear, but the new formula, if starting from scratch left almost the whole 1985 empty of football, which was intolerable. So, the old Campeonato Nacional was played for the last time. Campeonato Metropilatano was not, but wait… Metropilitano had the classic divisional structure, with lower leagues, promotions and relegations. Apparently, Primera Division was to be the new national top league – no wonder why: the best clubs played in it anyway – and it looked like the whole divisional system was taking over the national championship at the expense of some relatively strong provincial clubs, but the current second and lower divisions were left without football for 2/3 of 1985 and to prevent such crime, only the top division did not have 1985 championship. The wisdom for that was simple one: the best participated in Campeonato Nacional, so they were going to stay idle until the new 1985-86 championship kicks in. Few pay attention to lower levels, but the transitional year opened a bit of a problem: the Second Division season ends with 2 teams promoted up. Were those clubs going up for 1985-86 season or for the 1986-87? If it was for the 86-87, then the system was going to be quite clumsy: winners had to stay in Second Division, then no matter how they play go up. Looks like the 1985 winners of Segunda did not play in the 1985-86 season of Primera… Also, the lower levels season was not stretched to include, even briefly, some of the new time-table: the season started in February and ended in December of 1985, as ever before. Strange as it was, let take a look at the 1985 Segunda Division: 22 teams played in it, divided into 2 groups of 11 teams each, but playing against all teams in the league to the tune of 42 games. The groups remained separated to the end and after the finish combined table emerged. The winner was directly promoted to Primera Division. The next 8 teams in the combined final table continued to play – a knock-off format, the winner of which was tbe the second promoted team. As for relegation, 2 teams were going down, but following the peculiar Argentine rule of keeping a separate relegation table, based on 5-years record of points: the teams with lowest average were relegated. As it happened, the peculiar rule was hard to notice in 1985, for the relegated were also the last in both group final tables and in the combined final table. As for the teams playing in Segunda, most were fairly known names and some more than that. Geographically, it was familiar picture: Buenos Aires, the province of Buenos Aires, and the province of Santa Fe. No other province of the country was represented, for it was the traditional set-up, and that perhaps was going to bring some problems in the future, unless some other provinces were included by fiat, but that was not current concern.
Since only the combined final table really matter, let jump straight to it:
1. Rosario Central (Rosario, province Santa Fe) 42 25 10 7 15 5 1 10 5 6 73 35 60 [Promoted to First Division]
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2. San Miguel (Los Polvorines, province Buenos Aires) 42 17 15 10 8 11 2 9 4 8 56 43 49 [to Second Promotion playoff]
3. Racing Club (Avellaneda, province Buenos Aires)) 42 17 14 11 10 6 5 7 8 6 58 44 48 [to Second Promotion playoff]
4. Lanús (Lanus, province Buenos Aires) 42 16 15 11 11 6 4 5 9 7 59 43 47 [to Second Promotion playoff]
5. Quilmes (Quilmes, province Buenos Aires) 42 16 15 11 12 8 1 4 7 10 54 45 47 [to Second Promotion playoff]
6. Los Andes (Lomas de Zamora, province Buenos Aires) 42 15 17 10 11 8 2 4 9 8 50 43 47 [to Second Promotion playoff]
7. Atlanta (Buenos Aires) 42 16 15 11 9 8 4 7 7 7 47 43 47 [to Second Promotion playoff]
8. Banfield (Banfield, province Buenos Aires) 42 18 10 14 12 4 5 6 6 9 62 51 46 [to Second Promotion playoff]
9. Defensores de Belgrano (Buenos Aires) 42 14 18 10 8 8 5 6 10 5 55 47 46 [to Second Promotion playoff]
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10. Estudiantes (Buenos Aires) 42 15 15 12 11 6 4 4 9 8 58 42 45
11. Colón (Santa Fe, province Santa Fe) 42 12 19 11 10 7 4 2 12 7 48 48 43
12. Villa Dálmine (Campana, province Buenos Aires) 42 13 16 13 10 5 6 3 11 7 53 54 42
13. Deportivo Italiano (Ciudad Evita, province Buenos Aires) 42 13 16 13 9 7 5 4 9 8 48 40 42
14. Nueva Chicago (Buenos Aires) 42 9 23 10 6 11 4 3 12 6 49 50 41
15. All Boys (Buenos Aires) 42 12 16 14 9 8 4 3 8 10 51 56 40
16. Deportivo Morón (Moron, province Buenos Aires) 42 10 17 15 6 11 4 4 6 11 30 45 37
Standing from left: Héctor Ártico, Claudio Mellado, Osvaldo M. Caligiuri, Rubén Acevedo, Bernardez, Reinhart Mántaras.
First row: Adrián Di Fonzo, Walter Pajón, Walter Fiori, Norberto Ortega Sánchez, Edgardo Paruzzo.
17. Tigre (Victoria, province Buenos Aires) 42 11 14 17 8 6 7 3 8 10 40 56 36
18. El Porvenir (Gerli, province Buenos Aires) 42 9 17 16 5 11 5 4 6 11 40 50 35
19. Argentino (Rosario, province Santa Fe) 42 9 16 17 7 9 5 2 7 12 36 51 34
20. Almirante Brown (Isidro Casanova, province Buenos Aires) 42 7 17 18 6 9 6 1 8 12 34 60 31
21. Talleres (Remedio de Escalada, province Buenos Aires) 42 7 17 18 4 11 6 3 6 12 33 63 31 [Relegated; worst average]
22. Sarmiento (Junín, province Buenos Aires) 42 7 16 19 5 9 7 2 7 12 37 62 30 [Relegated; worst average]
Playoff for the Second Promotion Place
Quarterfinals:
Defensores de Belgrano 2-1 0-1 San Miguel
Banfield 1-3 3-1 Racing Club
Atlanta 2-0 1-2 Lanús
Quilmes 2-2 1-1 Los Andes
Semifinals:
San Miguel 0-0 0-3 Atlanta
Quilmes 0-2 1-3 Racing Club
Final:
Atlanta 0-4 1-1 Racing Club [at River Plate]
Racing Club (Avellaneda) won the second promotion.
Rosario Central (Rosario) was promoted to first division as second division champion. Of course, they were team ‘campeon’ and perhaps in more than one sense: to win second level league was somewhat good, but since there was no first division championship… Central could boast for more than the actual. Unofficially, of course, but why not?