Chile. First Division was uncomplicated league championship, but Second Division was structured differently. 20 teams in it. One promoted and one relegated. The teams were divided into 2 groups of 10 teams each, playing 2-staged championship at first, followed by play-offs of finals – one for promotion and one for relegation. The first stage was standard league championship, but the second stage divided each group into two small groups depending on the final table of the first stage: 5 teams played for the group winner, 5 teams for the group loser, all teams went to the second stage carrying their points from the first. Not very complicated formula, but it had strange ending this year. Let jump right to the second stage.
Zona Norte – Liguilla Ascenso.
Deportes La Serena – 5th with 23 points.
Santiago Wanderers – 4th with 28 points.
Antofagasta – 3rd with 28 points.
Union Santa Cruz – 2nd with 30 points.
Trasandino – 1st with 34 points. Trasandino won Zona Norte and proceeded to the final play-off.
Liguilla Descenso.
Coquimbo Unido – 1st – 6th as a final position place – with 25 points.
Quintero Unido – 7th with 25 points.
Regional Atacama – 8th with 24 points.
Deportes Ovalle – 9th with 23 points.
Super Lo Miranda – 10th with 20 points. Going to the crucial relegation play-off.
Zona Sur. Liguilla Ascenco.
Provincial Osorno – 5th with 24 points.
Curico Unido – 4th with 26 points.
Malleco Unido – 3rd with 29 points.
Lota Schwager – 2nd with 29 points.
Fernandez Vial – 1st with 35 points and going to the championship final.
Liguilla Descenso.
Deportes Valdivia – 1st – 6th in the final table – with 26 points.
Deportes Linares – 7th with 25 points.
Deportes Iberia – 8th with 24 points.
Deportes Puerto Montt – 9th with 23 points.
Deportes Victoria – 10th with 19 points and going to the relegation play-off.
Relegation play-off between the bottom placed in Zona Norte and Zona Sur. Super Lo Miranda won its home leg 3-0 and tied the second leg in Victoria 2-2.
Super Lo Miranda survived and remained in Second Division.
Deportes Victoria – relegated to Third Division.
Championship final. The group winners play 2 legs, but in case each one a match, third decisive game was to be played. On November 17 Trasandino won 2-0 in Concepcion, visiting Fernandez Vial. Looked like final victory already. But Fernandez Vial pulled itself together and won in Los Andes 1-0 on November 24. Two days later the opponents met again on neutral ground in Talca – this time Trasandino prevailed 1-0 and won the championship. Which meant also promotion… and it was not.
Fernandez Vial (Concepcion) lost the decisive final and ended 2nd this year. It was fair, somewhat, for during the season Trasandino performed better. Season finished, lick some wounds, get ready for another try. Yet, Fernandez Vial was promoted and played in First Division the next season. Why? No idea… sources differ: some state Fernandez Vial was promoted, other – that Trasandino was promoted. What makes everything ‘clear’ is a look at the 1986 First Division: Fernandez Vial is there, Trasandino – not. So here they are the losers who were promoted. Lucky boys.
Trasandino (Los Andes) were the new champions of Second Division. Great! They looked slightly better than Fernandez Vial during the season and at end clinched the title. But they were not promoted, as they should have been as winners. Possible reasons: may be some penalty for infringement of the rules – either using illegible players or game fixing. No info is available, though. The other possibility is failing to meet some requirements for playing in the top league: either substandard stadium or lack of enough money. The third possible reason is voluntary withdrawal – here lack of money would be the decisive factor. Since there is no available information, one can speculate, but the fact is Trasandino was not promoted.