Argentina. The system: on the top – First Division, two teams relegated on the old criteria – a few years combined relegation table from which those with the worst point average went down. Second Division, however, had only the winner directly promoted. The second promotion came from another tournament – it included those finishing from 2nd to 10th place, 9 teams in total, plus the winner of Primera B Metropolitana (Buenos Aires, Third Level), and the 2 teams qualifying from Torneo Interior (Provincial champiuonship, Third Level). The confusion remains, of course – the Buenos Aires league system conflicts with the championships of the provinces, culminating with the final interprovincial championship, but in the grand scheme they all were de facto Third Level – Second Division, Primera B, muddles the water largely because it more or less the old Metropolitan Primera B, but elevated on national scale. In the same time the provinces were seemingly lowered, so as compensation it was decided to have these parallel championship for one promotion – still it was largely made of Second Division teams.
Such complications emerged largely by the obvious discrepancy between names and strength: on one hand quite respectful clubs from greater Buenos Aires were down in Third Level, but weaker provincial clubs either on the same or higher level. On the other hand the nation-wide interprovincial championship would not be degraded to mere Third Level affair – Argentina was too big to allow football to be concentrated only around Buenos Aires. A quick sample of teams outside the two top division should suffice for the point made:
All Boys (Buenos Aires)
Almagro (Buenos Aires)
Sarmiento (Junin)
Defensores de Belgrano.
Central Cordoba (Rosario). Standing from left: Jorge Ciancaglini, Víctor Longo, Claudio Ubeda, José Minielo, Pedro Rossini, Marcelo D’Angelo. Crouching: José Luis Orellano, Norberto Ricci, Jorge Forgues, Alberto Gómez, Daniel Núñez.
Surely, not famous clubs, but popular and hardly third level… but there they were and remained.
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