Bolivia. A nightmarish championship impossible to grasp. 13 teams played in the top league, but only 11 played in the first half of it, or Apertura. Why? A question without answer. As few other things. Two teams were relegated – how it was decided who to go out is a mystery, but at least the unfortunates are known: San Pedro (Cochabamba) and Litoral (La Paz). From the lower level 3 teams were promoted somehow – apparently, the top league was going to be 14 teams next season. The lucky ones were:
Chaco Petrolero (La Paz)
Petrolero (Cochabamba), and
Orcobol (Cochabamba). This may be a photo of happily promoted Orcobol, but one cannot be sure.
In any case, the Bolivian championship was mainly a battle between the cities of La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba – next year in the top league would play 4 teams from La Paz, 4 from Santa Cruz de la Sierra and 3 from Cochabamba.
So, 11 teams in the Apertura, which went through 3 stages. In the first stage the 11 teams were divided into 2 groups and the top 4 teams in each group qualified to the second stage. For reason unknown, but surely wise one, Litoral (La Paz) and Always Ready (La Paz) did not participate. The number of games each team played in the first stage makes no sense: Serie B had teams and they played 12 games each. Three times against each other, it seems. Serie A had 6 teams, but 4 of them played 14 games and 2 teams played 12 games. Bolivar and San Jose (Oruro) played fewer games for ‘not having an inter-series rival’ and for that privilege they received 2 points each. The second stage was smooth affair: two groups of 4 teams, round-robin tournament, every team played twice against the rest of the group. The top 2 teams in each group sailed to the semifinals, played in two legs and the winners played a two-leg final. Which was undecided, for goals did not count and final play-off followed. Oriente Petrolero and Bolivar met at the final. At home, Oriente Petrolero won 2-1, then lost 0-2 in La Paz. The third match was played in neutral Cochabamba and Oriente Petrolero won 1-0.
Bolivar finished 2nd.
Oriente Petrolero won the Apertura. Thus, Oriente Petrolero qualified to the grand final for the title.
The Clausura followed. This time all teams played, divided in 3 groups. Teams had bonus points unclear from where and for what, but started the Clausura with them. Serie A was made from the teams of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and played in the city. 3 teams qualified from this group the second stage. Serie B was played in La Paz and was made of local teams only – 2 teams qualified to the next stage. Serie C was made of the rest – 2 teams from Cochabamba plus the representatives of Oruro, Tarija, and Sucre – it was not played in one city, like the other groups, and 3 teams qualified to the next stage.
This was the end of season for Destroyers (Santa Cruz de la Sierra) – they finished last in Serie A.
Litoral (La Paz) and Always Ready (La Paz) ended the season after finisheing 3rd and 4th in Serie B. For Litoral it was amazingly short season: since they did not play in the Apertura, their whole season was made of the first stage of Clausura – a grand total of 6 games of which they lost 4 and won only one.
In Serie C Jorge Wilstermann was 4th and San Pedro 5th – the season ended for them, leaving Cochabamba without a team going ahead and thus making this season terrible as a whole. San Pedro was last in its group in the Apertura and last again in the Clausura.
The second stage was a copy of second stage Apertura: 8 teams divided into 2 groups, the top 2 going to the Clausura semifinals. This stage ended the season for Independiente Petrolero (Sucre), Ciclon (Tarija), Real Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz de la Sierra), and
Blooming (Santa Cruz de la Sierra).
Clausura semifinals:
The Strongest (La Paz) lost to Bolivar 1-2 and 3-4.
San Jose (Oruro) was eliminated by Oriente Petrolero, although it is unclear why: the results were 0-3 and 3-0. May be a penalty shoot-out? No record… Standing from left: Arnaldo Mansilla, José Daniel Valencia (Argentine), Marcos Francisquine, Freddy Cossio, Roberto Pérez, Luís Esteban Galarza. First row: Luis E. Padilla, Dionisio N. Gutiérrez, Juan C. Sánchez, José Luis Valverde, Silvio Rojas.
Thus, the Clausura final repeated the Apertura final: Oriente Petrolero against Bolivar. And it was full repetition… at home, Bolivar won 4-1, then lost 1-2 away, and third match was scheduled, like in the Apertura, in Cochabamba. It ended 1-1 and in the following penalty shoot-out Oriente Petrolero prevailed 4-3.
Bolivar (La Paz) was second again and, thus, overall second, which was not what club and fans expected, but at least the team qualified to the Copa Libertadores.
Oriente Petrolero (Santa Cruz de la Sierra) won both Aperura and Clausura and that canceled grand final between the winners of the two parts of the championship: the team was the champion of Bolivia. Great success, no doubt – this was their 3rd title, but they had to wait a whole decade for it, after winning their 2nd in 1979. Not an easy success, but leaving no doubts – Oriente Petrolero won both the Apertura and the Clausura.