Peru. Looked like Peru took Brazilian championship as a model, a grand, but not exactly great affair. 25 teams played in the strange championship, going to 30 the next year. Needs explaining: first, the ‘Regional Tournament’ took place, followed by the ‘Descentralised Tournament’, when the title was decided, and finally ‘The Liquilla’, deciding the 2nd Peruvian Copa Libertadores team. That was not all, of course: after the ‘Regional Tournament’, those failing to qualify to the second stage played on the ‘Intermediary Division’ against second division teams to gain promotion for next year championship. And if any of the Regional Groups winners finished on the top 6 of Descentralised Tournament, that team earned the righ to playoff in the Liguilla against Descentralised runner-up for a Copa Libertadores place. Meantime, every level ended the season with champion of its own. Thus, San Agustin won the Second Division championship.
The Regional Tournament had the participants divided into 4 unequal groups – the Metropolitan Goup had 10 teams. 6 qualified directly to the next stage, 2 teams went to play-offs, and the last 2 teams finished their top league season right here. The Northern Group had 5 teams, 2 qualified to the next stage, the 3rd placed proceeded to play-offs, and the last two were done for the season. The Central Group – 5 teams – had the top 2 qualified to the next stage and nothing else. The Southern Group was exactly like the Northern Group: 2 teams qualified, 1 went to play-offs, and 2 joined the rest of lowly unfortunates in the Intermediary Division. Those out of the championship race after the Regional Tournament were: Juventud La Palma (Huacho) and Octavio Espinoza (Ica) from Metropolitan Group; Carlos Mannucci (Trujillo) and Jose Galvez (Chimbote) from Northern Group;
Defensor ANDA (Aucayacu), Hospital Pucallpa (Pucallpa), and Hostal Rey (La Merced) from Central Group; Alfonso Ugarte (Puno) and Cienciano (Cusco) from Southern Group.
In the play-offs
Deportivo Municipal (Lima) lost to Universidad Tecnica and Atletico Chalaco (Callao) to Coronel Bolognesi.
14 teams played the Descentralised Tournament, but only 2 of them competed for the first place. One match – Diablos Rojos-Univeridad Tecnica – was not played for some reason and in the final table those teams finished with 25 games to 26 played by the other teams. Diablos Rojos (Juliaca) was last with 17 points. Sport Pilsen (Guadalupe) – 13th with 19 points. Universidad Tecnica (Cajamarca) – 12th with 21 points. Union Huaral (Huaral) – 11th with 22 points.
ADT – Asociacion Deportiva (Tarma) – 10th with 23 points. Standing form left: Vicente Castillo, Armando Carrizales, Rowland Chumpitaz, Ernesto Herrera, Alejandro Mujica, Reynaldo Bernaola.
First row: Israel Conde, Rinaldo Quesada, Enrique Peña, Kiko Bendezú, Raúl Valdez.
Huancayo FC (Huancayo) – 9th with 26 points. Standing form left: Vega, Portanova, Enrique Mendoza, Cisterna, Jaime Elias, Eusebio Acazuso.
First row: Andrés Zegarra, Pajuelo, Sevat, Gustavo Sotomayor, Eduardo Rivera.
Coronel Bolognesi (Tacna) – 8th with 26 points.
Atletico Torino (Talara) – 7th with 27 points.
Universitario de Deportes (Lima) – 6th with 27 points. Standing from left: Leonardo Rojas, Juan Carlos Jaime, Freddy Ternero, Martín Duffó, Samuel Eugenio, Hugo Gastulo.
Crouching: Hincados: Javier Torres, Fidel Castro, José Ziani, Percy Rojas, Miguel Seminario.
Melgar FBC (Arequipa) – 5th with 28 points.
Sporting Cristal (Lima) – 4th with 28 points. Standing from left: Pedro Ruiz, Roberto Arrelucea, Alfredo Quesada, NN, Héctor Chumpitaz, Rubén Díaz, Humberto Valdetaro.
First row: Luis Reyna, César Loyola, Juan Caballero, Alberto Mora.
Alianza (Lima) – 3rd with 29 points.
CNI – Colegio Nacional (Iquitos) – 2nd with 34 points. Standing from left: José Gonzáles, Florentino Bernaola, Victor Vargas, Rodman Barbagelata, César Adriazola.
First row: José Salazar, Martín Gago, Ernesto Guillén, Yañez, Nehemías Mera, Mario Gutiérez.
Sport Boys (Callao) – 1st with 35 points. Running head to head with CNI, but prevailing by a point and clinching the title.
The second Copa Libertadores spot was decided in the following Liquilla. CNI, Melgar FBC, and Universitario played the final tournament in Lima. The tournament was not enough – all games were tied and according to better scoring records, Melgar FBC and Univeristario went to decisive play-off – Univeristario clinched 2-1 victory.
Not a great season for Universitario de Deportes (Lima), but at least they earned a Copa Libertadores spot – unlike their rivals Alianza and Sporting Cristal. Standing from left: Leo Rojas, Juan Carlos Jaime, Martín Duffó, Luis Gardella, Samuel Eugenio, Raúl García.
Crouching: Fredy Ternero, Luis Mansilla, Jaime Drago, Percy Rojas, Eduardo Rey Muñoz.
But Sport Boys (Callao) were the heroes of the year. Standing from left: César Peralta, Félix Puntriano, Darío Herrera, César Espino, Pedro Requena, Miguel Mendoza.
First row: Juan Carlos Cabanillas, David Zuluaga, Augusto Palacios, Johnny Watson, Víctor Hurtado.
This was the 6th title for the club, but the 5th was won in 1958, so it was the end of long period of waiting and suffering. And since Callao was already reduced to mere satellite of Lima, it was always sweet to beat the big neighbours. The victory did not come easy, thus, it was double sweet. Champions again.