The
Liga Profesional de Primera División ( ), also
known as the Primera División Uruguaya or
Primera División de Uruguay ( ), is the top-flight
professional football league in Uruguay
. It
is organized by the
Asociación Uruguaya de
Fútbol and is contested by 16 teams.
History
Professionalism
Between 1900 and 1931, the league was an amateur competition. Since
1932, the league has been a professional competition.
Format
After 1994, the competition was divided in two stages, called the
Opening Championship (Torneo Apertura) and Closing Championship
(Torneo Clausura), with an end-of-season two-legged final match
between the winners of these two tournaments.
In the 2005/06 season, the winners of the Apertura and Clausura
tournaments played a two (or three) legged playoff; the winner of
that playoff played against the best team in the aggregate table to
decide the 2005/06 season champion.
In the 2006/07 season, the competition was reduced to 16
clubs.
Season
Originally, like other South American football leagues, the league
was contested according to calendar
year, from austral summer to summer in Southern
Hemisphere
. In 2005, the league started to play in
"European season", from boreal summer to summer in Northern
Hemisphere
starting in August, with the aim of preventing
clubs from losing many players in the middle of the season.
In the first semester of 2005, a special tournament was held to
decide the qualification to international competition.
However, the season of 2008/09 would be the last one to be played
in "European season", as the system appeared to be unable to
prevent clubs from losing players between Apertura (opening)
tournament to Clausura (closing). The system also allegedly
qualifies top teams to
Copa
Libertadores too early, a problem similar to that of the
Argentinian League, and there are two transfers periods before the
Libertadores, as opposed to only transfer period in December when
playing the season according to calendar year. A special tournament
will be held in second part of 2009, similar to that of 2005, to
decide teams that qualify to
Copa
Sudamericana 2010. Libertadores teams for 2010 will qualify for
last time in winter (2009).
As a side note,
Indonesia U-17
competes in the youth system.
Current Teams 2009-10
List of champions
Amateur Era
Amateur champions
Notes:
- There is controversy over CURCC and Peñarol. The official club
position claims that these clubs are the same (ratified by AUF that
allowed the continuity of CURCC as Peñarol from 1913 to 1914),
while rivals Nacional
position claims that these clubs are different.
- The 1904 championship was not played due to civil war in
Uruguay.
- River Plate F.C. is a different club from that of C.A. River
Plate. (although it seems to be minor controversy on this
statement)
- Due to internal differences in Uruguayan football, a Uruguayan
Federation was created (led by Peñarol) in 1923. The Federation
organised two parallel tournaments, one in 1923 won by Wanderers,
the other in 1924 won by Peñarol. These tournaments are not
recognised by the Uruguayan Football Association as Uruguayan
championships.
- The 1925 championship was not finished, the Uruguayan
government ended the internal difference mentioned above.
- In 1926, the Uruguayan championship was played under a Consejo
Provisorio (Provisory Council), as the official and dissident
Uruguayan Football Associations were reunited. AUF doesn't
recognise that championship as official.
- The 1930 championship was not played due to the organisation of
the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay.
Professional Era
Notes:
- The 1948 championship was not completed due to a players
strike.
- C.A Defensor merged with Sporting C.U in 1989, winning the 1991
title as Defensor Sporting.
- The seasons of 1989 and 2005 were the only ones played in
single round roubin (no home and away system)
- Since 1994 the year champion emerged from either winning one
semester and the finals, or the two semesters without needing final
games, this last happened in 1998 and 2006/07.
Professional champions
Total of Uruguayan League titles (amateur and
professional)
notes:
- There is controversy over CURCC and Peñarol. CA Peñarol claims
that both clubs are the same (based on the permission given by AUF
that allowed Peñarol to take CURCC's place in the league, from 1913
to 1914). Contesting that are rivals Nacional whose position is that
CURCC and Peñarol are different clubs, based on the fact that CURCC
stopped activities only in 1915 (so they would have coexisted),
with the "new club", Peñarol, only taking CURCC's place in the
league.
- River Plate FC is not the same club than actual CA River Plate,
with whom it only shares the colours and name as it is a complete
different entity created from the merge of two other clubs (Capurro
and Olimpia).
- Montevideo Wanderers claims 4 titles, represented as 4 stars in
the official jersey, although AUF as in the case of Peñarol 1923
title, don't recognize the FUF title won in 1924 and states the 4
star as inaccurate
See also
External links
Top topics
Wikis
Map
Search