The Professional Football League (LPF) will repeat the same competition format used in 2022 for next season, as confirmed by Doble Amarilla. It will be announced next week and, in addition, there will be three relegations to the First National team: one for the general classification and two for the average.
Little by little, what will be 2023 for the First Division of Argentine football begins to take shape. The leaders had three plans being analyzed on which tournaments to implement for next year, as reported by this medium. After the comings and goings, finally the majority will of the clubs towards the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) was to respect the same season that Boca has monopolized by winning the League Cup and the 2022 League Tournament.
As this means could confirm, most clubs have chosen to play a League Cup in 2023 in the first half and an Italian-style tournament one round for the second. It will be played with 28 teams, respecting the relegations suffered this season by Aldosivi and Patronato and incorporating Belgrano, champion of the First National and second promotion that is currently contested between Allievi, Gimnasia (M), Instituto and Defensores de Belgrano.
This idea of keeping the format played in 2022 was pushed by three clubs in particular: River, Godoy Cruz and Talleres. What they propose, in addition to having three decreases, is that the averages be eliminated from 2025. Until last week, the project that generated the most consensus was to have a tournament of 28/30 teams with a format “top 20” in the second semester e “First LPF Qualifying Tournament” that the worst ten of the first half and the best ten of the First National team would have contested.
The central objectives of this scheme, on which the clubs did not end up voting, were four: generate greater competitiveness and enhance local tournaments, significantly increase revenues from television rights and sponsorships with new products such as the qualification tournament, generate more consumer interest with more attractive and disruptive formats and, finally, “dramatize” decreases with elimination of averages.
Finally, the option that was ultimately imposed was to keep the current scheme. It is worth noting that each club had to send an email to the AFA clarifying which tournament they preferred within the three projects that were on the table. In the 2023 season, three teams will be relegated in format “mixed”: one for the general table and two others for the middle school.
The problem with maintaining the competition scheme is that many dates would have to be played during the week (around seven) and on FIFA dates, which would complicate the assembly of the calendar. As Double Yellow may find out, the tentative date to start the season is January 27th. The decision will be officially announced next week.
