2008–09 Primera División A season
La Primera División A (Mexican First A Division) Apertura 2008 is a Mexican football tournament, one of two tournaments held each year. It began July 18, 2008 with Correcaminos UAT and Tampico Madero kicking off the season, a match UAT won 2-1, and will run until December 6 or 7, 2008. Reigning champions Club Léon will try to defend their title, and earn a spot into the promotional playoff held after the end of the Clausura 2009 season, where the winners of the two tournaments meet in an effort to gain promotion into La Primera División de México. Indios de Ciudad Juárez ascended to La Primera División winning the last promotional playoff against León; thus Veracruz was descended to la Primera División A. Pachuca Juniors won the promotional play-off in Segunda División, but were not allowed to be promoted for having no certification. Therefore, Deportivo Irapuato ascended to Primera División A, and two new affiliate clubs were created for Indios (Indios de Chihuahua) and CF Atlante (Potros Chetumal), both of whom are beginning play in this tournament. No team was relegated to Segunda División.
Tournament Format
Unlike previous tournaments, there will be 27 teams divided into three groups of nine teams each. Each team will play the other eight teams in their group twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 16 games. At the end of the regular season the top two teams in each group, as well as the next two highest placed teams, qualify to the Liguilla (playoffs). The teams are seeded based on their position in the general table. The clubs are arranged before each round so that the highest seeded team remaining always plays the lowest seed remaining. The clubs play a home and home series and whichever club has the better aggregate score advances. If the two clubs are tied after both legs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the higher seed advances automatically. In the finals, if the two clubs are tied after both legs two 15 minute halves of extra time are added. If the clubs are still tied after extra time the champion is determined through penalty kicks.
One team is promoted to the Primera División each year (two short tournaments). After the Clausura 2009 tournament, the champions of the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments will play a home and home series to determine which club will be promoted. If the same club wins both tournaments it will be promoted automatically. In order for a club to be promoted, it has to obtain a certification from the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. If the winner of the promotional final is not certified for promotion, a home and home series is played between the highest placed certified club and the club being relegated to the Primera División A to determine which will be in the Primera División.
The teams that are certified for promotion are: Alacranes de Durango, Atlético Mexiquense, Lobos BUAP, Cruz Azul Hidalgo, Dorados, Irapuato, León, Querétaro, Santos Laguna A, Tijuana, Correcaminos UAT and Veracruz.
One club is relegated to the Segunda División each year (two short tournaments). To determine the club to be relegated, the ratio of points to games is kept for each team. The club that has the worst points to games played ratio over the previous three years (Apertura 2006, Clausura 2007, Apertura 2007, Clausura 2008, Apertura 2008, Clausura 2009) is relegated to the Segunda División.
League Table (Groups)
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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League Table (General)
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Liguilla
- If the two teams are tied afer both legs, the higher seeded team advances.
Results
Group 1
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Group 2
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Group 3
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Top Scorers
Last updated: 2008-10-05
Source: FMF
Relegation Table
| P | Team | Pts | G | Pts/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veracruz | 24 | 11 | 2.1818 |
| 2 | Tijuana | 22 | 11 | 2.0000 |
| 3 | León | 152 | 78 | 1.9487 |
| 4 | Sinaloa | 142 | 78 | 1.8205 |
| 5 | Irapuato | 20 | 11 | 1.8182 |
| 6 | Cruz Azul | 138 | 79 | 1.7468 |
| 7 | Querétaro | 131 | 79 | 1.6582 |
| 8 | Coatzacoalcos | 120 | 78 | 1.5385 |
| 9 | UAT | 121 | 79 | 1.5316 |
| 10 | UNAM | 111 | 78 | 1.4231 |
| 11 | Salamanca | 111 | 79 | 1.4051 |
| 12 | Chihuahua | 14 | 10 | 1.4000 |
| 13 | BUAP | 106 | 79 | 1.3418 |
| 14 | UANL | 104 | 79 | 1.3165 |
| 15 | Mérida | 59 | 45 | 1.3111 |
| 16 | Durango | 102 | 79 | 1.2911 |
| 17 | Real Colima | 98 | 79 | 1.2405 |
| 18 | Tampico Madero | 96 | 78 | 1.2308 |
| 19 | Tapatío | 97 | 79 | 1.2278 |
| 20 | Monterrey | 91 | 79 | 1.1519 |
| 21 | Atlético Mexiquense | 90 | 79 | 1.1392 |
| 22 | UAG | 86 | 79 | 1.0886 |
| 23 | Académicos | 84 | 78 | 1.0769 |
| 24 | Socio Águila | 84 | 78 | 1.0769 |
| 25 | Santos Laguna | 72 | 79 | 0.9114 |
| 26 | Tapachula | 34 | 45 | 0.7556 |
| 27 | Chetumal | 5 | 10 | 0.5000 |
Last updated: 2008-10-05
Source: FMF
P = Position; G = Games played; Pts = Points; Pts/G = Ratio of points to games played