In 1961, the 41st and 42nd seasons of the Primera División de Costa Rica were played in two competing leagues. Five or three teams took part. Herediano won the championship for the 15th time in the club's history, Carmelita for the 1st time.
Due to several conflicts in the Costa Rican Football Association, such as power struggles on the board, five of the eight first division clubs left FEDEFUTBOL and founded ASOFÚTBOL, which also organized a league.
Competition mode
The five ASOFÚTBOL teams played out the champions in a double round (first and second leg).
The three teams of FEDEFUTBOL played the champions in a single round (first and second leg).
After the 1961 season, the two competing associations reunited to form FEDEFÚTBOL. The five "rebellious" clubs were directly qualified for the next season, while the other three clubs had to play a relegation round with the three best clubs in the second division. This was won by CS Uruguay de Coronado, which means that the champions of FEDEFÚTBOL, Carmen FC, were relegated to the second division. Until the restructuring of the Costa Rican Football Association with the help of FIFA, Carmen FC was never officially considered a Costa Rican champion, although protests had been lodged in various courts for years. With the founding of UNAFUT in 1999, Carmen FC was officially recognized as champions, and the three-tier league was also included in the statistics.
