The 2021 Categoría Primera B season (officially known as the 2021 Torneo BetPlay DIMAYOR season for sponsorship reasons) was the 32nd season of the Categoría Primera B since its founding as Colombia's second division football league. The tournament started on 15 January 2021 and ended on 10 March 2022. Atlético Huila were the defending champions, having been unable to earn promotion to the Categoría Primera A despite winning the previous tournament.
Season | 2021 |
---|---|
Dates | 15 January 2021 – 10 March 2022 |
Champions | Torneo I: Deportes Quindío (2nd title) Torneo II: Unión Magdalena (1st title) |
Promoted | Atlético Huila Deportes Quindío Cortuluá Unión Magdalena |
Matches played | 276 |
Goals scored | 654 (2.37 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Torneo I: Steven Rodríguez (16 goals) Torneo II: Luis Felipe Gómez (12 goals) |
Biggest home win | Valledupar 6–0 Bogotá (15 February 2021) |
Biggest away win | Real Cartagena 0–5 Cortuluá (5 December 2021) |
Highest scoring | Valledupar 3–4 Orsomarso (23 January 2021) Llaneros 4–3 Leones (4 October 2021) |
← 2020 2022 → |
Deportes Quindío won their second Primera B title in the Torneo I, defeating Cortuluá in the final over two legs, whilst Unión Magdalena were the champions in the Torneo II, beating Cortuluá in the final on penalties after a 1–1 draw to claim their first title.
Format
editThe format for the 2021 Primera B season was decided at DIMAYOR's General Assembly session of 17 December 2020.[1] For this season, two tournaments (Torneo I and Torneo II) with three stages each will be played. In the Torneo I, the 16 teams played a single round-robin tournament under the same fixture as the previous season, but with reversed home-and-away order. The top eight teams at the end of the fifteen rounds advanced to the semi-finals, where teams were split into two groups of four where they played each one of their rivals twice. The top team of each group advanced to the finals, where they played a double-legged series with the winner advancing to the Grand Final against the 2020 Primera B winners Atlético Huila.[2] The Grand Final was also played over two legs, with the winner earning promotion to the Primera A for the 2021 Finalización tournament. The second promotion spot to the 2021 Primera A season would be decided in a promotion play-off between the Grand Final loser and the best team of the aggregate table of both the 2020 and 2021–I tournaments, other than the Grand Final winners.[3]
The Torneo II was only played by 15 teams, given that two teams were promoted and only one team was relegated from the Primera A. In the first stage, the 15 teams played a single round-robin tournament with the top eight teams advancing to the semi-finals, in which the eight qualified teams were split into two groups of four teams each, playing a double round-robin tournament. Both group winners were promoted to the Primera A for the 2022 season and also played a single-match final to decide the champions.[1][4]
Teams
edit17 teams took part in the season, the 16 teams that competed in the previous season as well as Boyacá Chicó, who were relegated from the Primera A at the end of the 2021 Apertura tournament. Real San Andrés were rebranded back to Real Santander and returned to the Santander Department following the expiration of the agreement with the local authorities of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.[5]
Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Atlético | Cali | Pascual Guerrero | 33,130 |
Atlético Huila | Neiva | Guillermo Plazas Alcid | 22,000 |
Barranquilla | Barranquilla | Romelio Martínez | 8,000 |
Boca Juniors de Cali | Palmira | Francisco Rivera Escobar | 15,300 |
Bogotá | Bogotá | Metropolitano de Techo | 8,000 |
Cortuluá | Tuluá | Doce de Octubre | 16,000 |
Deportes Quindío | Armenia | Centenario | 20,716 |
Fortaleza | Cota | Municipal de Cota | 4,000 |
Leones | Itagüí | Metropolitano Ciudad de Itagüí | 12,000 |
Llaneros | Villavicencio | Bello Horizonte | 15,000 |
Orsomarso | Palmira | Francisco Rivera Escobar | 15,300 |
Real Cartagena | Cartagena | Jaime Morón León | 16,068 |
Real Santander | Piedecuesta | Villa Concha | 3,000 |
Tigres | Bogotá | Metropolitano de Techo | 8,000 |
Unión Magdalena | Santa Marta | Sierra Nevada | 16,000 |
Valledupar | Valledupar | Armando Maestre Pavajeau | 11,000 |
The following team was relegated from the Categoría Primera A at the end of the 2021 Apertura tournament and took part in the Torneo II:
Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Boyacá Chicó | Tunja | La Independencia | 20,630 |
Torneo I
editFirst stage
editStandings
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Atlético Huila | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 13 | +14 | 30 | Advance to the semi-finals |
2 | Unión Magdalena | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 30 | |
3 | Deportes Quindío | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 16 | 11 | +5 | 25 | |
4 | Leones | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 25 | |
5 | Cortuluá | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 23 | |
6 | Valledupar | 15 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 22 | |
7 | Fortaleza | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 22 | |
8 | Atlético | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 20 | |
9 | Real Cartagena | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 20 | |
10 | Orsomarso | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 19 | |
11 | Tigres | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 17 | |
12 | Llaneros | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 17 | −6 | 15 | |
13 | Boca Juniors de Cali | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 19 | −7 | 15 | |
14 | Bogotá | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 15 | |
15 | Barranquilla | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 13 | |
16 | Real Santander | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 20 | −6 | 11 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Drawing of lots.
Results
editSemi-finals
editThe eight teams that advanced to the semi-finals were drawn into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams from the first stage being seeded in each group. The winners of each group advanced to the finals.
Group A
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COR | HUI | LEO | FOR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cortuluá | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 11 | Advance to the Finals | — | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | |
2 | Atlético Huila | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 3–0 | ||
3 | Leones | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 3–3 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | ||
4 | Fortaleza | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 6 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Yellow cards, 7) Red cards, 8) Drawing of lots.
Group B
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | QUI | VAL | MAG | ATL | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Deportes Quindío | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 16 | Advance to the Finals | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |
2 | Valledupar | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 10 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | ||
3 | Unión Magdalena | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 5–1 | ||
4 | Atlético | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Yellow cards, 7) Red cards, 8) Drawing of lots.
Finals
editDeportes Quindío | 1–0 | Cortuluá |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
Deportes Quindío won 2–0 on aggregate.
Torneo BetPlay DIMAYOR 2021–I champions |
---|
Deportes Quindío 2nd title |
Top scorers
editRank | Name | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Steven Rodríguez | Leones | 16 |
2 | Feiver Mercado | Cortuluá | 11 |
3 | Adrián Parra | Fortaleza | 10 |
4 | Ruyery Blanco | Unión Magdalena | 9 |
5 | Mario Álvarez | Real Cartagena | 8 |
6 | Yuber Asprilla | Atlético Huila | 7 |
Luis Becerra | Orsomarso | ||
Breidy Golúz | Orsomarso | ||
Gianfranco Peña | Valledupar | ||
10 | Luis Felipe Gómez | Leones | 6 |
Yeison Mena | Atlético |
Source: Soccerway
Grand Final
editThe Torneo I winners Deportes Quindío played a double-legged series against the 2020 Primera B champions Atlético Huila for the first promotion berth to the Categoría Primera A for the remainder of the 2021 season. The losing team qualified for the promotion play-off.
Atlético Huila | 1–1 | Deportes Quindío |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Atlético Huila won 3–1 on aggregate and were promoted to Categoría Primera A.
2020 and 2021–I aggregate table
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Deportes Quindío (P) | 48 | 24 | 17 | 7 | 61 | 32 | +29 | 89 | Promotion to 2021 Categoría Primera A |
2 | Atlético Huila (P) | 48 | 25 | 14 | 9 | 69 | 45 | +24 | 89 | |
3 | Cortuluá | 48 | 23 | 11 | 14 | 72 | 48 | +24 | 80 | |
4 | Unión Magdalena | 44 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 65 | 43 | +22 | 75 | |
5 | Valledupar | 44 | 20 | 11 | 13 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 71 | |
6 | Leones | 44 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 63 | |
7 | Fortaleza | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 52 | |
8 | Bogotá | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 52 | 64 | −12 | 52 | |
9 | Llaneros | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 34 | 39 | −5 | 45 | |
10 | Orsomarso | 32 | 8 | 15 | 9 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 39 | |
11 | Boca Juniors de Cali | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 40 | −13 | 34 | |
12 | Atlético | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 53 | −22 | 34 | |
13 | Real Cartagena | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 32 | |
14 | Real Santander | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 44 | −11 | 31 | |
15 | Tigres | 32 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 22 | 32 | −10 | 29 | |
16 | Barranquilla | 32 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 41 | −23 | 24 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Drawing of lots.
(P) Promoted
Promotion play-off
editSince the Grand Final losers Deportes Quindío also ended up as the best team in the 2020 and 2021–I aggregate table, they earned automatic promotion to the Categoría Primera A and the promotion play-off was not played.
Torneo II
editFirst stage
editStandings
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Leones | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 12 | +13 | 29 | Advanced to the semi-finals |
2 | Bogotá | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 28 | |
3 | Boyacá Chicó | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 28 | |
4 | Fortaleza | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 24 | 10 | +14 | 26 | |
5 | Unión Magdalena | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 25 | |
6 | Cortuluá | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 25 | |
7 | Llaneros | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 23 | |
8 | Real Cartagena | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 20 | |
9 | Atlético | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 19 | |
10 | Barranquilla | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 19 | −6 | 15 | |
11 | Orsomarso | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 15 | |
12 | Real Santander | 14 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 10 | |
13 | Valledupar | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 23 | −10 | 8 | |
14 | Boca Juniors de Cali | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 25 | −17 | 7 | |
15 | Tigres | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 19 | −13 | 6 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Drawing of lots.
Results
editSemi-finals
editThe eight teams that advanced to the semi-finals were drawn into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams from the first stage being seeded in each group. The winners of each group advanced to the final and were also promoted to Categoría Primera A for 2022.
Group A
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COR | BOY | LEO | RCA | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cortuluá (P) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 13 | Advance to the Final and promotion to 2022 Categoría Primera A | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
2 | Boyacá Chicó | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | ||
3 | Leones | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 7 | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 3–2 | ||
4 | Real Cartagena | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | −12 | 2 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 3–3 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Yellow cards, 7) Red cards, 8) Drawing of lots.
(P) Promoted
Group B
edit
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MAG | FOR | LLA | BOG | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Unión Magdalena (P) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 11 | Advance to the Final and promotion to 2022 Categoría Primera A | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | |
2 | Fortaleza | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 10 | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 1–2 | ||
3 | Llaneros | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 1–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
4 | Bogotá | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 15 | −8 | 6 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Goal difference, 3) Goals for, 4) Away goals for, 5) Away goals against, 6) Yellow cards, 7) Red cards, 8) Drawing of lots.
(P) Promoted
Final
editCortuluá | 1–1 | Unión Magdalena |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Penalties | ||
0–3 |
Torneo BetPlay DIMAYOR 2021–II champions |
---|
Unión Magdalena 1st title |
Top scorers
editRank | Name | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Luis Felipe Gómez | Leones | 12 |
2 | Diego Echeverri | Llaneros | 11 |
3 | Carlos Lucumí | Fortaleza | 10 |
Jefferson Rivas | Leones | ||
5 | Ethan González | Unión Magdalena | 8 |
6 | Isaac Camargo | Unión Magdalena | 7 |
Iván Rivas | Boyacá Chicó | ||
Luis Sandoval | Fortaleza | ||
9 | Guillermo Murillo | Cortuluá | 6 |
Franklin Navarro | Real Cartagena | ||
Franco Pedraza | Bogotá |
Source: Soccerway
Llaneros v Unión Magdalena controversy
editOn 4 December 2021, the last matchday of the Torneo II semi-final Group B, Unión Magdalena sealed their promotion to Categoría Primera A after coming back from a 1–0 deficit against Llaneros in Villavicencio with a couple of goals in quick succession in stoppage time to win the game by a 2–1 score and get promoted at the expense of Fortaleza, who were clinching promotion with the score in Villavicencio despite losing their final match to Bogotá at the same time. However, video footage of Unión Magdalena's winning goal appeared to show the Llaneros players backing off and failing to make an effort to prevent their rivals from scoring.[6] The events sparked outrage both within the country and abroad, with Colombian internationals Juan Cuadrado and Mateus Uribe expressing their displeasure, calling them "a lack of respect" and "an embarrassment for Colombian football", whilst President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez stated it was a "national disgrace".[7][8][9]
In response to the growing backlash, as well as calls from Fortaleza to get the match annulled and Unión Magdalena's promotion reversed,[10] DIMAYOR chairman Fernando Jaramillo ordered the opening of an inquiry on the match events while also requesting the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia to investigate whether any criminal offenses had been committed,[11][12] but on 7 December 2021, Jaramillo stated that the tournament would not be paused and Unión Magdalena's promotion would not be overturned while due process was completed.[13] However, amid the ongoing inquiries, the Torneo II's final match between Cortuluá and Unión Magdalena, which was originally scheduled to be played on 11 December 2021 at Cortuluá's home stadium Estadio Doce de Octubre was postponed until further notice.[14]
On 30 December 2021 DIMAYOR's Disciplinary Commission closed the investigation on Unión Magdalena as it found no evidence implying that members of the aforementioned club had been responsible for the events that occurred in the match against Llaneros, thus confirming their promotion to Primera A. However, sources within the governing body of Colombian professional football stated that the investigation on Llaneros would remain open.[15] Five months later, it was announced that four Llaneros players who were involved in that match had been fined and suspended from all sporting and administrative activities for "committing acts against sporting dignity and decorum".[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Síntesis del primer día de la Asamblea Extraordinaria de la DIMAYOR" (in Spanish). Dimayor.com.co. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "¿Cómo y cuándo? Así se definirán ascendidos para Liga del 2021" (in Spanish). Futbolred. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Dimayor definió el sistema del campeonato para el 2021" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Dimayor define el formato de la Liga BetPlay y demás torneos 2021" (in Spanish). AS Colombia. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Real San Andrés aún no sabe dónde jugará el Torneo de la B". Vanguardia (in Spanish). 22 July 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Anger in Colombia after suspicious goal decides promotion". Sportstar. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Juan Cuadrado slams suspicious goal that decided promotion in Colombia". ESPN. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Escándalo en FPC es noticia mundial: así hablan del ascenso de Unión" (in Spanish). Futbolred. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "How a suspicious soccer goal turned into a matter of state in Colombia". El País. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Carlos Barato, presidente de Fortaleza: "Solicitamos la nulidad de Unión Magdalena vs Llaneros"" (in Spanish). Gol Caracol. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "COMUNICADO: PRESIDENTE DE LA DIMAYOR FRENTE A LO SUCEDIDO EN EL PARTIDO LLANEROS FC VS UNIÓN MAGDALENA" (in Spanish). DIMAYOR. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Match-fixing inquiry ordered after bizarre Colombian match between Llaneros, Union Magdalena". ESPN. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Fernando Jaramillo: "El torneo sigue, con Unión Magdalena ascendido y se jugará la final"" (in Spanish). Gol Caracol. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Aplazada la final Unión Magdalena vs Cortuluá: ¿se aproxima fallo?" (in Spanish). Futbolred. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Archivan investigación contra Unión Magdalena por el juego contra Llaneros" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Dimayor sanciona a jugadores de Llaneros por 'atentar al decoro deportivo'" (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
External links
edit- Dimayor's official website (in Spanish)