If you score we stay up, if you miss we get relegated....

[Modo]

For the final season in Argentina’s lower divisions, promotion and relegation spots were decided in play-off matches between teams from the second and third tier.​

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Incredible scenes played out in one of the play-off finals on Saturday as Chacarita Juniors (white) took on Nueva Chicago (green) in the second leg of their Division 2/3 play-off final.​

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Chacarita Juniors had finished the season bottom of the Prim B Nacional table in Argentina’s second division. Whilst Nueva Chicago had sealed fourth spot in the Prim B Metro – the third tier.​

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A 1-0 win for Nueva Chicago in the first leg of the play-off final meant they were in the driving seat and so it proved until six minutes from the end.​

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Leonardo Carboni made it 1-0 (2-0 on aggregate) in the 84th only for Gabriel Tellas to pull a goal back for Chacarita with two minutes to go.​

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And in the 94th minute high drama – Chacarita win a penalty.​

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If they score they stay in Argentina’s second division, if they miss they are relegated while Nuevo Chicago get promoted.​

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Chacarita Juniors’ Damian Toledo stepped up to take the penalty against Nueva Chicago keeper Arturo Monllor.​

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Here's the drama:​

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View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsYlQ6TmPTU&feature=player_embedded#​

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[Hyena]

Why does fourth spot play the bottom team?

 

[Modo]

Why does fourth spot play the bottom team?

I have no idea

 

[juniormember]

Why does fourth spot play the bottom team?

I think it's kind of interesting. Quite like the idea.
The first 3 teams of the lower division get automatic promotion. The 4th team in the lower division gets a chance to face the bottom placed side in the higher division. The bottom placed team in the higher division gets a massive wildcard, in that they get the chance to stay up should they win, while the 3 teams placed above them get automatic relegation.
Pretty fun, but I can see controversy occurring when a few teams with little points purposely lose so that they can get into the playoffs, rather than stay above the bottom 4.

 

[Gary25]

Pressure.com

 

[Hyena]

I think it's kind of interesting. Quite like the idea.
The first 3 teams of the lower division get automatic promotion. The 4th team in the lower division gets a chance to face the bottom placed side in the higher division. The bottom placed team in the higher division gets a massive wildcard, in that they get the chance to stay up should they win, while the 3 teams placed above them get automatic relegation.
Pretty fun, but I can see controversy occurring when a few teams with little points purposely lose so that they can get into the playoffs, rather than stay above the bottom 4.

that's insane.

 

[Modo]

that's insane.

2nd division relegation:
They use a relegation table, calculated by using a three-year-average points system.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011–12_Primera_B_Nacional#Relegation
At the end of 2011-12 season, Chacarita finished 20th and therefore the Funebrero had to play two matches against Nueva Chicago (winner of Primera B Metropolitana's Torneo Reducido) to avoid being relegated to the lower division. Nueva Chicago won the series (1-0 and 1-1) and Chacarita was subsequently relegated.[3]

3rd division promotion:
The teams that hold the second to ninth positions have the chance to enter the Torneo Reducido whose winner will be able to play a promotion/relegation playoff against a Primera B Nacional team.

 

[King Binny]

Why does fourth spot play the bottom team?

Its pretty complex. 2 teams in Primera B Nacional gets relegated to Primera B Metro and Argentino A respectively. These 2 teams have the lowest point average over 3 years. This year, it happened to 17th place Desamparados and 19th place Atlanta. The 2 teams that earn direct promotion to Primera B Nacional are the champions of Primera B Metro and Argentino A.

The 2nd to 9th place team in those 2 lower leagues are then involved in promotion play offs - Q Finals (one game knockout), S Final (home and away legs) and Final (home and away legs).

The winner of these 2 promotion play offs then play against the 3rd and 4th lowest point average team from Primera B Nacional, which happened to be 16th place Guillermo Brown and 20th place Chacarita Juniors.

Thus, in a way, the teams do have to fight and earn as many points as possible to boast up their points average. The chances of a 'relegated team' being accused of lack of fight or throwing games away is low while teams don't get 'punished' for 1 poor season.

Anyway, out of interest sake, in the 11/12 season, both teams from the lower divisons won the play offs. One can understand the emotions of the Nueva Chicago faithfuls as they finished 4th in the league over 40 games, played another 4 games to earn the right to the play offs, which in turn includes another 2 games.

The 3 yrs point average is unfair though as it only takes into consideration games in that particular division. Those 2 automatically relegated teams only earned promotion the season before.