Primera División Uruguaya

Infobox sports league
current_season=2008-2009 in Uruguayan football|Torneo Apertura 2008-2009

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pixels=142px
caption="Primera División Uruguaya
sport=Football
founded=1932
teams=16
country=URU
champion=Defensor Sporting

The Primera División Uruguaya ("Uruguayan First Division") is the top category of Uruguayan football (soccer), and it is organized by the Uruguayan Football Association. Currently, there are 16 teams in the first division.

History

Professionalism

Between 1900 and 1931, the league was an amateur competition. Since 1932, the league has been a professional competition.

Format

After 1994, the competition was divided in two stages, called the Opening Championship (Torneo Apertura) and Closing Championship (Torneo Clausura), with an end-of-season two-legged final match between the winners of these two tournaments.

In the 2005/06 season, the winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments played a two (or three) legged playoff; the winner of that playoff played against the best team in the aggregate table to decide the 2005/06 season champion.

In the 2006/07 season, the competition was reduced to 16 clubs.

eason

Originally, like other South American football leagues, the league was contested according to calendar year, from austral summer to summer in Southern Hemisphere. In 2005, the league started to play in "European season", from boreal summer to summer in Northern Hemisphere starting in August, with the aim of preventing clubs from losing many players in the middle of the season. In the first semester of 2005, a special tournament was held to decide the qualification to international competition.

However, the season of 2008/09 would be the last one to be played in "European season", as the system appeared to be unable to prevent clubs from losing players between Apertura (opening) tournament to Clausura (closing). The system also allegedly qualifies top teams to Copa Libertadores too early, a problem similar to that of the Argentinian League, and there are two transfers periods before the Libertadores, as opposed to only transfer period in December when playing the season according to calendar year. A special tournament will be held in second part of 2009, similar to that of 2005, to decide teams that qualify to Copa Sudamericana 2010. Libertadores teams for 2010 will qualify for last time in winter (2009).

As a side note,Indonesia U-17 competes in the youth system.

Current Teams 2008/09

*Bella Vista
*Central Español
*Cerro
*Cerro Largo
*Danubio
*Defensor Sporting
*Liverpool
*Montevideo Wanderers
*Nacional
*Peñarol
*Racing
*Rampla Juniors
*River Plate
*Juventud LP
*Tacuarembó FC
*Villa Española

List of champions

Amateur Era

Amateur champions

*Nacional 11
*C.U.R.C.C. + Peñarol 9 (11 - including FUF)
*River Plate F.C. 4
*Montevideo Wanderers 3
*Rampla Juniors 1

Notes:

# There is controversy over CURCC and Peñarol. One position claims that these clubs are the same, other position claim that these clubs are different and even played against each other.
# The 1904 championship was not played due to civil war in Uruguay.
# River Plate F.C. is a different club from that of C.A. River Plate. (although it seems to be minor controversy on this statement)
# Due to internal differences in Uruguayan football, a Uruguayan Federation was created (leaded by Peñarol) in 1923. The Federation organised two parallel tournaments, one in 1923 won by Wanderers, the other in 1924 won by Peñarol. These tournaments are not recognised by the Uruguayan Football Association as Uruguayan championships.
# The 1925 championship was not finished, the Uruguayan government ended the internal difference mentioned above.
# In 1926, no Uruguayan championship was played. A Consejo Provisorio tournament was played, won by Peñarol, but is not recognised as a Uruguayan championship by the Uruguayan Football Association.
# The 1930 championship was not played due to the organisation of the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay.

Professional Era

Notes:
*The 1948 championship was not completed due to a players strike.
*C.A Defensor merged with Sporting C.U in 1989, winning the 1991 title as Defensor Sporting.
*The season of 1989 was the only one played in single round roubin (no home and away system)
*Since 1994 the year champion emerged from either winning one semester and the finals, or the two semesters without needing final games, this last happened in 1998 and 2006/07.

Professional champions

*Peñarol 37
*Nacional 30
*Defensor Sporting 4
*Danubio 3
*Bella Vista 1
*Central Español 1
*Progreso 1

Total of Uruguayan League titles (amateur and professional)

*Peñarol 45 (46 including FUF)
*Nacional 41
*River Plate F.C. 4
*Montevideo Wanderers 4
*Defensor Sporting 3
*Danubio 3
*Rampla Juniors 1
*Central Español 1
*Progreso 1
*Bella Vista 1notes:
*Peñarol titles include CURCC ones
*River Plate FC titles are said to be claimed from CA River Plate, allegating the name and colours legacy continuation of the defunct team.
*Montevideo Wanderers claims 4 titles, represented as 4 stars in the official jersey, although AUF as in the case of Peñarol 1923 title, don't recognize the FUF title won in 1924 and states the 4 star as inaccurate

ee also

*Campeonato Uruguayo de Fútbol
*Segunda División Uruguaya

External links

* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/uruchamp.html RSSSF]
* [http://www.auf.org.uy/torneos_tabla.aspx?div=1a&campto=ape current tourney]