The 1990–91 Argentine Primera División was the 100th season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. This season saw the introduction of the Apertura and Clausura system in Argentina.El fin del Apertura y el fin del Clausura by Alejandro Rebossion on El País, 9 May 2012 The season began on 20 August 1990 and ended on 30 June 1991.Argentina 1990–91 by Pablo Ciullini on RSSSF.com

Newell's Old Boys won the 1990 Apertura and Boca Juniors won the 1991 Clausura. Unlike following seasons, Apertura and Clausura titles were not officially recognised by the AFA so both teams had to play a two-legged final to crown a champion for the entire season. After a 1–1 tie on aggregate, Newell's Old Boys won the championship 3–1 by penalty shoot-out.Newell's, Martino y la hazaña ante Boca en 1991, Infobae, 28 May 2013Aquella final que Newell’s le ganó a Boca en 1991, Clarín, 8 May 2012

San Lorenzo won the Liguilla pre-Libertadores after beating Boca Juniors, therefore qualifying to the 1992 edition.

Competition format The tournament for the 1990–91 season was composed of 20 teams. Each team played each other teams in a single round-robin tournament. The season was divided in two separate championships, called Apertura (Opening) and Clausura (Closing). The winning teams from each tournament played a two-legged final for the season championship and to earn one of the two berths allocated to Argentine clubs in the 1992 Copa Libertadores. The remaining berth was allocated via a direct elimination tournament between the top four (or five, depending on the outcome of the season final) teams from both Clausura and Apertura. Relegation occurred at the end of the Clausura stage, with the two teams with the worst three-year point average (Primera División competition only) being relegated to Primera B Nacional competition.

Apertura Tournament The "Apertura" Tournament began on 20 August 1990 and finished on 22 December 1990. Newell's Old Boys won the tournament and would play the championship final against the winner from the Clausura Tournament. The match played between Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo was suspended following incidents in the stands during halftime that resulted in the death of a supporter. No points were awarded to both teams.

Clausura Tournament

Championship decider

The championship decider was played between Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors, champions from the Apertura and Clausura tournaments respectively. After finishing with a 1–1 global score, Newell's won the final on penalties. With this result, Newell's was granted one of two Argentine berths for the 1992 Copa Libertadores. Boca Juniors played in the qualifier to compete for the remaining berth.

Team 1 Team 2 Series Date Result Venue City Newell's Old Boys Boca Juniors 1st. leg 6 July Gigante de Arroyito Rosario 2nd. leg 9 July La Bombonera Buenos Aires

Copa Libertadores qualifier The qualifier for the 1992 Copa Libertadores was played between 13 July and 11 August 1991. San Lorenzo won the final against Boca Juniors and earned the remaining berth for the tournament.

Relegation At the end of the season Lanús and Chaco For Ever were relegated after finishing with the two worst points averages.

TeamAveragePointsPlayed1988–891989–901990–91 Boca Juniors 1.254 143 114 49 43 51 River Plate 1.254 143 114 45 53 45 Independiente 1.237 141 114 55 46 40 San Lorenzo 1.070 122 114 42 35 45 Racing 1.061 121 114 42 39 40 Vélez Sársfield 1.053 120 114 33 42 45 Huracán 1.053 40 38 N/A N/A 40 Newell's Old Boys 1.044 119 114 35 36 48 Rosario Central 1.035 118 114 36 43 39 Argentinos Juniors 1.018 116 114 42 38 36 Estudiantes (LP) 1.009 115 114 42 34 39 Talleres (C) 0.956 109 114 44 36 29 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) 0.947 108 114 36 39 33 Ferro Carril Oeste 0.939 107 114 30 39 38 Deportivo Mandiyú 0.939 107 114 33 36 38 Deportivo Español 0.921 105 114 46 31 28 Platense 0.912 104 114 33 36 35 Unión 0.882 67 76 N/A 36 31 Chaco For Ever 0.789 60 76 N/A 32 28 Lanús 0.763 29 38 N/A N/A 29

See also 1990–91 in Argentine football

References