2020 Bolivian Primera División season

The 2020 Bolivian Primera División season, known as the 2020 Copa Tigo season for sponsorship reasons, was the 43rd season of the División Profesional del Fútbol Boliviano, Bolivia's top-flight football league and the third season under División de Fútbol Profesional management. The season started on 21 January 2020 and ended on 31 December 2020. Jorge Wilstermann were the defending champions, having won the 2019 Clausura tournament.

División Profesional
Season2020
Dates21 January – 31 December 2020
ChampionsAlways Ready (3rd title)
RelegatedNone
Copa LibertadoresAlways Ready
The Strongest
Bolívar
Royal Pari
Copa SudamericanaJorge Wilstermann
Guabirá
Nacional Potosí
Atlético Palmaflor
Matches played182
Goals scored564 (3.1 per match)
Top goalscorerMarcos Riquelme
(20 goals)
Biggest home winAlways Ready 8–0 Blooming
(7 December)
Biggest away winReal Santa Cruz 1–5 Oriente Petrolero
(16 February)
Highest scoringBolívar 5–4 The Strongest
(21 February)
← 2019
2021 →

Always Ready won their first title in the División Profesional and third overall (first since 1957) in the top flight of Bolivian football with a 2–0 victory over Nacional Potosí on the twenty-sixth and final matchday of the Torneo Apertura, played on 31 December.

The tournament was suspended from 16 March to 27 November due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 30 October 2020, Bolivia was the only one of CONMEBOL's member associations to have its top-tier football league still suspended due to the pandemic.[1]

Teams

The number of teams for the 2020 season remained the same as the previous season. Destroyers were relegated to the Copa Simón Bolívar after finishing in last place of the aggregate table in the previous season, with Sport Boys being disaffiliated from the league after failing to show up for their last game of the season. Both teams were replaced by Atlético Palmaflor and Real Santa Cruz, the 2019 Copa Simón Bolívar champions and runners-up, respectively.

Locations of the 2020 División Profesional teams.
Team Manager City Stadium Capacity
Always Ready Omar Asad El Alto Municipal de Villa Ingenio 25,000
Atlético Palmaflor Xabier Azkargorta Quillacollo Municipal de Quillacollo 6,000
Cochabamba Félix Capriles[note 1] 32,000
Villa Tunari Bicentenario[note 2] 25,000
Aurora Sergio Zeballos (caretaker) Cochabamba Félix Capriles 32,000
Blooming Gabriel Schürrer Santa Cruz Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera 38,000
Real Santa Cruz[note 3] 14,000
Montero Gilberto Parada[note 4] 13,000
Bolívar Natxo González La Paz Hernando Siles 42,000
Guabirá Víctor Hugo Andrada Montero Gilberto Parada 13,000
Jorge Wilstermann Christian Díaz Cochabamba Félix Capriles 32,000
Sacaba Capitán José Angulo[note 5] 6,200
Nacional Potosí Sebastián Núñez Potosí Víctor Agustín Ugarte 32,105
Oriente Petrolero Erwin Sánchez Santa Cruz Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera 38,000
Montero Gilberto Parada[note 6] 13,000
Real Potosí Cristian Aldirico Potosí Víctor Agustín Ugarte 32,105
Real Santa Cruz José Peña Santa Cruz Real Santa Cruz 14,000
Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera[note 7] 38,000
Montero Gilberto Parada[note 8] 13,000
Royal Pari Miguel Ángel Abrigo Santa Cruz Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera 38,000
Real Santa Cruz[note 9] 14,000
Montero Gilberto Parada[note 10] 13,000
San José Arnaldo Mancilla Oruro Jesús Bermúdez 33,795
The Strongest Alberto Illanes La Paz Hernando Siles 42,000
  1. Used by Atlético Palmaflor for their home matches against Royal Pari, Guabirá, Blooming, Real Santa Cruz, Oriente Petrolero, Aurora, The Strongest, and Real Potosí.
  2. To be used by Atlético Palmaflor for their home matches following the COVID-19 pandemic, due to maintenance works at their regular home stadium Estadio Municipal de Quillacollo, Quillacollo.[2]
  3. Used by Blooming for their home match against The Strongest.
  4. Used by Blooming for their home match against San José.
  5. Used by Jorge Wilstermann for their home match against Nacional Potosí.
  6. Used by Oriente Petrolero for their home match against Real Santa Cruz.
  7. Used by Real Santa Cruz for their home matches prior to the COVID-19 pandemic due to remodeling works at Estadio Real Santa Cruz.
  8. Used by Real Santa Cruz for their home match against San José.
  9. Used by Royal Pari for their home match against Real Potosí.
  10. Used by Royal Pari for their home matches against Nacional Potosí, Aurora and The Strongest.

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Torneo Apertura
Always Ready Pablo Godoy End of caretaker spell 28 December 2019 Pre-season Eduardo Villegas 23 December 2019[3]
Royal Pari Miguel Ángel Abrigo 28 December 2019 Miguel Ángel Portugal 2 January 2020[4]
Aurora Francisco Argüello End of contract 28 December 2019 Julio César Baldivieso 29 December 2019[5]
Blooming Erwin Sánchez 28 December 2019[6] Miguel Ponce 1 January 2020[6]
Bolívar César Vigevani 28 December 2019[7] Claudio Vivas 28 December 2019[7]
Nacional Potosí Alberto Illanes 28 December 2019[8] Jeaustin Campos 30 December 2019[9]
Real Potosí Marcos Ferrufino 28 December 2019[10] Walter Grazziosi 5 January 2020[11]
San José Miguel Ponce 28 December 2019[12] Omar Asad 5 January 2020[13]
Real Potosí Walter Grazziosi Mutual consent 24 January 2020[14] 14th Marcos Ferrufino 25 January 2020
The Strongest Mauricio Soria Sacked 2 March 2020[15] 13th Luis Orozco (caretaker) 3 March 2020[16]
Luis Orozco End of caretaker spell 8 March 2020[17] 7th Alberto Illanes 9 March 2020[17]
Nacional Potosí Jeaustin Campos Sacked 9 March 2020[18] 10th Sebastián Núñez 9 March 2020[19]
Real Potosí Marcos Ferrufino 20 March 2020[20] 10th Cristian Aldirico 3 September 2020[21]
Royal Pari Miguel Ángel Portugal Resigned 21 May 2020[22] 6th Miguel Ángel Abrigo 25 August 2020[23]
San José Omar Asad 25 May 2020[24] 8th Arnaldo Mancilla 9 September 2020[25]
Blooming Miguel Ponce Mutual consent 13 October 2020[26] 4th Gabriel Schürrer 22 October 2020[27]
Bolívar Claudio Vivas Sacked 21 October 2020[28] 3rd Wálter Flores (caretaker) 21 October 2020[28]
Oriente Petrolero Pablo Sánchez Mutual consent 13 November 2020[29] 12th Erwin Sánchez 18 November 2020[30]
Always Ready Eduardo Villegas 5 December 2020[31] 4th Omar Asad 5 December 2020[32]
Atlético Palmaflor Humberto Viviani Sacked 9 December 2020[33] 7th Xabier Azkargorta 10 December 2020[34]
Bolívar Wálter Flores End of caretaker spell 15 December 2020[35] 2nd Natxo González 12 December 2020[36]
Aurora Julio César Baldivieso Sacked 16 December 2020[37] 14th Sergio Zeballos (caretaker) 17 December 2020[38]

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

On 16 March, the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) decided to suspend both the División Profesional and División Aficionados tournaments until 31 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[39] with the suspension being extended until the second semester of 2020 due to the extension of the lockdown and the ban on sporting activities until 31 May enacted by the Bolivian interim government.[40]

On 2 June, the FBF presented to the Bolivian interim government a proposal to resume activities for both the national team and the football league, with the national team starting training sessions from 15 June and the 14 División Profesional teams in July, resuming the tournament in August,[41] however, the government only approved the biosecurity protocols submitted by the FBF on 25 July, authorizing Bolívar and Jorge Wilstermann to resume their training sessions on account of their involvement in the 2020 Copa Libertadores which was scheduled to resume in September, while the other 12 División Profesional clubs had to submit their protocols to the Bolivian Society of Sports Medicine for their approval.[42] On 5 June, in a virtual meeting of the Superior Council of the División Profesional, Bolívar's chairman Marcelo Claure proposed to resume and conclude the Torneo Apertura in Cochabamba over three weeks, a proposal backed by Aurora and Jorge Wilstermann. In response to this proposal, FBF's Director of Competitions Adrián Monje stated that they would need seven stadiums for it to be implemented and the lack of places to train was a major limitation.[43]

On 12 August, the FBF presented a new proposal to resume the Torneo Apertura on 21 or 25 October, pending the development of the pandemic in the country,[44] however, on 15 August the Ministry of Health through their General Manager of Hospitals René Sahonero stated that the Bolivian government was aiming at a resumption of the competition in the first week of November. Sahonero also stated that should the rates of COVID-19 infection failed to decrease by then, no tournament could be played for the remainder of the year.[45]

On 8 September, the Bolivian government through its Vice-Minister of Sports Augusto Chávez stated that the Bolivian government would guarantee the return to activity of the División Profesional on the proposed deadlines of 21 or 25 October, as long as the 14 clubs of the league came to an agreement on a date for resumption, met biosecurity protocols, and matches were played behind closed doors. As of that day, six clubs had already resumed their training sessions: Bolívar, Jorge Wilstermann, Oriente Petrolero, Blooming, Royal Pari, and Guabirá.[46] However, on 8 October, FBF's Director of Competitions Adrián Monje stated that they had not yet received an official approval from the Bolivian central government to resume the competition, in spite of the fact that some local authorities were willing to grant their permission for matches to be played within their jurisdictions.[47]

The death of FBF president César Salinas by COVID-19 on 19 July and the subsequent institutional crisis triggered by this event and the inability to come to an agreement on an interim president were also factors contributing to the delay in the resumption of the competition, as the 14 División Profesional clubs split into two groups backing different members of the FBF's Council as interims and failed to agree on a possible date of return to competition as both sides repeatedly boycotted and prevented the Superior Council of the División Profesional from taking place due to lack of quorum.[48][49] A Superior Council meeting scheduled for 5 November in La Paz, called by both claimants to the FBF's interim presidency Marcos Rodríguez and Roberto Blanco, was cancelled by the former due to a civic strike which was also scheduled on that day in the city.[50]

On 11 November, it was revealed that the FBF was considering two proposals to return to competition: one of them was resuming the tournament on 22 November and ending on 13 January 2021, while the other one was resuming on 29 November and concluding the season on 23 January 2021, with the Torneo Apertura being the only competition to be played for the remainder of the season.[51] That same day, Bolívar chairman Marcelo Claure announced that CONMEBOL would not accept any Bolivian entrants into the 2021 Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana and the FBF would face sanctions in case league competition did not resume.[52]

On 24 November, in a meeting of the Superior Council of the División Profesional held in La Paz, the representatives of the 14 clubs voted to resume the season starting from 28 November with the thirteenth matchday of the Torneo Apertura and ending on 31 December 2020 with the last matchday, meaning that 98 matches were to be played in 32 days. Furthermore, it was decided that no clubs would be relegated at the end of the season.[53]

Torneo Apertura

Standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Always Ready (C) 26 16 3 7 59 29 +30 51 Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage
2 The Strongest 26 16 2 8 65 35 +30 50
3 Bolívar 26 15 4 7 60 29 +31 49 Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage
4 Royal Pari 26 14 4 8 42 34 +8 46 Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage
5 Jorge Wilstermann 26 12 6 8 36 28 +8 42 Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage
6 Guabirá 26 13 3 10 43 43 0 42
7 Nacional Potosí 26 11 6 9 34 35 −1 39
8 Atlético Palmaflor 26 11 5 10 29 30 −1 38
9 Blooming 26 12 2 12 38 43 −5 38
10 Oriente Petrolero 26 9 3 14 37 51 −14 30
11 Aurora 26 6 5 15 26 37 −11 23
12 Real Potosí 26 6 5 15 35 59 −24 23
13 Real Santa Cruz 26 6 5 15 36 62 −26 23
14 San José[lower-alpha 1] 26 6 5 15 27 52 −25 20
Source: FBF, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Playoff game (only if needed to decide championship between two teams), 3) Goal difference, 4) Goals for, 5) Away goals for, 6) Drawing of lots.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. San José were deducted three points as punishment for failing to pay outstanding debts with former players.[54]

Results
Home \ Away CAR APF AUR BLO BOL GUA WIL NAC OPE RPO RSC RPA SJO STR
Always Ready — 4–0 1–0 8–0 2–1 2–0 1–0 2–2 4–2 4–1 6–0 2–1 1–2 4–1
Atlético Palmaflor 2–0 — 1–0 2–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 5–0 2–1
Aurora 1–1 0–0 — 3–2 0–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 4–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–2
Blooming 0–2 3–1 4–0 — 2–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 4–0 1–3
Bolívar 0–0 3–1 3–0 3–0 — 5–0 1–1 4–0 4–1 0–0 4–0 4–0 2–0 5–4
Guabirá 2–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 — 1–3 1–0 1–2 4–0 1–0 4–2 4–0 3–2
Jorge Wilstermann 2–0 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 1–0 — 2–1 2–2 3–1 0–0 2–3 1–2 0–0
Nacional Potosí 0–2 4–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 — 2–1 4–0 1–0 0–0 3–2 3–1
Oriente Petrolero 2–0 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–4 2–3 0–1 1–0 — 2–0 3–2 2–2 1–0 0–3
Real Potosí 3–5 1–0 2–1 1–3 2–3 0–1 4–1 2–3 2–2 — 2–1 2–2 2–1 3–5
Real Santa Cruz 0–3 2–1 4–2 0–2 2–4 4–4 1–3 2–1 1–5 3–1 — 2–4 1–1 3–2
Royal Pari 4–1 3–1 1–0 2–3 1–0 2–1 3–0 4–1 1–0 1–1 0–2 — 2–0 1–0
San José 1–3 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–5 2–2 0–2 1–1 4–1 1–2 4–1 0–2 — 1–1
The Strongest 2–0 1–0 2–0 3–0 2–1 6–2 0–1 3–0 7–0 3–2 4–2 4–0 3–0 —
Source: FBF, Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top goalscorers
Rank Name Club Goals
1 Marcos Riquelme Bolívar 20
2 Jair Reinoso The Strongest 17
3 Jefferson Tavares Atlético Palmaflor 14
4 Javier Sanguinetti Always Ready 13
Willie The Strongest
6 Bruno Miranda Royal Pari 12
7 Rolando Blackburn The Strongest 11
8 José Caraballo Real Santa Cruz 10
José Alfredo Castillo Oriente Petrolero
Fran Pastor Real Potosí
Alejandro Quintana Guabirá

Source: Soccerway

Torneo Clausura

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the suspension of the Torneo Apertura which was extended for 8 months, as well as the need to end the season in the calendar year, the Torneo Clausura which is usually scheduled for the second half of the year was cancelled.

References
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  2. "Palmaflor jugará siete partidos de la División Profesional en el Trópico" (in Spanish). Opinión. 25 November 2020.
  3. "Always inicia la transición: de Núñez a Villegas" (in Spanish). La Razón. 24 December 2019.
  4. "Miguel Ángel Portugal, nuevo DT de Royal Pari" (in Spanish). El Deber. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. "Baldivieso nuevo entrenador de Aurora" (in Spanish). Unitel. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  6. "Ponce es el nuevo estratega de Blooming" (in Spanish). Late Deportes. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  7. "Claudio Vivas sustituye a César Vigevani al frente de Bolívar" (in Spanish). Marca Claro Argentina. 29 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  8. Tigo Sports Bolivia [@TigoSportsBo] (12 December 2019). "#CopaTigo El entrenador de Nacional Potosí, Alberto Illanes confirmó que no seguirá al frente del equipo potosino el próximo año" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  9. "Jeaustin Campos, nuevo DT de Nacional Potosí" (in Spanish). El Deber. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  10. "Marcos Ferrufino cerró su ciclo en Real Potosí" (in Spanish). El Deber. 2 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  11. "Real Potosí nuevo técnico y equipo renovado" (in Spanish). Late Deportes. 6 January 2020.
  12. "Ponce decide ya no seguir en San José" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  13. "El Turco Asad es el nuevo entrenador de San José" (in Spanish). Diario Opinión. 5 January 2020.
  14. "Real Potosí prescinde de su entrenador Wálter Grazziosi" (in Spanish). La Razón. 24 January 2020.
  15. "The Strongest rescinde contrato con el DT Mauricio Soria" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 2 March 2020.
  16. "Luis Orozco es asignado DT interino de The Strongest tras la salida de Soria" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 3 March 2020.
  17. "Alberto Illanes asume como DT de The Strongest: 'Me veo peleando arriba'" (in Spanish). La Razón. 9 March 2020.
  18. "Fin de la era Campos tras malos resultados" (in Spanish). Late Deportes. 9 March 2020.
  19. "Sebastián Núñez toma las riendas de Nacional Potosí" (in Spanish). Late Deportes. 10 March 2020.
  20. "Ferrufino deja de ser el entrenador de Real Potosí" (in Spanish). El País. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  21. "Aldirico y Musuruana, los técnicos de Real Potosí" (in Spanish). Página Siete. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  22. "Royal Pari se quedó sin director técnico; se fue Miguel Portugal" (in Spanish). El Deber. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  23. "Ábrigo recibe el espaldarazo de Royal Pari para asumir oficialmente como DT" (in Spanish). El Deber. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  24. "San José da por oficial la salida de Asad" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  25. "Jugadores del Santo reciben sueldo de mayo y el club alista equipo pre-profesional para el Apertura" (in Spanish). Página Siete. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  26. "Terminó el ciclo de Miguel Ponce en Blooming" (in Spanish). Late Deportes. 13 October 2020.
  27. "Blooming se inclinó por el argentino Gabriel Schürrer" (in Spanish). El Deber. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  28. "Claudio Vivas ya no es técnico del Bolívar; Walter Flores asume de manera interina" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  29. "Oriente Petrolero se quedó sin entrenador" (in Spanish). El Deber. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  30. "'Platiní' Sánchez: "El proyecto de Oriente es ambicioso y espero estar a la altura del mismo"" (in Spanish). El Deber. 18 November 2020.
  31. "Always Ready rescinde contrato con Eduardo Villegas" (in Spanish). Página Siete. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  32. "Argentino Omar Asad es el nuevo DT de Always Ready" (in Spanish). El Deber. 5 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  33. "Oficial: Humberto Viviani deja de ser el entrenador de Vinto Palmaflor" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  34. "Azkargorta asumirá como nuevo entrenador de Vinto Palmaflor" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  35. "Wálter Flores dirigirá por última vez a Bolívar, frente a Aurora, delante del nuevo DT" (in Spanish). Premium Sports. 14 December 2020.
  36. "Natxo González es el nuevo entrenador de Bolívar, el sexto español en filas celestes" (in Spanish). La Razón. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  37. "Julio César Baldivieso deja de ser entrenador de Aurora" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  38. "DT Julio Baldivieso deja Aurora y Zeballos asume" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  39. "Oficial: La FBF suspendió el Torneo hasta el 31 de marzo" (in Spanish). Deporte Total. 16 March 2020.
  40. "No habrá fútbol en Bolivia en mayo ni en junio" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  41. "Bolivia pide volver en agosto" (in Spanish). BeSoccer. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  42. "Coronavirus: Gobierno boliviano aprobó protocolos sanitarios para el regreso del fútbol" (in Spanish). América TV. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  43. "Claure propone una sola sede, Cochabamba, para terminar el Apertura" (in Spanish). Página Siete. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  44. "La Federación Boliviana propuso reanudar el fútbol en octubre" (in Spanish). BeSoccer. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  45. "El fútbol boliviano podría volver a las canchas en noviembre" (in Spanish). Correo del Sur. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  46. "El Gobierno garantiza el retorno del fútbol local entre el 21 y 25 octubre" (in Spanish). La Razón. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  47. "Aún no hay fecha para el regreso del torneo Apertura de la División Profesional" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  48. "Fútbol nacional: crisis dirigencial puede dejar a Bolivia sin fútbol esta temporada" (in Spanish). Los Tiempos. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  49. "«Lo ideal es que ninguno de los dos esté en la reunión»" (in Spanish). Deporte Total. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  50. "Rodríguez canceló el Consejo Superior de la División Profesional" (in Spanish). Deporte Total. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  51. "Hay una propuesta de reiniciar el campeonato el 22 de noviembre" (in Spanish). El Deber. 11 November 2020.
  52. "La postura de Conmebol: Si no vuelve fútbol en Bolivia, no habrá premios y se sancionará" (in Spanish). El Deber. 11 November 2020.
  53. "OFICIAL: ¡Vuelve el fútbol boliviano!" (in Spanish). Deporte Total. 24 November 2020.
  54. "Tribunal sanciona con la quita de tres puntos a San José por deudas a jugadores" (in Spanish). El Deber. 21 December 2020.
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