Categoría Primera C

Categoría Primera C

Founded	1991 (As Amateur category) 2021 (Return in July, with possible promotion for the champion of this category to Primera B 2022)
Country	Colombia
Confederation	CONMEBOL
Level on pyramid	3
Promotion to	Categoría Primera B
Relegation to	Categoría Primera D

The Categoría Primera C is the third division tournament of Football in Colombia. From 1991 to 2010 it was controlled and organized by the (Difutbol), an entity dependent on the Colombian Football Federation; Currently this category is disappeared, but Difutbol seeks to reorganize it again, with a format in which the champion of this category is granted promotion to Primera B and so on for two years , then there would be two descents from B to C and vice versa. It seeks to approve the resurgence of the Primera C beginning in 2021; however, promotion and relegation from Primera B must be approved by the professional branch (Dimayor). The Primera A is the only one in the top-20 of the IFFHS that does not have a third division.

History

Background

For the year 1990 the Dimayor created the second division in Colombia, and at the same time the need arose for the new tournament, was relegated to a lower category, thus being born a third division. For the year 1991 the Primera C began with the participation of amateur teams and affiliates of professional teams, something proposed by the Dimayor.

In all editions, the teams were divided into regional groups, each region had its semifinal and final and at the end of each zone had a representative for the final quadrangular, which was played in a single venue. The first champion of this contest was Millionarios, after finishing first in the final home run, however for the first edition there was no promotion. In the event that an affiliate team obtained the title, the winning team sold or transferred the token in the silver category. This situation occurred in 1993, when the Unión Magdalena subsidiary, which was able to rise by changing tab and forming the Deportivo Samarios that played in the second division of the year 1994. Also in the year 1996 where the champions were the minor divisions of America, and the card was transferred to Atlético Buenaventura which was the team that was promoted for the year 1997 . In the year 1998 America was champion again and possibly rented its file to the team Palmira FC that rose for the season of 1999.

It should be noted that this division was promoted by teams that today are in Primera A and Primera B such as Deportivo Pasto and La Equidad. The category was played uninterruptedly and with very high numbers of clubs (from 66 to 185). Of Chicó Fútbol club it is commonly said that he rose to be champion of the C in the year 2000, but in reality, Cortuluá owner of a token in B that he bought from América, gave him a token or a place in Primera B 2001 replacing Unión Meta. The champion of the 2000 edition was actually El Cerrito FC.

The problems started in the year 1999, where some leaders of the professional division were against a professional team (affiliated to DIMAYOR) becoming an amateur team upon relegation. In 2001, with the tournament already weakened, the tournament champion was the subsidiary of Medellín, and the solution regarding promotion was to hold a Primera B mixed with the reserves of the teams of First division, this for the year 2002. From the next one, the promotion between second and third division ended.

Nevertheless, the Difutbol continued to organize the tournament until 2010, but without a sports award for the champion. There have been many attempts to revive the third division to the Colombian Professional Soccer but no agreement has ever been reached with the Dimayor. In 2014, after many unsuccessful attempts the Difutbol created the U-23 Tournament with 10 teams, trying to emulate the First C, but in the same way an agreement was not reached with the professional branch.

Possible return in 2020 and going back

After the extraordinary assembly of clubs of the Colombian Soccer Major Division on December 12, 2017, the former president of the professional branch of Colombian soccer, Jorge Perdomo, assured that in two or three years the 'Primera C' could return, based on teams from the U-20 Championship of the Colombian Soccer Federation , and affiliated clubs of the 36 affiliated to Dimayor, with an investment of close to 4,000 million pesos.

Background

In the SuperCopa Juvenil FCF of 2019 the promotion and relegation system was established between the U-20 A and B categories, the participation of 60 clubs in Category A with relegation from the last 10 to Category B and in the same way promotion of the first 10 of this category, in order to establish in the future the First C Professional in 2020 with promotion to First B of the Colombian Professional Soccer.

Reverse

All of the above was approved by the former president of the Dimayor Jorge Perdomo, when the new president Jorge Enrique Vélez assumed the presidency, he ruled that There was no option to reactivate the third division due to the high costs it would present.

ACCFA Proposal

Former soccer player and lawyer Andrés Felipe Guapacha Orozco, who was a member of Deportivo Pereira , Deportes Quindío, Envigado, Pasto and La Paz (Bolivia), promoted the creation of the "Association of Colombian Amateur Soccer Clubs" (ACCFA) in 2020, in order to promote Difutbol and DIMAYOR before the Colombian Soccer Federation , the First C (or also called third division) as a semi-professional category and establish in the future the promotion and descent between C to B, with it a fourth division or "First D" and also a fifth division, in favor of defending the participation rights of amateur clubs in Colombia. The proposal includes in 2024, having a third division with 84 amateur teams and 36 subsidiaries of professional teams; the fourth division, sub-22, would have 270 teams fighting for 10 promotions to First C. The fifth division, sub-21, would be open to all teams that can pay the registration that would play for 40 promotions.

Other proposals

On the other hand, Jesús Alberto Ramírez, a highly experienced sports leader, submitted to the Colombian Football Federation a revolutionary proposal, but with a very high price, of which it is planned to have five divisions in the national income. A third division is proposed with 40 teams whose chips have a value of 1500 million pesos, a fourth category with 80 new clubs with a value of 750 million, and in the last seat 120 amateur teams that should pay 350 million pesos.

Another proposal, led by Daniel Pabón and Hernando Arias, includes the creation of 3 additional divisions in Colombia. The First C would function as a semi-professional category and would be composed of 24 teams, a First D with 80 teams and a First E organized by the 34 departmental leagues whose number of participants would range between 272 and 680 depending on the teams registered in each department. Among the requirements would be to have a stadium of 4000 spectators for the third level, 2000 for the fourth and 1000 for the fifth. Additionally, it is proposed to deliver 10 places to 10 municipalities that are important soccer players such as Quibdó, Tumaco, Sincelejo, Yopal, Popayán, Riohacha, Buenaventura, Apartadó, Mocoa and Florencia.

Return of category C in 2021

The Colombian Soccer Amateur Division (DIFUTBOL) confirmed the return of the First Category C. On April 12, 2021, the organization opened the national registrations for the tournament that would begin on May 15 of the same year. The idea is that the champion of the C participates during 2022 in the B. From 2023, two promotions and two descents would come into force, as appropriate. However, the DIMAYOR member teams must approve the promotion to First B.

Champions by seasons

Season	Champion (Title count)	Runner-up
1991	Millonarios B (1)	Deportivo Dinastía
1993	Unión Magdalena B (1)	América de Cali B
1994	Ferroclub (1)	Millonarios B
1995	Cooperamos Tolima (1)	La Equidad B
1996	América de Cali B (1)	Milán FC
1997	Escuela Carlos Sarmiento Lora (1)	América de Cali B
1998	América de Cali B (2)	Deportivo Junior
1999	Deportivo Pereira B (1)	La Equidad B
2000	Boyacá Chicó B (1)	Real San Jorge
2001	Independiente Medellín B (1)	Real San Jorge
2003	Once Caldas B (1)	Millonarios B
2004	Deportivo Cali B (1)	Compensar FC
2006	Paz y Futuro (1)	Santa Fe B
2007	Boca Juniors de Soledad (1)	Alianza Llanos
2008	Millonarios B (2)	Palmarés FC
2009	Palmarés FC (1)	Boca Juniors de Sincelejo
2010	EHC Gobernación - Electrohuila (1)	Uniautónoma
2021	TBD	TBD

External links

• Official web site of Difutbol