2023 Venezuelan Primera División season explained

Competition:Liga FUTVE
Season:2023
Winners:Deportivo Táchira (10th title)
Relegated:Mineros de Guayana
Continentalcup1:Copa Libertadores
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Deportivo Táchira
Caracas
Portuguesa
Academia Puerto Cabello
Continentalcup2:Copa Sudamericana
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers:Carabobo
Deportivo La Guaira
Metropolitanos
Rayo Zuliano
Matches:223
Total Goals:545
League Topscorer:Luifer Hernández (18 goals)
Biggest Home Win:Dep. Táchira 5–0 Rayo Zuliano
(4 March)
Est. Mérida 5–0 Angostura
(6 July)
UCV 5–0 Zamora
(14 July)
Carabobo 6–1 Mineros
(22 July)
Biggest Away Win:Zamora 1–5 Est. Mérida
(19 February)
Mineros 0–4 Dep. Táchira
(6 May)
Highest Scoring:Rayo Zuliano 4–4 Mineros
(26 February)
La Guaira 5–3 Rayo Zuliano
(6 May)
Prevseason:2022
Nextseason:2024

The 2023 Primera División season, officially Liga de Fútbol Profesional Venezolano or Liga FUTVE, was the 67th season of the Venezuelan Primera División, the top-flight football league in Venezuela, and the 42nd season since the start of the professional era. The season began on 3 February and ended on 25 November 2023.[1]

Deportivo Táchira won their tenth title at the end of the season, defeating Caracas on penalty kicks following a 1–1 draw after extra time in the final.[2] Metropolitanos were the defending champions.

Format

The competition format for this season was announced by the Liga FUTVE on 31 January 2023. Similar to the previous season, the 15 participating clubs took part in a double round-robin first stage in which they played each other twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 28 games. The top four clubs, which qualified for the 2024 Copa Libertadores, also advanced to a final stage where they played each other twice with the top two teams playing a single-match final to decide the league champions. However, and unlike the previous season, no final stage to decide the teams qualified for the 2024 Copa Sudamericana was played, with the four berths to that competition instead being awarded to the teams placing 5th to 8th in the first stage.[3] The team placing last in the first stage was relegated to Segunda División for the following season.

Teams

16 teams were expected to compete in the 2023 season, subject to the fulfillment of club licensing requirements: the top 15 teams in the first stage of the 2022 season as well as the 2022 Segunda División champions Angostura, who defeated Academia Anzoátegui in the Segunda División final on 16 October 2022.[4] They replaced Aragua, who were relegated to Segunda División at the end of the previous season after finishing in bottom place.

On 12 December 2022, it was announced that Zulia and Segunda División side Rayo Zuliano would merge, with the latter taking the former's place in the league.[5] The merger was officially confirmed on 28 January 2023, with which Rayo Zuliano competed in the top flight for the first time ever in this season.[6] Furthermore, two days later it was confirmed that Deportivo Lara would not take part in the season, ultimately bringing the number of participating teams down to 15.[7] [8]

Stadia and locations

TeamCityStadiumCapacity
7,500
2,500
10,400
23,940
23,940
38,755
42,200
29,800
23,940
41,600
51,796
18,000
40,800
23,940
29,800

Personnel and kits

TeamManagerKit manufacturerShirt sponsor(s)
Academia Puerto Cabello Noel SanvicenteGivovaCLX Samsung
Angostura Osmar CastilloRSGenpar
Carabobo Juan TolisanoNew ArrivalFospuca, El Maizal, Juega En Línea
Caracas Leonardo GonzálezRSMaltín Polar, SellaTuParley, Pepsi, Canguro Venezuela[9]
Deportivo La Guaira Enrique GarcíaFilaTraki, Furia Energy, Pepsi
Deportivo Táchira Eduardo SaragóAttleJuega En Línea, Grupo JHS, VenApp
Estudiantes de Mérida Franklin LucenaNew ArrivalPetro, Oriente, Visite Mérida, VenApp, Vnet
Hermanos Colmenarez Leonel VielmaAttleCorporation CSA
Metropolitanos José María MorrRSAerolíneas Estelar
Mineros de Guayana Jesús Alonso CabelloRS
Monagas Tony FrancoRSBanplus
Portuguesa Jesús OrtizRSAlimentos Fina Ideal
Rayo Zuliano Elvis MartínezAttlePDVSA, Javitour
Universidad Central Daniel SassoRSAvanti, Bancamiga
Zamora Enrique MaggioloRSThundernet

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
First stage
Rayo Zuliano Alex García KingChange of role2 October 2022[10] Pre-season Elvis Martínez29 September 2022[11]
Caracas Henry MeléndezEnd of caretaker spell21 October 2022 Leonardo González1 November 2022[12]
Carabobo Enrique MaggioloEnd of contract22 October 2022 Juan Tolisano17 November 2022[13]
Estudiantes de Mérida Leonardo GonzálezResigned29 October 2022[14] Alí Cañas27 January 2023[15]
Zamora Noel Sanvicente31 October 2022[16] Francesco Stifano5 January 2023[17]
Academia Puerto Cabello Juan TolisanoMutual agreement1 November 2022[18] Noel Sanvicente2 November 2022[19]
Deportivo La Guaira Daniel FaríasEnd of contract9 November 2022[20] Enrique García20 November 2022[21]
Mineros de Guayana Elías EmmonsEnd of caretaker spell27 January 2023 Tony Franco27 January 2023[22]
Portuguesa Martín BrignaniSacked1 March 2023[23] 15th Jesús Ortiz1 March 2023
Hermanos Colmenarez Horacio Matuszyczk25 March 2023[24] 6th Leonel Vielma29 March 2023[25]
Mineros de Guayana Tony FrancoMutual agreement13 April 2023[26] 14th Jesús Alonso Cabello14 April 2023
Universidad Central Edson RodríguezSacked21 April 2023[27] 15th Luis De Oliveira21 April 2023
Luis De OliveiraEnd of caretaker spell4 May 2023 Daniel Sasso4 May 2023[28]
Mineros de Guayana Jesús Alonso Cabello6 May 2023 Jorge Luis Bernal6 May 2023[29]
Jorge Luis BernalResigned22 May 2023[30] Jesús Alonso Cabello22 May 2023
Estudiantes de Mérida Alí Cañas30 May 2023[31] 10th Franklin Lucena31 May 2023[32]
Mineros de Guayana Jesús Alonso CabelloEnd of caretaker spell24 June 202315th Matías Mazmud24 June 2023[33]
Monagas Jhonny FerreiraPromoted to sporting director10 July 2023[34] 10th Tony Franco10 July 2023
Zamora Francesco StifanoResigned16 July 2023[35] 12th Alí Alvarado21 July 2023[36]
Mineros de Guayana Matías MazmudSacked26 July 2023[37] 15th Jesús Alonso Cabello26 July 2023
Zamora Alí AlvaradoEnd of caretaker spell1 August 202312th Enrique Maggiolo1 August 2023[38]
Notes

First stage

The first stage started on 3 February and ended on 8 October 2023.

Results

Final stage

The top four teams in the first stage contested the competition's final stage, playing each other twice. The top two teams advanced to the final and also qualified for the group stage of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, whilst the third- and fourth-placed teams qualified for the preliminary stages of the same competition.

Results

Final

The final match was hosted by the finalist with the best performance in the first stage of the season.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Luifer HernándezAcademia Puerto Cabello18
2 Richard BlancoMineros de Guayana / Portuguesa14
3 Ade OgunsCaracas12
4 Franklin GonzálezHermanos Colmenarez9
Saúl GuarirapaCaracas
Ervin ZorrillaEstudiantes de Mérida
7 Edder FaríasDeportivo Táchira / Deportivo La Guaira8
Charlis OrtizMetropolitanos
Gonzalo RitaccoDeportivo Táchira
Anthony UribeDeportivo Táchira
Source: Soccerway

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nueva campaña comenzará el 2 de febrero con igual formato . New campaign will begin on 2 February with the same format . Líder en Deportes . es . 5 January 2023 . 7 January 2023.
  2. Web site: Deportivo Táchira consigue su décima estrella . Deportivo Táchira get their tenth star . Líder en Deportes . es . 25 November 2023 . 25 November 2023.
  3. Web site: Liga Futve tendrá un nuevo formato de competición . Liga Futve will have a new competition format . Líder en Deportes . es . 31 January 2023 . 1 February 2023.
  4. Web site: Angostura FC logró el título de la segunda división y el ascenso . Angostura FC achieved the second division title and promotion . La Vinotinto . es . 16 October 2022 . 21 November 2022.
  5. Web site: Extraoficial: Deportivo Rayo Zuliano y Zulia Fútbol Club conformarían una sola institución . Unofficial: Deportivo Rayo Zuliano and Zulia Fútbol Club would form a single institution . Versión Final . es . 13 December 2022 . 29 January 2023.
  6. Web site: ¡CONFIRMARON FUSIÓN CON EL ZULIA FC! Rayo Zuliano llegó a primera división de la liga Futve . THEY CONFIRMED MERGER WITH ZULIA FC! Rayo Zuliano reached the Liga Futve's first division . Red Digital Noticias . es . 29 January 2023 . 29 January 2023.
  7. Web site: La Liga FutVe confirma vía Twitter que la temporada 2023 arranca el 3 y que el Dvo Lara no estará . Liga FutVe confirms via Twitter that the 2023 season kicks off on the 3rd and that Dvo Lara will not be there . Balonazos . es . 30 January 2023 . 31 January 2023.
  8. Web site: FVF anuncia listado de clubes que han obtenido su licencia para el 2023 . FVF announces list of clubs that have obtained their license for 2023 . . es . 31 January 2023 . 31 January 2023.
  9. Web site: Caracas FC sumó a Canguro Venezuela como nuevo patrocinador hasta diciembre del año 2023 . Caracas FC added Canguro Venezuela as new sponsor until December 2023 . Balonazos . es . 16 December 2022 . 17 December 2022.
  10. Deportivo Rayo Zuliano. RayoDvo. 1576625691029688321. Por su gran experiencia y trayectoria en las canchas, el profe Alex García King pasa a asumir una nueva responsabilidad de gran importancia para nuestro Club. Gracias por confiar en nosotros. ¡Seguimos profe Alex!. Due to his great experience and track record on the fields, professor Alex García King is taking on a new responsibility of great importance for our Club. Thanks for trusting us. We continue, prof Alex!. es. 2 October 2022. 29 January 2023.
  11. Web site: Elvis Martínez asume la dirección técnica del Deportivo Rayo Zuliano en la Liga FutVe 2. Elvis Martínez takes over the technical direction of Deportivo Rayo Zuliano in Liga FutVe 2. es. Balonazos. 30 September 2022. 29 January 2023.
  12. Web site: Leonardo González es el nuevo técnico del Caracas FC. Leonardo González is the new manager of Caracas FC. es. El Nacional. 1 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  13. Web site: El entrenador Juan Domingo Tolisano regresa a la conducción técnica del Carabobo Fútbol Club. Coach Juan Domingo Tolisano returns to the technical management of Carabobo FC. es. Balonazos. 17 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  14. News: El entrenador Leonardo González se despidió de la dirección técnica de Estudiantes de Mérida. Manager Leonardo González bidded farewell to the technical direction of Estudiantes de Mérida. es. Balonazos. 30 October 2022. 21 November 2022.
  15. Web site: Alí Cañas será el técnico de Estudiantes de Mérida. Alí Cañas will be the manager of Estudiantes de Mérida. es. La Vinotinto. 27 January 2023. 27 January 2023.
  16. Web site: Noel Sanvicente no seguirá con Zamora. Noel Sanvicente will not continue with Zamora. es. Líder en Deportes. 31 October 2022. 21 November 2022.
  17. Web site: Zamora se encomienda a Stifano. Zamora entrust themselves to Stifano. es. Líder en Deportes. 16 January 2023. 20 January 2023.
  18. Web site: Puerto Cabello anunció la salida de Juan Domingo Tolisano. Puerto Cabello announced the departure of Juan Domingo Tolisano. es. Líder en Deportes. 1 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  19. Web site: Noel Sanvicente tomó el timón de Academia Puerto Cabello, con la mira puesta en su novena estrella. Noel Sanvicente took the helm of Academia Puerto Cabello, with the sight set on his ninth star. es. Sports Venezuela. 2 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  20. Web site: Daniel Farías terminó su ciclo en el Deportivo La Guaira. Daniel Farías ended his spell at Deportivo La Guaira. es. La Vinotinto. 9 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  21. Web site: Enrique García dirigirá al Deportivo La Guaira. Enrique García will manage Deportivo La Guaira. es. La Vinotinto. 20 November 2022. 21 November 2022.
  22. Web site: Tony Franco tuvo su primera práctica con Mineros de Guayana. Tony Franco had his first training session with Mineros de Guayana. es. Correo del Caroní. 27 January 2023. 29 January 2023.
  23. Web site: Jesús Ortiz llegó al Portuguesa en lugar de Brignani. Jesús Ortiz arrived at Portuguesa in the place of Brignani. Líder en Deportes. es. 1 March 2023. 1 March 2023.
  24. Web site: CD Hermanos Colmenárez anunció que Horacio Matuszyczk y su cuerpo técnico no seguirán. CD Hermanos Colmenárez announced that Horacio Matuszyczk and his coaching staff will not continue. Balonazos. es. 25 March 2023. 28 March 2023.
  25. Web site: CD Hermanos Colmenárez anunció a Leonel Vielma como su nuevo Director Técnico. CD Hermanos Colmenarez announced Leonel Vielma as their new manager. Balonazos. es. 29 March 2023. 29 March 2023.
  26. Web site: Tony Franco termina su vínculo con Mineros de Guayana. Tony Franco ends his link with Mineros de Guayana. Correo del Caroní. es. 14 April 2023. 17 April 2023.
  27. Web site: UCV FC despide a Edson Rodríguez como DT y encargó a Luis De Oliveira ante Estudiantes. UCV sack Edson Rodríguez as manager and put Luis De Oliveira in charge against Estudiantes. Balonazos. es. 22 April 2023. 22 April 2023.
  28. UCV Fútbol Club. UCVFCOFICIAL. 1654221514705707008. ¡Bienvenido a casa nuevamente! Daniel Sasso asume la dirección técnica del equipo tricolor.. Welcome home again! Daniel Sasso takes over the technical direction of the tricolor team.. es. 4 May 2023. 4 May 2023.
  29. Web site: Jorge Luis Bernal confirmado como técnico de Mineros. Jorge Luis Bernal confirmed as manager of Mineros. La Vinotinto. es. 6 May 2023. 11 May 2023.
  30. Web site: El entrenador colombiano José Luis Bernal se desligó de Mineros de Guayana. Colombian manager José Luis Bernal left Mineros de Guayana. Balonazos. es. 22 May 2023. 24 May 2023.
  31. Web site: Estudiantes de Mérida se quedó sin director técnico por salida de José Ali Cañas. Estudiantes de Mérida ended up without a manager due to the departure of José Ali Cañas. Balonazos. es. 30 May 2023. 1 June 2023.
  32. Web site: Franklin Lucena dirigirá a Estudiantes de Mérida. Franklin Lucena will manage Estudiantes de Mérida. Líder en Deportes. es. 2 June 2023. 2 June 2023.
  33. Web site: Argentino Matías Mazmud asume las riendas de Mineros. Argentine Matías Mazmud takes the reins of Mineros. Correo del Caroní. es. 24 June 2023. 26 June 2023.
  34. Web site: Monagas SC nombró a Tony Franco como nuevo DT y a Jhonny Ferreira de Director Deportivo. Monagas SC appointed Tony Franco as new manager and Jhonny Ferreira as Sporting Director. Balonazos. es. 11 July 2023. 11 July 2023.
  35. Web site: DT Francesco Stifano se desvincula del Zamora FC sumergido en una crisis de resultados. Manager Francesco Stifano leaves Zamora FC immersed in a crisis of results. Balonazos. es. 16 July 2023. 18 July 2023.
  36. Web site: Zamora y Rayo Zuliano igualaron sin goles. Zamora and Rayo Zuliano tied with no goals. Liga FUTVE. es. 21 July 2023. 23 July 2023.
  37. Web site: Matías Mazmud no sigue como DT de Mineros. Matías Mazmud does not continue as manager of Mineros. Primicia. es. 26 July 2023. 27 July 2023.
  38. Web site: Zamora FC por fin anunció oficialmente al técnico Enrique Maggiolo como nuevo DT. Zamora FC finally officially announced coach Enrique Maggiolo as the new manager. Balonazos. es. 1 August 2023. 1 August 2023.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2023 Venezuelan Primera División season".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.