2006 Categoría Primera B season explained

Competition:Copa Premier
Season:2006
Winners:La Equidad (1st title)
Relegated:None
Promoted:La Equidad
League Topscorer:Eric Cantillo (22 goals)
Prevseason:2005
Nextseason:2007

The 2006 Categoría Primera B season, officially known as the 2006 Copa Premier for sponsorship reasons, was the 17th season of Colombia's second tier football league Categoría Primera B since its founding. The competition began on 11 February and ended on 29 November 2006. La Equidad were the champions, winning both of the season's short tournaments to claim their first Primera B title as well as promotion to Categoría Primera A.[1]

Format

The season was divided into two tournaments: Torneo I and Torneo II. In both tournaments, the 18 participating teams were drawn into two groups of nine teams each, with teams playing all teams in their group as well as one team from the other group twice. In Torneo I, the groups were formed by geographical criteria, grouping nearby teams, while in the second tournament of the season, geographical rivals were assigned to different groups. The top two teams of each group advanced to a final group stage which was also played in a double round-robin fashion. The winners of both of the season's tournaments would face each other in the season's grand final, with the champion being promoted at the end of the season and the runner-up playing the promotion/relegation playoff, which was implemented starting from this season.

Teams

18 teams took part in the competition in this season. The 2005 Primera B champions Cúcuta Deportivo, who were promoted to Categoría Primera A, were replaced by Unión Magdalena, relegated from the top flight in the previous season. Prior to the start of the season, Florida Soccer was sold and moved to Montería, becoming Córdoba F.C.,[2] Bello F.C. was renamed Atlético Bello, and Dépor F.C. relocated from Cartago, Valle del Cauca to Jamundí, in the same department.

ClubCityStadiumCapacity
AcademiaBogotáCompensar4,500
Alianza PetroleraBarrancabermejaDaniel Villa Zapata8,000
Atlético BelloBelloTulio Ospina12,000
Bajo CaucaCaucasiaOrlando Aníbal Monroy4,000
BarranquillaBarranquillaRomelio Martínez10,000
BogotáBogotáAlfonso López Pumarejo12,000
CentaurosVillavicencioManuel Calle Lombana15,000
CórdobaCeretéAlberto Saibis Saker12,000
CortuluáTuluáDoce de Octubre16,000
DéporJamundíCacique Jamundí3,500
Deportivo RionegroRionegroAlberto Grisales14,000
Expreso RojoSincelejoArturo Cumplido Sierra5,000
CartagenaPedro de Heredia10,000
GirardotGirardotLuis Antonio Duque Peña15,000
La EquidadSoachaLuis Carlos Galán Sarmiento8,000
PatriotasTunjaLa Independencia8,500
Pumas de CasanareSantiago de las Atalayas10,000
Unión MagdalenaSanta MartaEduardo Santos22,000
ValleduparValleduparArmando Maestre Pavajeau10,000
Notes

Torneo I

First stage

Group B

Cuadrangular Final

Torneo II

First stage

Group B

Cuadrangular Final

Finals

The final series was canceled after La Equidad won the season's two short tournaments, promoting directly to Categoría Primera A.

Runners-up playoff

Given the cancellation of the final series, a playoff series between Valledupar and Cortuluá, runners-up of the Torneo I and Torneo II, respectively, was played to decide the team that would advance to the promotion/relegation playoff.

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Valledupar won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the promotion/relegation playoff.

Promotion/relegation playoff

As the second worst team in the 2006 Categoría Primera A season's relegation table, Atlético Huila had to play a two-legged tie against Valledupar, the runners-up playoff winner. Atlético Huila played the second leg at home as the Primera A team. The winner would be promoted or remain in Primera A for the 2007 season, while the loser would be relegated or remain in Primera B.

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Atlético Huila won 3–0 on aggregate and both teams remained in their respective leagues.

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
align=center 1 Eric CantilloPumas de Casanare22
align=center 2 Fredys ArrietaBarranquilla21
align=center 3 Roberto PoloCortuluá19
align=center 4 Mario Sergio AnguloUnión Magdalena16

Source: Historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano 70 Años[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: La Equidad, ascendió a la primera división de fútbol de Colombia . La Equidad, promoted to the first division of Colombian football . . es . 4 November 2006 . 15 April 2024.
  2. Web site: ¿Qué pasó con Florida Soccer antes y después de jugar en La Ceja? . What happened to Florida Soccer before and after playing in La Ceja? . Mística Deportiva . es . 22 August 2019 . 15 April 2024.
  3. Book: Ruiz Bonilla, Guillermo . Historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano 70 Años . 2018 . Mundo Fútbol SAS . 9-789584-852731 . 620.