The Primera División A Clausura 2009 is a Mexican football tournament, the second of two short tournaments held during the 2008–2009 Mexican football season. It began on January 10, 2009 and will run until May 23 or May 24, 2009. The winner of the tournament will earn a place in the promotional playoff against Querétaro, the winners of the Apertura 2008 tournament, to determine which team will be promoted to the Primera División.
Tournament format
A total of 27 teams are divided into three groups of nine teams each. Each team plays the other eight teams in its group twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 16 games. At the end of the regular season the top two teams in each group, as well as the next two highest placed teams, qualify to the Liguilla (playoffs). The teams are seeded based on their position in the general table and are arranged before each round so that the highest seeded team remaining always plays the lowest seed remaining. The teams play a home and away series and whichever team has the better aggregate score advances. If the two teams are tied after both legs in the quarterfinals and semifinals the higher seed advances automatically. In the finals, if the two teams are tied after both legs two 15 minute halves of extra time are added. If the teams are still tied after extra time the champion is determined through a penalty shootout.
Promotion
One team is promoted to the Primera División each year (two short tournaments). After the Clausura 2009 tournament, the champions of the Apertura 2008 and Clausura 2009 tournaments will play a home and home series to determine which team will be promoted. If the same team wins both tournaments it will be promoted automatically. In order for a team to be promoted it has to obtain a certification from the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. If the winner of the promotional final is not certified for promotion a home and away series is played between the highest placed certified team and the club being relegated to the Primera División A to determine which will be in the Primera División.
Currently certified teams
Atlético Mexiquense BUAP Cruz Azul Durango Irapuato Mérida León Querétaro Santos Laguna Sinaloa Tijuana UAT Veracruz
Relegation
One team is relegated to the Segunda División each year (two short tournaments). The team that has the worst points to games played ratio over the previous three years (Apertura 2006, Clausura 2007, Apertura 2007, Clausura 2008, Apertura 2008, Clausura 2009) is relegated to the Segunda División.
Group league tables
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
General league table
Liguilla
Promotional Final
First leg
Second leg
Results
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Top scorers
ScorerGoalsTeam Mauro Gerk 11 Querétaro Raúl Enríquez 9 Tijuana Felipe Flores Salamanca Francisco Bravo 8 Veracruz Luis Nieves León Jesús Morales Chetumal Luis Orozco Mérida Óscar Rojas UNAM Fernando González Cruz Azul Ismael Valadez 7 Chetumal José Gutiérrez 6 Irapuato Juan Hernández BUAP Nicolás Olivera Veracruz Osvaldo Moreno Real Colima As of: May 4, 2009Source: FMF
Relegation table
Pos. Team Pts 1 Tijuana 65 32 2.0313 2 León 189 100 1.8900 3 Veracruz 58 32 1.8125 4 Sinaloa 175 100 1.7500 5 Cruz Azul 171 100 1.7100 6 Querétaro 160 100 1.6000 7 Irapuato 50 32 1.5625 8 UAT 151 100 1.5100 9 UNAM 150 100 1.5000 10 Mérida 97 66 1.4697 11 Orizaba 146 100 1.4600 12 BUAP 141 100 1.4100 13 Salamanca 140 100 1.4000 14 Durango 134 100 1.3400 15 Chihuahua 41 32 1.2813 16 UANL 128 100 1.2800 17 Real Colima 121 100 1.2100 18 Socio Águila 120 100 1.2000 19 Tampico Madero 118 100 1.1800 20 Monterrey 116 100 1.1600 21 Atlético Mexiquense 114 100 1.1400 22 Tapatío 114 100 1.1400 23 Académicos 102 100 1.0200 24 Chetumal 32 32 1.0000 25 UAG 99 100 0.9900 26 Santos Laguna 99 100 0.9900 27 Tapachula 52 66 0.7879
External links Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación, A. C.