The 2012 Categoría Primera A season (officially known at the 2012 Liga Postobón season for sponsorship reasons) was the 65th season of Colombia's top-flight football league.
Format Both the Apertura and Finalización had an identical format. Each championship was divided into three stages. The First Stage was contested on a home-and-away basis, with each team playing the other teams once and playing a regional rival once more. The top eight teams after eighteen rounds advanced to a semifinal round, of two groups of four playing once more on a home-and-away basis. The winner of each semifinal group advanced to the final of the tournament, which was played as a double-legged series. The winner of the final was declared the tournament champion and participated in the 2013 Copa Libertadores.
Teams
Team City Stadium Atlético Huila Neiva Guillermo Plazas Alcid Atlético Nacional Medellín Atanasio Girardot Boyacá Chicó Tunja La Independencia Cúcuta Deportivo Cúcuta General Santander Deportes Quindío Armenia Centenario Deportes Tolima Ibagué Manuel Murillo Toro Deportivo Cali Cali Pascual Guerrero Deportivo Pasto Pasto Departamental Libertad Envigado Envigado Polideportivo Sur Independiente Medellín Medellín Atanasio Girardot Itagüí Itagüí Ciudad de Itagüí Junior Barranquilla Metropolitano La Equidad Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo Millonarios Bogotá Nemesio Camacho Once Caldas Manizales Palogrande Patriotas Tunja La Independencia Real Cartagena Cartagena Jaime Morón León Santa Fe Bogotá Nemesio Camacho
Torneo Apertura
First stage The First Stage began on January 27 and consisted of eighteen rounds and a series of regional rivalries on the ninth round. The top eight teams out of this stage advanced to the Semifinals. The first stage ended on May 27.
Standings
Results
Semifinals The Semifinal stage began on June 13 and ended on July 8. The eight teams that advanced were sorted into two groups of four teams. The winner of each group advanced to the finals.
Group A
Group B
Finals
Top goalscorers RankPlayerNationalityClubGoals1 Robin Ramírez Deportes Tolima 132 Giovanni Hernández Junior 11 Humberto Osorio Millonarios 114 Efraín Viáfara Itagüí Ditaires 105 Diego Cabrera Santa Fe 9 Edwards Jiménez Deportivo Pasto 9 Omar Sebastián Pérez Santa Fe 9 Milton Rodríguez Atlético Huila 9Source:
Torneo Finalización
First stage
Standings
Results
Semifinals The Semifinal stage began on November and ended on December. The eight teams that advanced were sorted into two groups of four teams. The winner of each group advanced to the finals.
Group A
Group B
Finals
Relegation A separate table is kept to determine the teams that get relegated to the Categoría Primera B for the next season. The table includes an average of all first stage games played for the current season and the previous two seasons. Team Relegation 1Deportes Tolima 70 56 65 191 108 2Atlético Nacional 61 55 52 168 108 3Santa Fe 65 49 52 166 108 4La Equidad 59 45 61 165 108 5Once Caldas 61 65 33 159 108 6Itagüí 41 54 61 156 108 7Junior 48 50 57 155 108 8Deportivo Cali 56 50 49 155 108 9Millonarios 41 56 57 154 108 10Boyacá Chicó 50 53 49 152 108 11Deportivo Pasto 48 41 52 141 108 12Independiente Medellín 57 37 43 137 108 13Envigado 32 60 44 136 108 14Atlético Huila 54 39 41 134 108 15Deportes Quindío 45 47 40 132 108 16Patriotas 43 42 44 129 108 17Cúcuta Deportivo (O) 48 41 35 124 108 Relegation/promotion playoff 18Real Cartagena (R) 43 42 32 117 108 Relegation to the Categoría Primera B Rules for classification: 1st average; 2nd goal difference; 3rd number of goals scored; 4th away goals scored.
Aggregate table
An aggregate table including all games that a team plays during the year; is used to determine the First Stage berths to both the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. The best-placed non-champion will go to the first stage of the 2013 Copa Libertadores and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th best-placed non-champions will go to the first stage of the 2013 Copa Sudamericana. Atlético Nacional is already qualified to the 2013 Copa Sudamericana as the champion of the 2012 Copa Colombia.
References
External links DIMAYOR's official website Official regulations