The2015Argentine Primera División orTorneo de Primera División 2015 "Julio H. Grondona"[1] was the 125th season of top-flight professionalfootball in Argentina. The season began on February 13 and ended on December 6.[2] Thirty teams competed in the league, twenty returning from the 2014 Torneo de Transición and ten promoted from the 2014 Primera B Nacional (Aldosivi, Argentinos Juniors, Colón, Crucero del Norte, Huracán, Nueva Chicago, San Martín (SJ), Sarmiento, Temperley and Unión). No teams were relegated to the Primera B Nacional Championship in the previous tournament.
Each of the 30 teams plays the other sides once, along with an extra derby game, for a total of 30 matches for each side.[3]
The winners and runners-up of the first division qualified for the2016 Copa Libertadores. Additionally, the winner of the2015 Copa Argentina earned the Argentina 3 berth to the Copa Libertadores. The teams that place third to sixth in the league table advanced to the Liguilla Pre-Libertadores. The winner of this Liguilla earned the fourth berth to the Copa Libertadores, with the runner-up entering the2016 Copa Sudamericana. The teams that place seventh to eighteenth in addition to the losing semifinalists of the Liguilla Pre-Libertadores advanced to the Liguilla Pre-Sudamericana, to determine the six berths for the 2016 Copa Sudamericana.[2]
On January 25,Juan Román Riquelme announced his retirement from professional football, just one month after leading first clubArgentinos Juniors back to the Primera División. Riquelme made his debut in 1996 and until his retirement played forBoca Juniors,Barcelona,Villarreal and Argentinos Juniors.[50][51]
On March 15, ASan Lorenzo supporter died from injuries sustained at the end of the derby againstHuracán (3–1, 5th round) after he lost his balance and fell from the highest point of the uncovered home stand behind the goal.[52][53]
On March 22, during the matchSan Martín (SJ)–Boca Juniors a tackle by Boca Juniors goalkeeperAgustín Orión resulted in a broken tibia and fibula in the right leg (from six to eight-month recovery) for San Martin'sCarlos Bueno.[54] Orión received a straight red card and got four-match ban.[55][56]
On March 30, the referee Ariel Penel suspended after 30 minutes the match betweenArsenal andAldosivi (0–1) due to disturbances outside theEstadio Julio Humberto Grondona.[57][58] The match was finished on April 25 with final score 0–3.[59]
On April 4, the refereeGermán Delfino awarded a penalty toVélez Sarsfield afterDaniel Rosero (Arsenal) was adjudged to have handled the ball in the area and showed his second booking of the game. As the penalty was about to be taken Delfino was told over his intercom that the handball was by Vélez Sarsfield strikerMariano Pavone and proceeded to overturn his decision and call Rosero back onto the field. Apparently the decision was overturned after linesman Iván Núñez caught a replay of the incident on a nearby cameraman's monitor and informed Delfino via his earpiece.[60] Despite the correct decision was awarded by the referee, the video technology is not allowed in Argentine football and Delfino was banned one round.[61]
On May 21, The AFA's Disciplinary Tribunal gave the victory toNewell's Old Boys overArsenal (0−1) for fielding an ineligible player. Arsenal were charged after they played the suspended midfielder Leandro Godoy in their 3−0 win over Newell's Old Boys on April 13 (9th round).[62]
On May 24, AFA suspended the match betweenTigre andRiver Plate because of the death ofCristian Gómez, a player of second division football clubParaná, who died after collapsing on the pitch during a game.[63][64]
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away), and play one additional round against theirlocal derby rival (or assigned match byAFA if a club doesn't have derby), completing a total of 30 rounds.
The Liguilla Pre Libertadores is contested by the four best placed teams from the league that have not already qualified for theCopa Libertadores, with the winners gaining a place in the 2016 tournament and the runners-up playing in theCopa Sudamericana. The losing semi-finalists play in the Liguilla Pre Sudamericana.[65]
The Liguilla Pre Sudamericana is contested by the twelve best placed teams from the league that have not already qualified for theCopa Libertadores, plus the two losing semi-finalists from the Liguilla Pre Libertadores. The four winners of the finals qualify for the2016 Copa Sudamericana.[66]
^"Se fue Almirón".Club Atlético Independiente - Sitio Oficial (in Spanish). May 25, 2015. Archived fromthe original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved2015-05-26.