2020 Venezuelan Primera División season
The 2020 Primera División season, officially Liga de Fútbol Profesional Venezolano or Liga FUTVE, is the 39th professional season of the Venezuelan Primera División, Venezuela's top-flight football league. Caracas are the defending champions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on 12 March the Liga FUTVE announced the suspension of the seventh round of matches, scheduled for the weekend of 14–15 March. That same day, the FVF announced the suspension of every footballing activity in the country. On 15 March, the Liga FUTVE cancelled a meeting originally scheduled for 18 March and also confirmed the indefinite suspension of the Primera División tournament.
On 15 May, and after an emergency meeting held the previous day via video conference, the FVF announced the "permanent suspension" of the Primera and Segunda División seasons due to the inability to resume play under the conditions initially stated in the league regulations, effectively voiding the standings and results of matches played up until the suspension of the season. At the same time, the Federation's Commission of Club Competitions was tasked with elaborating a new tournament with a format and regulations suited to the necessary conditions for its execution, considering the application of sporting merit, club licensing requirements, and medical protocols.
Format changes
The league format changed for the 2020 season. No Apertura and Clausura tournaments would be held and the 20 teams would face each other in a home-and-away round-robin tournament, for a total of 38 matches per team. The top eight teams of the first stage would advance to the semi-final stage, depending on eligibility requirements for CONMEBOL tournaments. The bottom two teams would be relegated. In the semi-final stage, the eight teams would be divided in two groups of four teams each, facing the other teams in their group twice. The two group winners would advance to the Serie Final to decide the league champions.Teams
On 24 January, Llaneros was administratively relegated to the Segunda División by FVF as ordered by FIFA due to a lawsuit by former player Leonardo Ossa, whom the club failed to pay an outstanding debt. Llaneros will play in the second tier during the 2020 season, therefore the league was contested by 19 teams and only one team would be relegated.Stadia and locations
Team | Manager | City | Stadium | Capacity |
Academia Puerto Cabello | Carlos Maldonado | Puerto Cabello | La Bombonerita | 7,500 |
Aragua | Enrique García | Maracay | Olímpico Hermanos Ghersi Páez | 14,000 |
Atlético Venezuela | Henry Meléndez | Caracas | Brígido Iriarte Olímpico de la UCV | 10,000 23,940 |
Carabobo | Antonio Franco | Valencia San Felipe | Misael Delgado Florentino Oropeza | 10,400 10,000 |
Caracas | Noel Sanvicente | Caracas | Olímpico de la UCV | 23,940 |
Deportivo La Guaira | Daniel Farías | Caracas | Olímpico de la UCV | 23,940 |
Deportivo Lara | Leonardo González | Cabudare Barquisimeto | Metropolitano de Cabudare Farid Richa | 47,913 12,480 |
Deportivo Táchira | Juan Tolisano | San Cristóbal | Polideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo | 38,755 |
Estudiantes de Mérida | Martín Brignani | Mérida | Metropolitano de Mérida Guillermo Soto Rosa | 42,200 14,000 |
GV Maracay | Bladimir Morales | Maracay San Felipe | Giuseppe Antonelli Florentino Oropeza | 7,500 10,000 |
LALA | Rubén Yori | Ciudad Guayana | Polideportivo Cachamay | 41,600 |
Metropolitanos | José María Morr | Caracas | Olímpico de la UCV | 23,940 |
Mineros | Edson Tortolero | Ciudad Guayana | Polideportivo Cachamay | 41,600 |
Monagas | Jhonny Ferreira | Maturín | Monumental de Maturín | 51,796 |
Portuguesa | José Parada | Acarigua | General José Antonio Páez | 18,000 |
Trujillanos | Martín Carrillo | Valera | José Alberto Pérez | 25,000 |
Yaracuyanos | Jesús Alonso | San Felipe | Florentino Oropeza | 10,000 |
Zamora | José Manuel Rey | Barinas | Agustín Tovar | 29,800 |
Zulia | Álex García King | Maracaibo | José "Pachencho" Romero | 40,800 |
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
Carabobo | Jhonny Ferreira | Mutual consent | 11 December 2019 | Pre-season | Antonio Franco | 13 December 2019 |
Monagas | May Montoya | End of caretaker spell | 12 December 2019 | Pre-season | Jhonny Ferreira | 12 December 2019 |
Mineros | Laydeker Navas | End of caretaker spell | 14 December 2019 | Pre-season | Richard Páez | 14 December 2019 |
Zamora | Rubén Benítez | End of caretaker spell | 24 December 2019 | Pre-season | José Manuel Rey | 24 December 2019 |
Zulia | Alexander Rondón | Replaced | 3 January | Pre-season | Álex García King | 3 January |
LALA | Delvalle Rojas | Sacked | 16 January | Pre-season | Rubén Yori | 21 January |
Mineros | Richard Páez | Resigned | 30 June | 14th | Edson Tortolero | 30 June |
First stage
The first stage began on 30 January. Each team would play each other twice for 36 matchdays. It was scheduled to end on 25 October with the top eight teams advancing to the semi-finals and the bottom team being relegated. The first stage standings and matches up to the suspension of the league on 12 March were voided by the FVF on 15 May.Standings
Results
Top goalscorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
1 | Marco Bustillo | Metropolitanos | 4 |
2 | Alexis Blanco | Caracas | 3 |
2 | Edder Farías | Atlético Venezuela | 3 |
2 | Robert Hernández | Caracas | 3 |
2 | Mauricio Márquez | Zamora | 3 |
2 | Yanowsky Reyes | Zulia | 3 |
Source: