Chiqui Tapia would scrap Argentina’s averages: “They exist nowhere else” | OneFootball

Although Argentine football has entered its break for the 2026 World Cup, the debates surrounding the competition format, the number of teams, and the relegation system seem to be never-ending topics. And the one who reignited the debate was none other than Claudio Tapia, this time with an unprecedented stance: he came out in favor of eliminating the averaging system in the First Division.

In an interview with Emiliano Coroniti, the president of the Argentine Football Association said that, if the decision were up to him, the system would no longer exist. “If it were up to me, I would have gotten rid of the averages, but the clubs don’t want that, and I adapt to what they say: let’s keep the averages,” he said. He also made it clear what would be, in his view, the ideal mechanism for determining relegation: “For me, there shouldn’t be averages in Argentine football; the bottom team and the second-to-last team should go down, as it should be and as it used to be.”

In that regard, the executive also recalled that during the Assembly there was no quorum among the officials present to suspend relegation. “When we voted for there to be no relegation, there wasn’t a single vote against it. It’s recorded,” Tapia said, stressing that Argentine football’s structural decisions are made by consensus among the clubs.

In addition, while arguing his position, Tapia pointed to how unique the Argentine system is compared with the rest of the world. “Do averages exist anywhere else in the world? Nowhere,” he said. However, he also acknowledged that the local format with 30 teams is often criticized and took the opportunity to defend it again, comparing it with the expansions being seen in the main international competitions.

“Some will tell me that there aren’t 30 teams elsewhere either, but the Club World Cup is played with more teams, the World Cup is played with more teams, and the 2030 one will have 64 national teams. The Champions League is also played with more teams,” argued the AFA president, once again maintaining a position he has already defended on other occasions in response to criticism about the size of the First Division.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.