When the Spanish League had 22 First Division teams

When the Spanish League had 22 First Division teams
Home daily Marca that summer of 1995 (Photo: Brand)

Some young fans will wonder what is the reason that the current Spanish Second Division consists of 22 teams while the First Division consists of 20. It all started in the summer convulso 1995, especially for four-member teams at the time of the LFP as they were Sevilla, Celtic, Albacete Y Real Valladolid.

That summer LFP (now he is known as LaLiga) He ordered all professional football teams to do a transfer equivalent to 5% of their budgets to serve as a financial guarantee. A kind of financial fair play of the time.

Sevilla y Celta a Segunda

All teams did in time but two (although the gossips say they were more, including Real Madrid). The Sevilla and the Celtic They did not meet this formalism and received a dramatic communication for both clubs and their hobbies: descend to second B.

This bomb fell like a bucket of cold water on fans of both teams took to the streets to protest what they saw as a tremendous injustice. The big winners of the whole thing, two teams that had dropped to second at the end of that season 1994-1995, the Albacete and the Real Valladolid, who regained his place in First.

league 22 teams
The fans of Sevilla went out to defend his club and avoid the administrative descent (Photo: uncheck)

As we say, both Seville and Vigo organized demonstrations for many days and the two hobbies peopled the streets to fight for the salvation of their teams. During 15 days about, both entities were officially second B. But nevertheless, la LFP After many meetings he decided to make a Solomonic decision: admit to Sevilla y al Celtic in the top flight of Spanish football.

Protests in Vigo
Vigo streets were filled with fans who clamored justice Celta (Photo: uncheck)

Real Valladolid y Albacete ascienden en los despachos: Llega la Liga de 22

But nevertheless, the problem’ now it was what to do with Albacete Y Valladolid they had already done to the idea of ​​playing in First. Again we chose the simplest and both teams were part of historical league 22 teams which lasted during campaigns 1995-1996 Y 1996-1997. Precisely this last season it was decided to reduce the category and occurred 4 descents to the silver division (casually, Sevilla Y Albacete They were two of those who fell).

Since then and for this reason, the Second division consists of 22 teams (until then it had been usual to have 20) Spanish football and lived, once again, one of the most fanciful episodes in its history. Those who 1995 we were kids football fans saw how we had to expand two-page sticker album with two new (Valladolid Y Albacete) that collection and store it as one of the most authentic and historical.

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