Argentina launches new football tourney
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The Argentine Football Association has approved a new tournament that will be modeled on Spain's Copa del Rey championship.
The new tournament will be called the Argentine Football Championship. All 174 clubs in Argentina - from all divisions - will be allowed to participate.
Authorities say although details are still being worked out, the tournament will be played throughout the year, parallel to the Clausura and Apertura championships. It will begin with a preliminary round, which all the clubs will participate in. They say the tournament will provide an interesting new opportunity for lower ranked teams. There was little opposition to the suggestion and the proposal was overwhelmingly approved.
Gustavo Abel Cereza, Executive President of Federal Council For Argentine Football Association, said, "It was a good alternative, proposed by the President of AFA, that the champions can participate alongside others, that's a good incentive. It is a lot, I would say, for a team that usually only watches to be able to play in a tournament at the national level, to play with the best teams from here in Argentina, not to mention playing against the best teams of South America."
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