# 1995–96 Categoría Primera A season

The 1995–96 Categoría Primera A season, known as Copa Mustang 1995–96 for sponsoring purposes, was the 49th season of the Categoría Primera A, Colombia's top-flight football league. The season started on 20 August 1995 and ended on 14 July 1996, being the first one played under the European format (from the Northern Hemisphere's fall to spring) following the format change approved in 1994. Deportivo Cali were the champions, winning their sixth domestic league title and first in 22 years with a scoreless draw against crosstown rivals América de Cali on the final day of the season.
Junior were the defending champions, but their title defense was ended at the semi-finals after placing last in their group.

## Format

The season was split into four stages: the Apertura and Finalización tournaments, the final stage, and the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL:
* In the Apertura tournament, played from August to December 1995, the 16 teams were divided into two groups of eight teams each with regional derby rivals being allocated into different groups. Teams played each other in a double round-robin fashion, followed by two rounds of regional derbies and two more extra rounds between the teams occupying the same position in each group. The top four teams at the end of the tournament were awarded bonus points, with the first one receiving 1.50 points, the second 1.00, the third 0.75, and the fourth getting 0.50 points.
* In the Finalización tournament, played from January to June 1996, the participating teams played each other twice in another double round-robin tournament for a total of 30 rounds. The top four teams were again awarded bonus points under the same allocation used for the Apertura, whilst the team topping the season's aggregate table (Reclasificación) was awarded an additional 1.00 bonus.
* For the final stage, teams were divided according to their placements in the aggregate table: the top eight teams advanced to the semi-finals, for which they were divided into two groups of four where they played every of their group rivals twice. Teams would start at zero points, except for the ones that got bonus points earlier in the season, who carried over those points to this stage. The top two teams in each group advanced to the final group, with the team that topped this group being crowned as league champion and qualifying for the 1997 Copa Libertadores along with the runner-up, whilst the team placing third would qualify for the 1996 Copa CONMEBOL and the fourth would advance to the Copa CONMEBOL play-off against the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL winner.
* The eight teams that failed to advance to the final stage played the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL, which was also divided into two stages and played under the same format as the final stage. The team that topped the Liguilla's final group would play the final group's fourth-placed team for the league's last Copa CONMEBOL berth.

## Teams

16 teams competed in the season, the top 15 teams of the 1995 season and the 1995 Primera B champions Atlético Bucaramanga, who replaced the previous season's relegated team Cúcuta Deportivo.
| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
| América de Cali | Cali | Pascual Guerrero | 45,625 |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | Bucaramanga | Alfonso López | 28,000 |
| Atlético Huila | Neiva | Guillermo Plazas Alcid | 22,000 |
| Atlético Nacional | Medellín | Atanasio Girardot | 52,000 |
| Cortuluá | Tuluá | Doce de Octubre | 16,000 |
| Deportes Quindío | Armenia | Centenario | 29,000 |
| Deportes Tolima | Ibagué | Manuel Murillo Toro | 28,100 |
| Deportivo Cali | Cali | Pascual Guerrero | 45,625 |
| Deportivo Pereira | Pereira | Hernán Ramírez Villegas | 30,000 |
| Envigado | Envigado | Polideportivo Sur | 11,000 |
| Independiente Medellín | Medellín | Atanasio Girardot | 52,000 |
| Junior | Barranquilla | Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez | 60,000 |
| Millonarios | Bogotá | Nemesio Camacho El Campín | 48,300 |
| Once Caldas | Manizales | Palogrande | 36,553 |
| Santa Fe | Bogotá | Nemesio Camacho El Campín | 48,300 |
| Unión Magdalena | Santa Marta | Eduardo Santos | 23,000 |

## Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura (also known as Copa Mustang I) began on 20 August and ended on 17 December 1995.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Bonus |
| 1 | Deportivo Cali | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 20 | +17 | 37 | +1.50 points |
| 2 | Deportes Tolima | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 29 | +0.50 points |
| 3 | Unión Magdalena | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 27 | |
| 4 | Millonarios | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 18 | +8 | 27 | |
| 5 | Once Caldas | 18 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 23 | |
| 6 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 23 | |
| 7 | Deportes Quindío | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 32 | −6 | 21 | |
| 8 | Independiente Medellín | 18 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 11 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Bonus |
| 1 | Atlético Nacional | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 23 | +6 | 32 | +1.00 points |
| 2 | América de Cali | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 39 | 24 | +15 | 30 | +0.75 points |
| 3 | Junior | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 26 | −3 | 25 | |
| 4 | Atlético Huila | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 24 | |
| 5 | Santa Fe | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 23 | |
| 6 | Envigado | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 22 | |
| 7 | Deportivo Pereira | 18 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 18 | |
| 8 | Cortuluá | 18 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 29 | −12 | 15 | |

## Torneo Finalización

The Torneo Finalización (also known as Copa Mustang II) began on 14 January and ended on 13 May 1996.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Bonus |
| 1 | Deportivo Cali | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 67 | 30 | +37 | 63 | +1.50 points |
| 2 | América de Cali | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 50 | 30 | +20 | 55 | +1.00 points |
| 3 | Atlético Nacional | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 54 | 34 | +20 | 50 | +0.75 points |
| 4 | Deportes Tolima | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 44 | +0.50 points |
| 5 | Once Caldas | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 43 | 40 | +3 | 44 | |
| 6 | Millonarios | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 43 | |
| 7 | Envigado | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 40 | |
| 8 | Junior | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 50 | 37 | +13 | 39 | |
| 9 | Cortuluá | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 39 | |
| 10 | Unión Magdalena | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 38 | |
| 11 | Deportivo Pereira | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 34 | 39 | −5 | 37 | |
| 12 | Independiente Medellín | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 31 | −5 | 36 | |
| 13 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 30 | 6 | 13 | 11 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 31 | |
| 14 | Deportes Quindío | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 37 | 55 | −18 | 31 | |
| 15 | Santa Fe | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 29 | |
| 16 | Atlético Huila | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 33 | 63 | −30 | 28 | |
* ↑ Santa Fe were deducted two points.

## Aggregate table

An aggregate table known as Reclasificación including the games of both tournaments (Apertura and Finalización) was used to determine the teams that would advance to the Copa Mustang final stages, as well as the teams that would play the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Deportivo Cali | 48 | 29 | 13 | 6 | 104 | 50 | +54 | 100 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 2 | América de Cali | 48 | 23 | 16 | 9 | 89 | 54 | +35 | 85 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 3 | Atlético Nacional | 48 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 83 | 57 | +26 | 82 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 4 | Deportes Tolima | 48 | 18 | 19 | 11 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 73 | Advance to the Final stages and qualification for the Copa CONMEBOL |
| 5 | Millonarios | 48 | 20 | 10 | 18 | 70 | 59 | +11 | 70 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 6 | Once Caldas | 48 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 66 | 60 | +6 | 67 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 7 | Unión Magdalena | 48 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 55 | 63 | −8 | 65 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 8 | Junior | 48 | 17 | 13 | 18 | 73 | 63 | +10 | 64 | Advance to the Final stages |
| 9 | Envigado | 48 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 52 | 52 | 0 | 62 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 10 | Deportivo Pereira | 48 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 53 | 63 | −10 | 55 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 11 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 48 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 44 | 61 | −17 | 54 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 12 | Cortuluá | 48 | 12 | 18 | 18 | 52 | 72 | −20 | 54 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 13 | Deportes Quindío | 48 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 63 | 87 | −24 | 52 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 14 | Atlético Huila (R) | 48 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 62 | 98 | −36 | 52 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL and relegation by average to Categoría Primera B |
| 15 | Santa Fe | 48 | 14 | 12 | 22 | 71 | 80 | −9 | 52 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
| 16 | Independiente Medellín | 48 | 12 | 11 | 25 | 43 | 63 | −20 | 47 | Advance to the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL |
* ↑ Since Atlético Nacional and América de Cali, who placed third and fourth in the final group, were ineligible to qualify for the 1996 Copa CONMEBOL, the berth was awarded to the aggregate table's fourth-placed team, Deportes Tolima.
* ↑ Santa Fe were deducted two points.

## Final stages
### Semi-finals
#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AME | CAL | MAG | ONC |
| 1 | América de Cali | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 12.75 | Advance to Final group | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Deportivo Cali | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 11 | Advance to Final group | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Unión Magdalena | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Once Caldas | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 5 | | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | — |
* ↑ Season bonus: 1.75 points
* ↑ Season bonus: 4 points

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MIL | NAC | TOL | JUN |
| 1 | Millonarios | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 12 | Advance to Final group | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| 2 | Atlético Nacional | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 9.75 | Advance to Final group | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Deportes Tolima | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–2 |
| 4 | Junior | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 7 | | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — |
* ↑ Season bonus: 1.75 points
* ↑ Season bonus: 1 point

### Final group

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CAL | MIL | NAC | AME |
| 1 | Deportivo Cali (C) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 12 | Qualification for the Copa Libertadores | — | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Millonarios | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 12 | Qualification for the Copa Libertadores | 3–1 | — | 2–0 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Atlético Nacional | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 5 | Ineligible for Copa CONMEBOL qualification | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | América de Cali | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 5 | Ineligible for Copa CONMEBOL qualification | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — |
* 1 2 Apertura and Finalización bonus points: Deportivo Cali 3, Millonarios 0.
* ↑ Originally, the final group's third-placed team would qualify for the Copa CONMEBOL and the fourth-placed team would play a play-off against the Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL winners for the final Copa CONMEBOL berth, however, Atlético Nacional and América de Cali were both ineligible for Copa CONMEBOL qualification since the former took part in the 1996 Supercopa Libertadores and the latter took part in the 1996 Copa Libertadores.
* 1995–96 Categoría Primera A champions
* Deportivo Cali 6th title

## Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL
### Liguilla semi-finals
#### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ENV | SFE | QUI | PER |
| 1 | Envigado | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 12 | Advance to Liguilla final group | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Santa Fe | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | Advance to Liguilla final group | 3–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| 3 | Deportes Quindío | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Deportivo Pereira | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 6 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — |
* ↑ Season bonus: 1 point

#### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | COR | DIM | HUI | BUC |
| 1 | Cortuluá | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 9 | Advance to Liguilla final group | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Independiente Medellín | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 9 | Advance to Liguilla final group | 4–4 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Atlético Huila | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | 4–1 |
| 4 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 5 | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — |

### Liguilla final group

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SFE | ENV | COR | DIM |
| 1 | Santa Fe | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 14 | Qualification for the Copa CONMEBOL | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| 2 | Envigado | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 11 | | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| 3 | Cortuluá | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 6 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Independiente Medellín | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 1 | | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–3 | — |
* ↑ Santa Fe qualified for the Copa CONMEBOL as Liguilla Pre-CONMEBOL winners since the final group's fourth-placed team América de Cali was ineligible for Copa CONMEBOL qualification.

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Iván Valenciano | Junior | 36 |
| 2 | Víctor Aristizábal | Atlético Nacional | 33 |
| 2 | Edison Mafla | Deportivo Cali | 33 |
| 4 | Adolfo Valencia | Santa Fe | 25 |
| 5 | Hugo Arrieta | Deportivo Pereira | 24 |
| 6 | Manuel Acisclo Córdoba | Atlético Huila | 22 |
| 6 | Rubén Darío Hernández | Santa Fe | 22 |
| 8 | Antony de Ávila | América de Cali | 21 |
| 8 | Walter Escobar | Deportivo Cali | 21 |
| 8 | Daniel Tílger | Deportes Quindío | 21 |
Source: Historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano 70 Años