Belgium 2019
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LIÈGE BRUSSELS ANTWERP MECHELEN BEVEREN BELGIUM BRUGES CHARLEROI EUPEN SINT-TRUIDEN 2019-20 GENK KORTRIJK GHENT MOUSCRON OSTEND WAREGEM www.liberoguide.com BELGIUM 2019-20 liberoguide.com/category/countries/belgium BELGIUM The chaos inherent to Belgian club football was underlined Standard Liège during the summer of 2019 when Mechelen, champions of second-tier First Division B, were refused entry to top-flight First Division A due to a match-fixing scandal in 2018. Runners-up behind Mechelen, Beerschot from Antwerp, prepared Welcome to liberoguide.com! for a first promotion to the elite The digital travel guide for since… well, what with all the mergers football fans, liberoguide.com and matricules, it’s almost impossible is the most up-to-date resource, to say. (A matricule is very Belgian city-by-city, club-by-club, to the concept, a historic registration system game across Europe and North dating back to 1926, with numbers America. Using only original passed or sold on in mergers for a photos and first-hand research, higher league status.) taken and undertaken over seven seasons, liberoguide.com has But… then it was ruled that as been put together to enhance Mechelen had fixed matches more every football weekend and Euro than a season ago, the club should night experience. From airport only be excluded from the Belgian to arena, downtown sports bar Cup and the Europa League. Behind to hotel, liberoguide.com helps this decision was French-Iranian you get the best out of your visit entrepreneur Mehdi Bayat, now to football’s furthest corners and Belgian FA president, a former showcase stadiums. BELGIUM 2019-20 players’ agent and managing director 4-6 Brussels 17 Charleroi of Charleroi. He was one of 23 look promising for 2019-20, though, 28 Standard Liège individuals accused of involvement in with Vincent Kompany in charge.) 7 Stade Roi Baudouin 18 Sporting Charleroi 29 Mechelen the wide-ranging scandal of 2017-19. Genk, Gent and Standard Liège have 8 Anderlecht 19 Eupen 30 KV Mechelen all lifted the league crown since Average capacities are around 20,000, 9 Antwerp 20 KAS Eupen 31 Mouscron And yet, Belgian football carries on in 2009, along with record champions gates 10,000. Many, but not all, clubs 10 Royal Antwerp 21 Genk 32 Royal Excel Mouscron its own sweet, idiosyncratic way, as if Anderlecht and Club Bruges, whose have a membership scheme for nothing has happened. Which, unless home gates invariably top the admission. 11 Beveren 22 KRC Genk 33 Ostend you’re a Beerschot fan, it hasn’t. attendance table. 12 Waasland-Beveren 23 Ghent 34 KV Oostende Station to stadium 13 Bruges 24 KAA Gent 35 Sint-Truiden Unlike in Holland, a wider pool of As well as Bruges, Club fly the Belgium has two main airports, both 14 Jan Breydelstadion 25 Kortrijk 36 Sint-Truidense VV teams now win the Belgian League flag for Flanders, always heavily serving the capital: Brussels itself, 15 Cercle Bruges 26 KV Kortrijk – even formerly dominant Anderlecht, represented in Belgium’s 16-team top and budget hub Charleroi. Lesser 37 Waregem the main team in Brussels, suffered league compared to French-speaking ones, Ostend-Bruges and Liège, 16 Club Bruges 27 Liège 38 Zulte Waregem a dreadful season in 2018-19. (Things Wallonia. accommodate holiday charter flights. liberoguide.com 1 BELGIUM 2019-20 liberoguide.com/category/countries/belgium Trains (belgiantrain.be) are frequent two meet each other in a one-match BELGIUM and affordable – there’s a terminal semi (at the ground of the higher- at Brussels Airport. Brussels-Midi/ placed club from the regular season), BRUGES ANTWERP Zuid (everything is signposted in and the winner takes on the fourth- two languages, French and Flemish, OSTEND placed club from the championship even streets) station is where the GHENT BEVEREN play-offs. All this to enter the third Eurostar arrives direct from London. qualifying round of the Europa WAREGEM Buy train tickets online, from MECHELEN League. machines or at windows, foreign GENK credit cards accepted. The team finishing bottom of the BRUSSELS KORTRIJK First Division A in March goes down Around Flanders, city trams and automatically. SINT-TRUIDEN buses are run by De Lijn (delijn. MOUSCRON be), in Wallonia, TEC (infotec.be). LIÈGE EUPEN The First Division B comprises eight Brussels has its own company, STIB clubs. The season is divided, like (stib-mivb.be). Argentina’s, into opening and closing CHARLEROI rounds – the winners of each meet Major roads and motorways do over two legs. The winner of that is not require toll payments. Many automatically promoted. The play-off cities have blue zones for parking – losers, and third and fourth best- applicable Mon-Fri 9am-6pm/8pm. placed overall after the opening and Belgium closing rounds, enter the Europa Tables & trophies League play-offs as already outlined. The First Division A consists of 16 teams who play each other home The bottom four teams in the First and away. After each club plays Division B carry half their points over 30 games, the first six go into the (rounded-up) from the regular season championship play-offs for the title and take part in a mini relegation and European spots. Points already play-off league. The club finishing earned are halved and rounded-up to The runners-up are in the third Now here’s where it gets the kind of fourth from the lower tier, can reach bottom drops down to the Belgian full numbers, ie a club on 50 points qualifying round, third-placed team, bonkers only Belgium can do. The Europe. First Amateur Division. takes 26 with them. After ten more the Europa League group stage. Europa League play-offs involve all games, home and away, if a club is on teams finishing 7-15 in the regular Meanwhile, the sixth-placed club in This relatively straightforward third equal points with another, that half- season, plus those qualifying 2-4 the championships play-offs, in the tier involves 16 teams. The top four point counts against them. The Belgian Cup winners usually from the second-tier First Division B. case of 2019, Anderlecht, of all teams, join a promotion play-off league (half enter the second qualifying round of Points do not carry across from the get nowt. the points, rounded-up, carried over The club finishing top of the play-off the Europa League but this berth gets first two-thirds of the season – which from the regular season). The top league win the Belgian title and enter passed down if the trophy holders means, in theory, that the club The 12 teams in the EL play-offs team goes up. The bottom three in the the Champions League group stage. have already qualified. finishing 15th in March, or qualifying divide into two mini-leagues, the top main league season drop to the liberoguide.com 2 BELGIUM 2019-20 liberoguide.com/category/countries/belgium fourth-tier Second Amateur Division, BELGIUM the 13th-placed side play-off against promotion hopefuls from the fourth. That level comprises three divisions, two Flemish, one French, and the winners of each go up automatically. There’s also a Third Amateur Division (A-D), then four levels of provincial Stade Roi leagues. Baudouin As for the cup… all teams from these Christmas, with a league round four provincial levels have the right on Boxing Day. It starts again to face those from the Third Amateur in mid January and the regular League in Round 1. How these lesser season finishes in mid March. The side enter depends on rules that vary championship/Europa League play- from province to province – suffice to offs run from late March to mid May. say that in late July, 224 teams play 112 single unseeded matches, penalties on A typical Division A weekend would 90 minutes if needed. The teams from involve a Friday evening game at the Second Amateur Division enter 8.30pm, Saturday ones at 6pm and at Round 2 in early August, then First 8pm, then Sunday ones at 2.30pm, Amateur Division sides Round 3 in mid 6pm and 8pm. Occasionally there’s August. a Monday game at 8.30pm. Saturday afternoon and midweek games are First Division B sides arrive at Round rare. Match times are decided about a 5 in late August, again one match, not month or so ahead. seeded, but extra-time is played before any penalty shoot-out if needed. First Division B starts at the same time, Anderlecht Division A sides come in for Round 6 in the opening league finishing in late September. There are two rounds early November, the closing stage in December before the two-leg semi- beginning a week later. This runs until Entry level Average prices are €20 behind the finals in late January. The final takes late February, with a two-week break Bigger clubs have a membership goal, €30 along the sideline. Prices place in May at the Stade Roi Baudouin either side of New Year. The play-offs card scheme and, in the case of increase by 20% for a visit by a big in Brussels. run from mid March. Anderlecht, Liège and Club Bruges, club and/or local rival. A stand in the chances of getting a ticket for French and Flemish is a tribune. A Season’s dealings Games are played at 8.30pm most league fixtures are low. For a sector in Flemish is a vak. Uitvak is the The First Division A starts in late on Fridays, 5pm and 8.30pm on smaller team, Cercle Bruges, say, away sector for bezoekers, visitors.