2008–09 in Belgian football

The 2008–09 football season in Belgium, which is the 106th season of competitive football in the country.

Honours

Competition	Winner
First division	Standard Liège
Second division	Sint-Truiden
Third division A	Wetteren
Third division B	Turnhout
Promotion A	Coxyde
Promotion B	Temse
Promotion C	Heist
Promotion D	Bleid
Cup	Genk
Supercup	Standard Liège

League competitions

Belgian First Division

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Standard Liège (C)	34	24	5	5	66	26	+40	77^[a]	Qualification to Champions League group stage
2	Anderlecht	34	24	5	5	75	30	+45	77^[a]	Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round
3	Club Brugge	34	18	5	11	59	50	+9	59	Qualification to Europa League third qualifying round
4	Gent	34	17	8	9	67	42	+25	59	Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round
5	Zulte Waregem	34	16	7	11	55	36	+19	55
6	Westerlo	34	15	7	12	42	38	+4	52
7	Lokeren	34	13	12	9	40	32	+8	51
8	Genk	34	15	5	14	48	51	−3	50	Qualification to Europa League play-off round^[b]
9	Cercle Brugge	34	14	5	15	48	53	−5	47
10	Mechelen	34	12	10	12	46	52	−6	46
11	Mouscron	34	12	8	14	42	49	−7	44
12	Charleroi	34	12	7	15	43	48	−5	43
13	Germinal Beerschot	34	11	9	14	44	42	+2	42
14	Kortrijk	34	9	11	14	37	55	−18	38
15	Dender (R)	34	9	8	17	44	58	−14	35	Qualification to the Relegation play-offs
16	Roeselare (O)	34	8	6	20	33	59	−26	30	Qualification to the Relegation play-offs
17	Tubize (R)	34	7	6	21	35	77	−42	27	Relegation to 2009–10 Belgian Second Division
18	Mons (R)	34	3	10	21	31	57	−26	19	Relegation to 2009–10 Belgian Second Division

Source: soccerway.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of matches won; if teams are still tied a playoff is organised.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ ^a ^b The championship was decided in a playoff (see below).
^ Genk qualified for the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League by winning the 2008–09 Belgian Cup.

Belgian Second Division

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Sint-Truiden (C, P)	36	24	8	4	72	29	+43	80	Belgian First Division
2	Lierse (P)	36	22	9	5	75	40	+35	75	Belgian Second Division final round
3	Antwerp	36	17	10	9	55	32	+23	61
4	Waasland	36	16	7	13	56	48	+8	55
5	Tournai	36	14	12	10	53	41	+12	54
6	Tienen	36	14	11	11	58	49	+9	53
7	Oostende	36	13	14	9	54	51	+3	53
8	Ronse	36	15	7	14	54	52	+2	52
9	KVSK United	36	14	9	13	48	38	+10	51
10	Brussels	36	12	13	11	50	37	+13	49
11	RFC Liège	36	11	15	10	49	48	+1	48
12	OH Leuven	36	12	10	14	46	48	−2	46
13	Beveren	36	11	12	13	47	57	−10	45
14	Eupen	36	12	7	17	47	63	−16	43
15	Olympic Charleroi (R)	36	10	9	17	48	65	−17	39	Relegation to Belgian Third Division final round
16	Virton (R)	36	9	12	15	46	58	−12	39
17	Hamme (R)	36	9	9	18	48	64	−16	36
18	Deinze (R)	36	7	15	14	46	65	−19	36	Relegation to Belgian Third Division
19	UR Namur (R)	36	2	7	27	22	89	−67	13	Relegation to Belgian Third Division

Source: Belgian Second Division
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of matches won; if teams are still tied a playoff is organised.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

European Club Results

Note that the Belgian team's score is given first

As Cercle Brugge did not desire to play in the Intertoto Cup, Germinal Beerschot took their place but where immediately eliminated. Anderlecht suffered a painful defeat to BATE Borisov in the second qualification round of the Champions League, which did not even send them into the UEFA Cup. Gent also performed weak, losing immediately in their first match. Club Brugge got into the group stage but after drawing in every match against mostly weaker opponents, they finally succumbed at home to Copenhagen. Champions Standard Liège however provided stunning football as they came very close to keeping Liverpool out of the Champions League and then dropped into the UEFA Cup where they beat teams such as Everton, Sevilla, Partizan and Sampdoria before eventually going out against Braga in the last 16.

Date	Team	Competition	Round	Leg	Opponent	Location	Score
July 5 or 6	Germinal Beerschot	Intertoto Cup	Round 2	Leg 1, Home	Neftchi Baku	Het Kiel, Antwerp	1–1
July 12 or 13	Germinal Beerschot	Intertoto Cup	Round 2	Leg 2, Away	Neftchi Baku	Tofik Bakhramov Stadium, Baku	0–1
July 29 or 30	Anderlecht	Champions League	Qual. Round 2	Leg 1, Home	BATE Borisov	Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Anderlecht	1–2
August 5 or 6	Anderlecht	Champions League	Qual. Round 2	Leg 2, Away	BATE Borisov	Haradzki Stadium, Barysaw	2–2
August 12 or 13	Standard Liège	Champions League	Qual. Round 3	Leg 1, Home	Liverpool	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège	0–0
August 14	Gent	UEFA Cup	Qual. Round 2	Leg 1, Home	Kalmar FF	Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent	2–1
August 21	Gent	UEFA Cup	Qual. Round 2	Leg 2, Away	Kalmar FF	Fredriksskans, Kalmar	0–4
August 26 or 27	Standard Liège	Champions League	Qual. Round 3	Leg 2, Away	Liverpool	Anfield, Liverpool	0–1 (aet)
September 18	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Round 1	Leg 1, Away	Young Boys	Stade de Suisse, Bern	2–2
September 18	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Round 1	Leg 1, Away	Everton	Goodison Park, Liverpool	2–2
October 2	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Round 1	Leg 2, Home	Young Boys	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges	2–0
October 2	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Round 1	Leg 2, Home	Everton	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège	2–1
October 23	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 1, Away	Rosenborg	Lerkendal stadion, Trondheim	0–0
November 6	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 1, Home	Sevilla	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège	1–0
November 27	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 2, Home	Saint-Étienne	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges	1–1
November 27	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 2, Away	Partizan	Partizan Stadium, Belgrade	1–0
December 3	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 3, Home	Sampdoria	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège	3–0
December 4	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 3, Away	Valencia	Estadio Mestalla, Valencia	1–1
December 17	Club Brugge	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 4, Home	Copenhagen	Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges	0–1
December 18	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Group Stage	Match 4, Away	Stuttgart	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart	0–3
February 18	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Round of 32	Leg 1, Home	Braga	Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga	0–3
February 26	Standard Liège	UEFA Cup	Round of 32	Leg 2, Away	Braga	Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège	1–1

European qualification for 2008–09 summary

Competition	Qualifiers	Reason for Qualification
UEFA Champions League	Standard Liège	1st in Jupiler League
UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round for Non-Champions	Anderlecht	2nd in Jupiler League
UEFA Europa League Third Qualifying Round	Club Brugge	3rd in Jupiler League
UEFA Europa League Second Qualifying Round	Gent	4th in Jupiler League
UEFA Europa League Fourth Qualifying Round	Genk	Cup winner

References

[table_hth_STA0.86110422381251-1] The championship was decided in a playoff (see below).

[table_note_res_ELPR0.86110422381251-2] Genk qualified for the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League by winning the 2008–09 Belgian Cup.

[a]

[b]

v t e 2008–09 in Belgian football
« 2007–08 2009–10 »
League competitions	First Division Second Division
Cup competitions	Belgian Cup (Final) Super Cup
Transfers	Summer 2008 Winter 2008–09 Summer 2009
UEFA competitions	Champions League UEFA Cup
Related to national team	2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying (Group 5) René Vandereycken Franky Vercauteren
Club seasons
First Division	Anderlecht Cercle Brugge Charleroi Club Brugge Dender Genk Gent Germinal Beerschot Kortrijk Lokeren Mechelen Mons Mouscron Roeselare Standard Liège Tubize Westerlo Zulte-Waregem