 The 2008-2009 season in Belgium is going to be a very important one. Ever since the 1976-1977 season the top tier of Belgian football has had 18 teams competing for the title. But beginning with the 2009-2010 season the number is headed back to 16, a number not seen since 1973-74. The 1974-75 season was played with 20 - this is when RWD Molenbeek won its only title - and 1975-76 with 19. The League took this decision because of the pressures of the big clubs to get it reduced, on the argument that they want fewer "smaller" clubs lowering the level of the league. At first, they wanted it to go down to 14 with a complicated system of playoffs after the the regular season, which would basically have increased the number of games between the big clubs (and hope for more TV and sponsorship money).
This didn't go through though and in typical Belgian fashion a compromise of 16 was reached, but not without the hostility of the Division 2 clubs, who didn't want to hear about any reform (as they are undoubtedly the losers in this). In order to get the top division decreased, the bottom two of Division 1 will go down and the champions of Division 2 are sure to get promoted (leaving aside the licence question). Previously there were two promoted clubs, the second one coming from an end-of-season mini-league of four between the second-placed team and the three winners of "between season" leagues (a quite complicated system too long to explain). In 2008-2009 this league will also take place. Now, the top two of the mini-league will then face, in another mini-league, the 15th and 16th placed clubs of Division 1. Only the winners of this will play in division 1 the next season.
So if you followed this until the end, which I doubt, there could be up to four teams from Division 1 relegated, with a minimum of three. All this to point out that the pressure to stay up will be even more intense and that the coaches of the lower teams will undoubtedly feel it.
It's not a scoop to say that Belgian football is at its lowest. The national team (sometimes dubbed as the last remaining link between the country's two big linguistic communities, which is not even true anymore but this is another matter) has fallen to the depths of FIFA’s rankings and the only ray of light is the U21, who qualified for the Beijing Olympics for the first time since 1928. This didn't go down too well with some clubs as they didn't want to release their players for this event taking place at the same time as the Champions League qualifiers. At the end of the day another typically Belgian agreement was reached and a maximum of two players per club were selected for the Olympics.
Before a ball was kicked in the league Belgian football received another kick in the teeth: Anderlecht were dumped out of Europe by Belarusian champions BATE Borisov. This means that the European season is already over for the most prestigious Belgian club. While this may be a good laugh for all Anderlecht-haters (myself included) this can't be a good thing for the country. Already near the third-tier of European football (a big change from about 20-30 years ago, when Belgian clubs were amongst the best in Europe), it is sure to plunge the country even further down.
In such a climate, it is perhaps surprising that attendances are rising in the top division, with some success stories that are bringing a breath of fresh air in this Belgian gloom and doom.
So let's take a look at the teams:
 Standard (full name Royal Standard de Liège)
City: Liège (French) / Luik (Flemish)
Last Season: Champions
Coach: Lazlo Bölöni
Stadium: Maurice Dufrasne, commonly called Sclessin (the Liège suburb where it is located) - capacity 30023
Colours: Red and White
Nickname: Les Rouches
Champions: 9
Cup Wins: 5
Cup Winners Cup finalists: 1982
Last season, Standard famously won the title for the first time since 1983. It had become a running joke in Belgium. For example: how did you recognize a very old car? Those who have a "Standard Champions" sticker on it. This is no more and this victory was over-celebrated and over-hyped in the French-speaking media. Standard have one of the most passionate fan bases in Belgium and is the flagship of Wallonia, the French-speaking region, although they attract fans in Flanders and Brussels as well. Club legend and former goalkeeper Michel Preud'homme guided them to the title with a young squad but to everyone's astonishment and in typical Standard style (a very unstable club), didn't sign a new contract and left the club for AA Gent. The new coach is former Romanian international Lazlo Bölöni, who coached a few teams in France and who has only signed for one season in Liège. Actually, it is rumoured that the club is waiting for ex-star player Eric Gerets to finally lead his beloved Standard. So what's to expect of a season with a coach that will only be there for one year? Pundits are giving them not much of a chance but expect a fight from them. The Champions League (a competition in which the club has never featured) will probably just consist of two games vs the Mighty Liverpool FC and if, as expected, the club doesn't qualify for the groups, some star players like Belgian international Marouane Felhani, want-away Serbian striker Jovanovic and Congo international Mbokani could be sold to fill the directors' pockets.
 Anderlecht (full name Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht)
City: Bruxelles (French) / Brussel (Flemish)
Last season: Runners-up, Cup Winners
Coach: Ariël Jacobs
Stadium: Constant Vanden Stock (also known as Astrid Park) - capacity 26361
Colours: Purple and White
Nickname: Les Mauves
Champions: 29
Cup Wins: 9
Cup Winners Cup Wins: 2 (1976, 1978) - Finalists: 2 (1977, 1990)
UEFA Cup Wins: 1 (1983) - Finalists: 1 (1984), Fairs Cup: 1 (1970)
Anderlecht began their centenary season in a catastrophic way, being deservedly kicked out of the Champions League by unknown Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov. It is estimated that the club will lose about 15 million euros this season without Europe. While the biggest and most successful Belgian club are not the force they once were in Europe, this is still a huge setback. The club will be forced to sell some of their 30-man strong squad, built to challenge on several fronts. This is obviously too big for domestic competitions only. Chairman Roger Vanden Stock (son of Constant, of Nottingham Forest bribe fame) has said that a 30th Belgian league table is an absolute must. Such is the sense of delusion and arrogance from this club that some players declared before the Borisov game that they were facing no more than an average second division club. Coach is Ariël Jacobs, formerly of Belgium U21, RWDM, La Louvière and Genk, an intelligent and modest man (an oddity for this club). Expect him to get the sack if the title is not delivered. Coaches rarely last more than two seasons in the Astrid Park, such is the pressure there. The Brussels club start the season as favourites but it remains to be seen how they are going to cope after their European hell.
 FC Bruges (full name Club Brugge KV)
City: Brugge (Flemish) / Bruges (French)
Last season: 3rd
Coach: Jacky Matthijssen
Stadium: Jan Breydel - capacity 29975
Colours: Blue and Black
Nickname: Blauw en Zwart, “Club”
Champions: 13
Cup Wins: 10
Champions Cup finalists: 1 (1978)
UEFA Cup finalists: 1 (1976)
FC Bruges are one of the "big 3". Always there or thereabouts, they have a big following in Flanders and even in Wallonia. They led the table for most of the time last season before running out luck and being overtaken by Standard and Anderlecht. In May, they lost their Belgian international forward François Sterchele, who was killed in a car accident. How they are going to overcome this tragic loss is the question. Long-renowned for their attacking brand of football, this is not the case anymore under coach Jacky Matthijsen (a former goalkeeper), an arrogant and controversial personality nicknamed "the little Mourinho", who took over in 2007. They have not won the title since 2005, which is a long time for this club. They could be the main challenger to Anderlecht.
 Cercle Bruges (full name Cercle Brugge KSV)
City: Brugge (Flemish) / Bruges (French)
Last season: 4th
Coach: Glen De Boeck
Stadium: Jan Breydel - capacity 29975
Colours: Green and Black
Nickname: Groen-Zwart
Champions: 3
Cup Wins: 2
Cercle were the big surprise of last season. A mixture of young local players and a few experienced foreigners, the team led by rookie coach Glen De Boeck (former Belgian international, KV Mechelen and Anderlecht player) surprised many bigger sides by their brand of attacking football and fearless approach. Even challenging for the title at one point, they somewhat lost their momentum when their best player, U21 international Tom De Sutter, suffered a serious knee injury. This season the surprise factor will not be there anymore but with a fit De Sutter (who has vowed to stay despite interest from Anderlecht and several Dutch clubs) and Thomas Buffel in from Rangers, they are expected to confirm. Cercle have always been the poor relations in Bruges, the "Venice of the North" and the most beautiful city in Belgium. They share their stadium with their big local rivals, FC Bruges. While “Club” are always playing in front of sell-out crowds, only a few thousands would watch the Green and Blacks. But this could change as more and more local people are interested in a resurgent Cercle. They have already sold 5000 season tickets, a club record, and while FC Bruges draw their fans from all over Flanders (and even further in Wallonia), Cercle are very much "de ploeg van 't stad", the team of the city. They used to find good foreign players and sell them for big transfer fees in order to survive (Morten Olsen, Benny Nielsen, Josip Weber are just a few examples) but since the Bosman law, they have had to rely heavily on local youth. This new policy is now paying dividends for this friendly club.
 GBA (full name KFC Germinal Beerschot Antwerpen)
City: Antwerpen (Flemish) / Anvers (French)
Last season: 5th
Coach: Harm Van Veldhoven
Stadium: Olympic Stadium 1920, or Kiel - capacity 12771
Colours: Purple, Yellow, Red and White
Champions: Beerschot 7
Cup Wins: GBA: 1, Beerschot: 2, Germinal Ekeren: 1
Beerschot were once a big name in Belgian football. One of the best clubs before WW2, winning seven titles, they still enjoyed some success after that. But by the end of the Nineties they were in big financial trouble and were playing in D3. Meanwhile, the story of Germinal Ekeren could not be more different. A small club from the suburbs of northern Antwerp (while Beerschot hails from the South of this big port), they had a meteoric rise to the top flight. From 1981 to 1989, they went from the provincial series to D1. In 1991 they were facing Celtic in Europe. They played 3 Cup finals, winning one in 1997 by beating Anderlecht. But they were still playing in a tiny stadium in front of small crowds. In 1999, a deal was struck between both clubs. Germinal moved to the old 1920 Olympic stadium and changed their name to Germinal Beerschot (they kept the colours of both clubs - the Purple and White of Beerschot and the Yellow and Red of Germinal).
Today, almost nothing of Germinal (apart from the name) remains. The fans are mostly those of Beerschot and they play in a purple kit. The new club are doing quite well, winning a Cup in 2005 but they have never really threatened at the top. Led by Harm Van Veldhoven (a former RWDM forward), a coach who likes attacking football, they enjoyed a good season last year, finishing 5th and qualifying for the Intertoto cup (where they thrown out by Azerbaijan's Neftchi Baku...). This season could be more difficult as Argentine playmaker Losada left for Anderlecht but former centre-forward (and RWDM player) Paul Kpaka is back. GBA are currently the only team from Belgium’s second-largest city, Antwerp, to play in D1. Their bitter rivals and oldest Belgian club, Royal Antwerp FC, are now in D2.
 Ghent (full name KAA Gent)
City: Gent (Flemish) / Gand (French) – the club is sometimes referred as “La Gantoise”, from their old French name.
Last season: 6th, Cup finalists
Coach: Michel Preud'homme
Stadium: Jules Otten - capacity 12919
Colours: Blue and White
Nickname: The Buffalos (because Buffalo Bill was in Ghent when the club was created)
Cup Wins: 2
AA Gent, the club from the city of the Counts of Flanders (whose castle is seated majestically in the centre of town) in Oost-Vlaanderen are ambitious. Plans for a new stadium (a rarity in Belgium) are well underway and they have lured Michel Preud'homme away from Standard, fresh from winning a long-awaited title for the Liège club. Chairman Yvan De Witte was the main driving force behind the league reforms. Preud'homme has inherited most of squad from Norwegian coach Trond Sollied, who left for Heerenveen and who narrowly lost in the cup final vs Anderlecht. While it may be too soon to challenge for the title, AA Gent could be a force to be reckoned with in Belgium in the next few years. Despite the size of the town, they have never been crowned champions. This is certainly what De Witte is now aiming for. In Europe, Gent will play Swedish team Kalmar FF.
 Zulte-Waregem (full name SV Zulte-Waregem)
City: Waregem (Flemish/French)
Last season: 7th
Coach: Franky Dury
Stadium: Regenboog (Rainbow) or Gaverbeek - capacity 8500
Colours: Red, Green and Yellow
Nickname: Essevee
Cup Wins: Waregem: 1, Zulte-Waregem: 1
When in 2001, KSV Waregem (then in Division 4) was expelled by the Belgian FA and lost their matricule (like RWDM in 2002), neighbouring Division 3 club Zulte, from an even smaller town, changed their name into SV Zulte-Waregem and moved to the vacant Regenboog stadium.
KSV Waregem had enjoyed some success, winning a Cup in 1974 and qualifying for Europe a few times (they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1986, beating AC Milan along the way). The new club reached D1 in 2005 and won the Cup in their first top-flight season. Then they had a good spell in Europe, beating Lokomotiv Moscow and getting through the UEFA Cup group stages. Led by Franky Dury, a refreshing young coach, the club looks to have stabilized in D1 and should enjoy a quiet season once more.
 Charleroi (full name Royal Charleroi Sporting Club)
City: Charleroi (French/Flemish)
Last season: 8th
Coach: Thierry Siquet
Stadium: Stade du Pays de Charleroi, or Le Mambour - capacity 24981
Colours: Black and White
Nickname: Les Zèbres (the Zebras)
Charleroi is the second-largest city of Wallonia, a former industrial and mining place much derided in the rest of the country because of insecurity, high unemployment, corruption and numerous political scandals - this city is "owned" by the Socialist Party whose local members think they are above the law. Despite all that, the city's biggest club (local rivals Olympic are in the second division) are in better shape than a few years ago, when there were heavily in debt. Sporting was taken over by the Bayat family, who are Iranian businessmen. Controversial they may be (every month or so, there are problems between them and the Belgian FA), they have put the club back on track with some shrewd transfer wheeling and dealing. Last season the president put a lot of pressure on the club by declaring that they were aiming for nothing less than the title. Charleroi never challenged of course but on their day, they can beat anyone. The League top scorer, Nigerian Joseph Akpala, has been sold to FC Bruges but the squad is still strong enough to finish in the first half of the table. But no more than that, despite what the Bayats may say.
 Westerlo (full name KVC Westerlo)
City: Westerlo (Flemish/French)
Last season: 9th
Coach: Jan Ceulemans
Stadium: Het Kuipje (The Little Kuip, after the famous Feyenoord stadium) - capacity 10790
Colours: Yellow and Blue
Cup Wins: 1
Westerlo are the role model for all small clubs. They came from nowhere in 1997 (promoted from their "home" of D4 to D1 in a few years) and since then have remained in the top flight, winning a Belgian Cup in the process in 2001. The club from a small town in Antwerp province is known for playing attractive football in their tiny stadium and are always a pleasure to watch. The running of the club is top class and they never try to punch above their weight. Coach Jan Ceulemans, a former Red Devils legend, returned last year after an unsuccessful spell at his former club, FC Bruges. Once more, they have a strong enough squad to spend a worry-free season and claim a few big names as usual.
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