Belgian Football Association
Encyclopedia
The Royal Belgian Football Association (KBVB [ˈkaː ˈbeː ˈveː ˈbeː] , URBSFA or KBFV) (Dutch
: Koninklijke Belgische Voetbalbond [ˈko.ˌnɪŋk.ləkə ˈbɛl.ˌʝi.sə ˈvut.bɑl.ˌbɔnt] ; French
: Union royale belge des sociétés de football association; German
: Königliche Belgische Fußballverband) is the governing body of football in Belgium
. It is based in Brussels
, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium
.
The Royal Belgian Football Association organizes the Belgium men's, women's
and youth national teams. It also runs the Belgian football league system
, which includes the following competitions:
, both federations decided to reinvest the reported profit of €10 million each in the development of youth players. The KBVB decided to invest half of the €10 million in building of a National Centre for football in Tubize
. The first stone of the building, however, was not laid before 8 April 2005, and is still not yet used nowadays.
, the final of the third division final round was played between Namur and Verbroedering Geel
, and won by Geel. However, the club did not receive its license
and could not access to the second division
, allowing Namur to be promoted. Geel eventually gained its license in appeal in front of the License Appeal Commission, a decision that Namur contested by asking a summary judgement from the court of Namur, in July of 2007.
The tribunal of Namur cancelled the decision to grant the license to Geel, but did not allow Namur to play the second division. The Football Association subsequently announced that both clubs would play the third division in 2008-09. Both clubs then asked for a summary judgement, respectively in front of the courts of Namur and Turnhout.
On 7 September 2007, the court of Namur suspended the second and third division until a decision is taken. It was finally decided that both clubs would play the second division, with the consequence that a series of the third division would be played between 15 clubs (instead of 16) and the second division would be played between 19 clubs (instead of 18).
, a case of corruption during the 2004–05 season involving players of the club of Geel came to light. The Football Association decided that Geel, which qualified for the second division final round by finishing third in the second division, would not play the final round and would be replaced by Waasland. Geel subsequently went to court of Brussels and the justice allowed Geel to play the final round.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: Koninklijke Belgische Voetbalbond [ˈko.ˌnɪŋk.ləkə ˈbɛl.ˌʝi.sə ˈvut.bɑl.ˌbɔnt] ; French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Union royale belge des sociétés de football association; German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Königliche Belgische Fußballverband) is the governing body of football in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It is based in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, not far from the King Baudouin Stadium
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition...
.
The Royal Belgian Football Association organizes the Belgium men's, women's
Belgium women's national football team
The Belgium women's national football team represents Belgium in international women's football. They are currently 33rd at the FIFA Women's World Rankings.-World Cup record:- UEFA Women's Championship Record :*1984 : did not qualify...
and youth national teams. It also runs the Belgian football league system
Belgian football league system
The Belgian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Belgium.-The system:Below shows how the current system works. For each division, its official name, sponsorship name and number of clubs is given...
, which includes the following competitions:
- Belgian Pro League
- Second divisionBelgian Second DivisionThe Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...
- Third divisionBelgian Third DivisionThe Belgian Third Division is the third highest level in Belgian football. It has two leagues of 18 teams each at the same level. This competition, known as the Belgian Promotion was first played in the 1926-27 season with three leagues, then with four leagues between 1931 and 1952. From 1952...
- PromotionBelgian PromotionThe Belgian Promotion is the lowest nationwide division in Belgian football. Since 1905, Promotion has been the name of the lowest nationwide level but it is the fourth one since 1952. There were already 4 leagues at the time . The champion of the Promotion is declared to be the winner of a...
- Provincial leaguesBelgian Provincial leaguesThe Belgian Provincial leagues are the lower leagues for Belgian football. It is divided into 9 regional league systems . Each league system is itself divided into 4 levels...
- CupBelgian CupThe Belgian Cup is the main knockout football competition in Belgium, run by the Belgian Football Association. The first cup was held in 1911-12. The most successful cup club is Club Brugge KV with 10 titles followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard de Liège...
- SupercupBelgian SupercupThe Belgian Supercup is a Belgian club competition played on a single match at the league champion venue since 2004 and formerly at the Stade Roi Baudouin, between the winner of the last Belgian Pro League and that of the last Belgian Cup. If both teams are the same, the opponent is declared to...
- Futsal competitions
- Women's competitions
Criticism
In recent years, the KBVB has been criticized by many observers and on many topics, including the building of the National Centre, the reform of the first division, the dismissal fee for national team manager René Vandereycken, and the decision of non-relegating teams convicted of cheating (including Verbroedering Geel several times).National Centre
After organizing UEFA Euro 2000 together with the KNVBRoyal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues , the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch national football team. It is based in the municipality of Zeist.The KNVB came into being on 8 December 1889...
, both federations decided to reinvest the reported profit of €10 million each in the development of youth players. The KBVB decided to invest half of the €10 million in building of a National Centre for football in Tubize
Tubize
Tubize is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1 2006 Tubize had a total population of 22,335. The total area is 32.66 km² which gives a population density of 684 inhabitants per km²....
. The first stone of the building, however, was not laid before 8 April 2005, and is still not yet used nowadays.
The Geel – Namur promotion incident
At the end of 2006–07 season2006-07 in Belgian football
The 2006-2007 season is the 113th competitive season in Belgian football.-Overview:Following promotion from the Belgian Second Division, Mons have returned to the Belgian First Division immediately after dropping to the second division during the 2004-2005 season...
, the final of the third division final round was played between Namur and Verbroedering Geel
K.F.C. Verbroedering Geel
K.F.C. Verbroedering Geel was a Belgian association football club, from the city of Geel in Antwerp .-History:The club was born in 1912 and registered in 1924 to the Belgian Football Association receiving the matricule n° 395. It played for the first time in the second division in 1985–86...
, and won by Geel. However, the club did not receive its license
Belgian remunerated football license
The Belgian remunerated football license is a license giving permission to a Belgian football club to play in the Belgian Second Division. It is delivered by the Belgian Football Association...
and could not access to the second division
Belgian Second Division
The Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...
, allowing Namur to be promoted. Geel eventually gained its license in appeal in front of the License Appeal Commission, a decision that Namur contested by asking a summary judgement from the court of Namur, in July of 2007.
The tribunal of Namur cancelled the decision to grant the license to Geel, but did not allow Namur to play the second division. The Football Association subsequently announced that both clubs would play the third division in 2008-09. Both clubs then asked for a summary judgement, respectively in front of the courts of Namur and Turnhout.
On 7 September 2007, the court of Namur suspended the second and third division until a decision is taken. It was finally decided that both clubs would play the second division, with the consequence that a series of the third division would be played between 15 clubs (instead of 16) and the second division would be played between 19 clubs (instead of 18).
The Geel incident (2006)
At the end of the 2005–06 season2005-06 in Belgian football
The 2005-2006 season was the 112th competitive season in Belgian football.-Overview:For the first season since 2000, the football fancard is not needed to see a first division game. Tickets for matches can now be purchased with a single ID card and on the day of the match, which was not permitted...
, a case of corruption during the 2004–05 season involving players of the club of Geel came to light. The Football Association decided that Geel, which qualified for the second division final round by finishing third in the second division, would not play the final round and would be replaced by Waasland. Geel subsequently went to court of Brussels and the justice allowed Geel to play the final round.
Chairmen
- 2006–present: François de Keersmaecker
- 2001–2005: Jan PeetersJan PeetersJan Peeters is a Flemish politician and member of the Different Socialist Party . He is a Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and was a Secretary of State for four years. He was a minister for a short while in 1999 following the resignation of Marcel Colla. He is also the Mayor of...
- 1987–2001: Michel D'Hooghe
- 1967–1987: Louis Wouters
- 1951–1967: Georges Hermesse
- 1945–1951: Francis Dessain
- 1937–1943: Oscar van Kesbeeck
- 1929–1937: Rodolphe-William Seeldrayers
- 1924–1929: CountCountA count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Joseph d'Oultremont - 1895–1924: BaronBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Edouard de LaveleyeEdouard de LaveleyeBaron Edouard de Laveleye was the first chairman of the Belgian Football Association , and the president of the Belgian Olympic Committee. For his services, he was made the first honorary member of FIFA...
External links
Official website- http://www.dhnet.be/dhjournal/archives_det.phtml?id=777995
- Belgium at FIFA site
- Belgium at UEFA site