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Standard Liège

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Standard Liège
Full nameRoyal Standard de Liège
Nickname(s)Les Rouches (The Reds)
Founded1898; 126 years ago (1898)
GroundStade Maurice Dufrasne
Capacity27,670[1]
Owner777 Partners
Head coachIvan Leko
LeagueBelgian Pro League
2023–24Belgian Pro League, 12th of 16
Websitehttp://www.standard.be/
Current season

Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (French: [stɑ̃daʁ ljɛʒ]; Dutch: Standard Luik [ˈstɑndɑrt ˈlœyk]; German: Standard Lüttich [ˈstandaʁt ˈlʏtɪç, ˈʃtan-]) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.

They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won the Belgian league on ten occasions, most recently in 2007–08 and 2008–09. They have been in the top flight without interruption since 1921, longer than any other Belgian side. They have also won eight Belgian Cups, and in 1981–82 they reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, which they lost 2–1 against Barcelona.[2]

Standard players are nicknamed les Rouches [le ʁuʃ] because of their red jerseys. The French word for red, rouge, when pronounced with a Liège accent, sounds like rouche.

In March 2022, Standard Liège was acquired by US-based private investment firm 777 Partners.[3] In October 2024 it was announced that 777 partners were declared bankrupt by a London court, making the future ownership unclear.

History

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Flag waving at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne

On the first day of school in September 1898, the pupils of Collège Saint-Servais in Liège started a football club, which they called Standard of Liège in reference to Standard Athletic Club of Paris.[4] Standard, whose official name is Royal Standard Club of Liège, was based in Cointe and Grivegnée before settling permanently in 1909 in Sclessin, an industrial neighbourhood in Liège.[4] Standard initially joined the Belgian First League in 1909 before returning to the lower leagues a few years later. The club then gained promotion back to the top division in 1921 and has never been relegated since.[4][5]

Shortly after World War II, Roger Petit, a former player and team captain, became general secretary of the club. Petit worked alongside President Henrard Paul to establish Standard among the elite of Belgian football. In 1954, Standard won their first club trophy, the Belgian Cup, which was soon followed by a first national title in 1957–58.

At European level, in the 1960s, the club reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1961–62, falling to beaten finalists Real Madrid 0–6 on aggregate,[6] and the same stage of the Cup Winners' Cup in the year 1966–67, losing to eventual champions Bayern Munich.[7] The 1960s and early 1970s brought much success to the club, as Standard won six Belgian First Division titles, two Belgian Cups and a League Cup.

Standard fan group, Ultras Inferno 96, celebrating their 15-year anniversary in July 2012.

Driven by the Austrian Ernst Happel, Standard won the Belgian Cup again in 1981. The following year, Raymond Goethals took control of the team. Playing by the "Raymond Science" philosophy of football, the club was twice the champions of Belgium, twice winners of the Belgian Supercup (in three appearances) and reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1982. Standard played against Barcelona in the final at the Camp Nou on 12 May 1982, losing the match 1–2 to the Spaniards.[4][8]

In 1984, these exploits were tainted by the revelation of the Standard-Waterschei Affair [fr]. Just days before the match against Barcelona, to secure the championship of Belgium and guard against last minute injuries, Standard had approached Roland Janssen, the captain of Thor Waterschei, to ensure that Thor players threw the final game of the season.[4] This scandal involved several players, including Eric Gerets, and coach Raymond Goethals, who fled to Portugal to escape suspension.[4] In compensation the Standard players gave their game bonuses to the Waterschei players.[4] Following the scandal, Standard was deprived of many of its playing staff due to long-term suspensions and it took the club several years to recover from the incident.

On 6 June 1993, Standard won the Belgian Cup for the fifth time in its history, defeating Robert Waseige's Charleroi at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels.[9] This led to another appearance in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, ending in a record 10–0 aggregate defeat to Arsenal— having lost 3–0 at Highbury in London, Standard were humiliated 0–7 in the second leg at home.[citation needed]

Following the scandal of 1982, it took 25 years before Standard won the Belgium Championship again, lifting the title on 20 April 2008.[4] The club won the Belgian league again the following year, securing the club's tenth league title on 24 May 2009 after a home-and-away game against rivals Anderlecht.[4] Standard won the national cup once more in 2011, defeating Westerlo 2–0 in the final at the King Baudouin Stadium on 21 May 2011.[9] The club was bought by businessman Roland Duchatelet on 23 June 2011,[10] who then took over English club Charlton in December 2013, creating an affiliation between the two clubs.[11]

On 20 October 2014, Guy Luzon resigned as manager of Standard with the club sitting in 12th position in the Pro League standings and having taken only two points from three UEFA Europa League matches.[12] Luzon later became head coach of Charlton.[13] Assistant and former midfielder Ivan Vukomanović took over as caretaker-manager.[12]

Golden Shoe

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On nine occasions, Standard players have won the Belgian Golden Shoe as the best player in the domestic league.[14] Jean Nicolay won the award in 1963, Wilfried Van Moer in 1969 and 1970, Christian Piot in 1972, Eric Gerets in 1982, Sérgio Conceição in 2005, Steven Defour in 2007, Axel Witsel in 2008 and Milan Jovanović in 2009.[14]

Rivalries

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Standard Liège supporters share a fierce rivalry with RSC Anderlecht, dubbed the Belgian "Clasico".[15] The rivalry not only reflects the traditional geographical one between the two cities of Liège and Brussels, but also a class divide, with Anderlecht being perceived as the team of the bourgeois elite and Standard, based in an industrial district, as the workers club. The two teams were also the two most successful teams in Belgium for long periods until the emergence of Club Brugge.[15] Many players have played for both clubs, most notably Standard title winning captain Steven Defour, who when returning to Sclessin under Anderlecht's purple colours was greeted with a large tifo with his head decapitated.[16]

Standard also has a traditional city derbies with RFC Seraing and RFC Liège.[17] In recent years, they have also developed a rivalry with fellow Walloon club Sporting Charleroi, with several matches having been stopped due to crowd disturbances between the two sets of supporters.[18]

Matches with Limburgish clubs Racing Genk and STVV also are characterised with heightened tensions. This is due to the proximity of Genk and Sint-Truiden with the city of Liège and the historical ties of the mining and steel industries of these regions in Belgium. The rivalry between Standard and Racing Genk was fueled by the events of 17 May 2011.[19] In this title match Standard winger Mehdi Carcela was hit in the face with a tackle by Genk defender Chris Mavinga. Carcela lost consciousness and was subbed off. Mavinga was not sent off after his reckless intervention. Genk went on to win the title with 1–1 draw, but it left many Standard fans with a sour taste.

Honours

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Domestic

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Continental

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Invitational

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European record

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Competition A GP W D L GF GA
European Cup / UEFA Champions League 14 58 25 10 23 87 73
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 6 36 19 5 12 68 49
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League 23 139 59 35 45 193 182
UEFA Intertoto Cup 3 20 8 10 2 25 16

A = appearances, GP = games played, W = won, D = drawn, L = lost, GF = goals for, GA = goals against.

Summary of best results

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From the quarter-finals upwards:

semi-finalists in 1962
quarter-finalists in 1959, 1970 and 1972
runners-up in 1982
semi-finalists in 1967
quarter-finalists in 1968
quarter-finalists in 1981 and 2010
runners-up in 1996
semi-finalists in 2000

Players

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Current squad

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As of 6 September 2024[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
3 DF Belgium BEL Nathan Ngoy
4 DF Croatia CRO Boško Šutalo
5 DF Belgium BEL Boli Bolingoli
6 MF Greece GRE Sotiris Alexandropoulos (on loan from Sporting)
7 MF Croatia CRO Marko Bulat (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
8 MF Northern Ireland NIR Isaac Price
9 FW Switzerland SUI Andi Zeqiri (on loan from Genk)
10 FW Montenegro MNE Viktor Đukanović (on loan from Hammarby IF)
11 FW Germany GER Dennis Eckert (on loan from Union SG)
13 DF United States USA Marlon Fossey
14 MF Belgium BEL Léandre Kuavita
15 DF Ivory Coast CIV Souleyman Doumbia
16 GK Belgium BEL Arnaud Bodart
17 DF Belgium BEL Ilay Camara (on loan from RWD Molenbeek)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW The Gambia GAM Muhammed Badamosi (on loan from Čukarički)
21 FW Morocco MAR Soufiane Benjdida
24 MF Australia AUS Aiden O'Neill (captain)
25 DF Belgium BEL Ibe Hautekiet
30 GK Belgium BEL Laurent Henkinet
31 DF Belgium BEL Daan Dierckx
33 MF Rwanda RWA Hakim Sahabo
40 GK Belgium BEL Matthieu Epolo
44 DF Scotland SCO David Bates
45 GK Belgium BEL Tom Poitoux
51 DF Belgium BEL Lucas Noubi
54 DF Belgium BEL Alexandro Calut
55 FW Morocco MAR Brahim Ghalidi
88 DF England ENG Henry Lawrence
As of 24 July 2024

SL16 FC

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SL16 FC is the reserve/U23 squad of Standard that plays in the third-tier Belgian National Division 1.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF Morocco MAR Samy Tory
5 DF Senegal SEN Birame Diaw
6 DF Croatia CRO Mate Šimičić
7 MF Belgium BEL Steeven Assengue
8 MF Belgium BEL Noah Sy
10 MF Belgium BEL Adrien Giunta
11 MF Netherlands NED Junior van Beveren
12 FW Belgium BEL Amine Benfriha
13 GK Belgium BEL Matteo Godfroid
18 GK Belgium BEL Noah Radelet
20 MF Belgium BEL Noah Makembo-Ntemo
23 MF Belgium BEL Rabby Mateta Pepa
27 DF Belgium BEL Thiago Paulo da Silva
No. Pos. Nation Player
28 DF Belgium BEL Oscar Olivier
31 DF Belgium BEL Noah Dodeigne
32 MF Belgium BEL Afonso N'Salambi
38 MF Belgium BEL Gabriel Pires de Carvalho
42 FW Morocco MAR Anisse Brrou
46 MF Luxembourg LUX Rayan Berberi
50 FW Mali MLI Boubou Diallo
90 DF Germany GER Faroukou Cissé
GK Belgium BEL Elias Mago

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Mali MLI Moussa Djenepo (to Antalyaspor until 30 June 2025)
MF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Noah Mawete Kinsiona (to Lierse Kempenzonen until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
FW France FRA Grejohn Kyei (to Charleroi until 30 June 2025)

Notable players

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Most appearances

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Rank Player Standard career Apps
1 Luxembourg Guy Hellers 1983–2000 474
2 Belgium Gilbert Bodart 1981–96, 1997–98 469
3 Belgium Guy Vandersmissen 1978–91 465
4 Belgium Léon Semmeling 1959–74 449

Most goals

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Rank Player Standard career Goals (App.)
1 Belgium Jean Capelle 1929–44 245 (285)
2 Belgium Roger Claessen 1956–68 161 (229)
3 Belgium Maurice Gillis 1919–35 124 (275)

Captains

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Player's name in bold when Standard won the title

     

Club officials

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Position Staff
Press Officer Belgium Olivier Smeets
Global Sports Director Germany Johannes Spors
Sporting director Republic of Ireland Fergal Harkin
Head coach Croatia Ivan Leko
First-team coach Scotland Frazer Robertson
First-team coach Belgium Geoffrey Valenne
Goalkeeping coach Belgium Jean-François Gillet
Fitness coach France Léo Djaoui
Belgium Renaat Philippaerts
Belgium Kevin Miny
Video analysis manager England Nathan Kirby
Video analyst Belgium Lovic Mandela Sound
Team Doctor Belgium Bertrand Vanden Bulck
Physiotherapist Belgium Ludovic Depreter
Team Manager Belgium Piero Rossi
Player Liaison Officer Belgium Ricardo Carvalho

Coaches

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Dates Name
July 1912 – June 1916 England Charles Bunyan, Sr.
July 1916 – June 1922 Belgium Camille van Hoorden
July 1922 – June 1924 England Lamport
Belgium Pierre Kogel
July 1924 – June 1930 England Percy Wilding Hartley
July 1930 – June 1932 Belgium Maurice Grisard
July 1932 – June 1935 England Percy Wilding Hartley
July 1935 – June 1936 Belgium Jean Dupont
July 1936 – March 1937 England Percy Wilding Hartley
April 1937 – Nov 1938 Belgium Emile Riff
Dec 1938 – June 1939 Belgium Jean Dupont
July 1939 – June 1940 Belgium Maurice Grisard
July 1940 – June 1942 Belgium René Dohet
July 1942 – June 1945 Belgium Fernand Wertz
July 1945 – June 1950 Belgium Marcelin Waroux
July 1950 – June 1951 Belgium Antoine Basleer
July 1951 – June 1953 Belgium Maurice Grisard
July 1953 – June 1958 France André Riou
July 1958 – June 1961 Hungarian People's Republic Géza Kalocsay
Dates Name
July 1961 – June 1963 France Jean Prouff
July 1963 – Nov 1964 France Auguste Jordan
Dec 1964 – June 1968 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Pavić
July 1968 – June 1973 France René Hauss
July 1973 – Oct 1973 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Vlatko Marković
Nov 1973 – June 1974 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ned Bulatović
July 1974 – Dec 1975 Netherlands Cor van der Hart
Jan 1976 – June 1976 Belgium Maurice Lempereur
France Lucien Leduc
July 1976 – June 1979 Belgium Robert Waseige
July 1979 – June 1981 Austria Ernst Happel
July 1981 – Feb 1984 Belgium Raymond Goethals
March 1984 – June 1984 Belgium Léon Semmeling
July 1984 – April 1985 Luxembourg Louis Pilot
May 1985 – Feb 1987 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Pavić
Feb 1986 – June 1987 Germany Helmut Graf
July 1987 – Sept 1987 Belgium René Desaeyere
Oct 1987 – March 1988 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Pavić
April 1988 – June 1988 Belgium Jozef Vliers
Dates Name
July 1988 – June 1989 Belgium Urbain Braems
July 1989 – June 1991 Germany Georg Kessler
July 1991 – Dec 1993 Netherlands Arie Haan
Jan 1994 – June 1994 Belgium René Vandereycken
July 1994 – June 1996 Belgium Robert Waseige
July 1996 – June 1997 Belgium Jos Daerden
Jul 1997 – Oct 1997 Netherlands Aad de Mos
Nov 1997 – March 1998 Belgium Daniel Boccar
April 1998 – June 1998 Croatia Luka Peruzović
July 1998 – Sept 1999 Croatia Tomislav Ivić
Oct 1999 – Dec 1999 Croatia Željko Mijač
Jan 2000 – May 2000 Belgium Jean Thissen
Belgium Henri Depireux
May 2000 – Dec 2000 Croatia Tomislav Ivić
Dec 2000 – Jan 2001 Belgium Dominique D'Onofrio
Belgium Christian Labarbe
Jan 2001 – June 2002 Belgium Michel Preud'homme
Jun 2002 – Oct 2002 Belgium Robert Waseige
Oct 2002 – June 2006 Belgium Dominique D'Onofrio
Dates Name
Jul 2006 – Sep 2006 Netherlands Johan Boskamp
Sept 2006 – June 2008 Belgium Michel Preud'homme
June 2008 – Feb 2010 Romania László Bölöni
Feb 2010 – June 2011 Belgium Dominique D'Onofrio
July 2011 – May 2012 Belgium José Riga
May 2012 – Oct 2012 Netherlands Ron Jans
Oct 2012 – May 2013 Romania Mircea Rednic
May 2013 – Oct 2014 Israel Guy Luzon
Nov 2014 – Feb 2015 Serbia Ivan Vukomanović
Feb 2015 – Jun 2015 Belgium José Riga
Jun 2015 – Aug 2015 Serbia Slavoljub Muslin
Sep 2015 – Sep 2016 Belgium Yannick Ferrera
Sep 2016 – Apr 2017 Serbia Aleksandar Janković
Apr 2017 – May 2017 Belgium José Jeunechamps
June 2017 – May 2018 Portugal Ricardo Sá Pinto
June 2018 – Jun 2020 Belgium Michel Preud'homme
June 2020 – Dec 2020 France Philippe Montanier
Dec 2020 – Oct 2021 Senegal Mbaye Leye
Oct 2021 – April 2022 Slovenia Luka Elsner
June 2022 – June 2023 Norway Ronny Deila
June 2023 – December 2023 Belgium Carl Hoefkens
January 2024 – present Croatia Ivan Leko

Cultural references

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Standard Liège are mentioned in the song "This One's for Now" by the band Half Man Half Biscuit on the album Urge for Offal.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Stade Maurice Dufrasne standard.be (last view on 19 October 2017)
  2. ^ "1982: Villa victorious in Europe". UEFA. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  3. ^ "777 Partners complete takeover of Belgian club Standard Liege". Insider Sport. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "History of Standard de Liège". Rebel Ultras. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  5. ^ B. Dubois, Th. Evens, Ph. Leruth, 1892–1992 : La jeunesse centenaire. Livre officiel du Centenaire du Royal Football Club Liégeois. Bruxelles, Labor, 1992, p. 276.
  6. ^ "1961/62 Winners: SL Benfica". UEFA. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  7. ^ "1966/67: Bayern exploit home advantage". UEFA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  8. ^ "1982. Barça Wins its Second European Cup Winners' Cup at the Camp Nou". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Once Upon A Time..." Standard. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Roland Duchâtelet takes over Standard Liège". The Belgian Waffle. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 7 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Charlton's new owner hell-bent on raising standards at The Valley". The Guardian. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Luzon steps down at Standard". UEFA. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Guy Luzon appointed as Head Coach at Charlton Athletic". Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Trophies". Standard. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  15. ^ a b "La Belgique aussi a son classico". SOFOOT.com (in French). 20 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  16. ^ Libre.be, La (25 January 2015). "Defour "décapité" par les supporters du Standard: le tifo qui choque et scandalise (Photos)". www.lalibre.be (in French). Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  17. ^ "RFC Liège : Le géant endormi". SOFOOT.com (in French). 2 July 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  18. ^ DH.be (4 December 2016). "Charleroi-Standard arrêté à cause des supporters: une forte amende et pas de point pour les deux clubs? (VIDEO + PHOTOS)". www.dhnet.be (in French). Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  19. ^ "? Fantastic Five: Deze duels tussen Genk en Standard zullen we nooit vergeten". 8 February 2019.
  20. ^ a b "R. Standard de Liège". UEFA. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Joueurs" [Players] (in French). Standard Liège.
  22. ^ "Half Man Half Biscuit - This One's for Now [Official Audio]". Half Man Half Biscuit. 24 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2020 – via YouTube.com.
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