1967–68 in Belgian football

The 1967–68 season was the 65th season of competitive football in Belgium. RSC Anderlechtois won their 14th and 5th consecutive Division I title.[1] For the first time ever, a club would win 5 consecutive Belgian championships. RSC Anderlechtois entered the 1967–68 European Champion Clubs' Cup as Belgian title holder and Standard Liège the 1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup as the Cup holder. RFC Brugeois (2nd), RFC Liégeois (3rd) and R Antwerp FC (5th) all played the 1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. RFC Brugeois won the Belgian Cup final against R Beerschot AC (1-1 after extra time, 8–6 on penalties). The Belgium national football team ended their 1968 UEFA Euro qualification campaign at the 2nd place of Group 7 behind France and thus did not qualify for the second round. They also started their 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with a win against Finland.[2]

Football in Belgium
Season1967–68
← 1966–67 Belgium 1968–69 →

Overview edit

At the end of the season, R Antwerp FC and OC Charleroi were relegated to Division II and were replaced by ARA La Gantoise and RU Saint-Gilloise from Division II.
The bottom 2 clubs in Division II (KRC Mechelen and RC Tirlemont) were relegated to Division III, to be replaced by KFC Turnhout and RCS Brugeois from Division III.
The bottom club of each Division III league (KS Houthalen, R Stade Waremmien FC, RAA Louviéroise and SV Oudenaarde) were relegated to Promotion, to be replaced by KSC Menen, KSC Maccabi Voetbal Antwerp, RCS La Forestoise and FC Witgoor Sport Dessel from Promotion.

National team edit

Date Venue Opponents Score* Comp Belgium scorers
October 8, 1967 Heysel Stadium, Brussels (H) Poland 2-4 ECQ Johan Devrindt (2)
October 28, 1967 Stade Marcel Saupin, Nantes (A) France 1-1 ECQ Roger Claessen
November 22, 1967 Klokke Stadion, Bruges (H) Luxembourg 3-0 ECQ Johnny Thio (2), Roger Claessen
January 10, 1968 Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv (A) Israel 2-0 F Johan Devrindt, Wilfried Puis
March 6, 1968 Heysel Stadium, Brussels (H) Germany 1-3 F Johan Devrindt
April 7, 1968 Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam (A) The Netherlands 2-1 F Odilon Polleunis, Johan Devrindt
April 24, 1968 Central Lenin Stadium, Moscow (A) Soviet Union 0-1 F
June 19, 1968 Olympic Stadium, Helsinki (A) Finland 2-1 WCQ Johan Devrindt, Odilon Polleunis

* Belgium score given first

Key

  • H = Home match
  • A = Away match
  • N = On neutral ground
  • F = Friendly
  • ECQ = European Championship qualification
  • WCQ = World Cup qualification
  • o.g. = own goal

European competitions edit

RSC Anderlechtois beat Karl-Marx-Stadt of East Germany in the first round of the 1967–68 European Champion Clubs' Cup (won 3–1 away, 2–1 at home) but were eliminated in the second round by Sparta Prague of Czechoslovakia (lost 2–3 away, drew 3–3 at home).

Standard Liège defeated Altay SK of Turkey in the first round of the 1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup (won 3–2 away, drew 0–0 at home).
In the second round, Standard eliminated Aberdeen FC of Scotland (won 3–0 at home, lost 0–2 away).
In the quarter-finals they lost to Milan AC of Italy (both legs were drawn 1-1, the second after extra time, but the Italians won a play-off game 2–0.

Three Belgian clubs entered the 1967–68 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: in the first round, RFC Liégeois beat PAOK FC of Greece (won 2–0 away, 3–2 at home), but R Antwerp FC lost to Göztepe AŞ (lost 1–2 at home, drew 0–0 away) and RFC Brugeois lost to Sporting of Portugal (drew 0–0 at home, lost 1–2 away).
RFC Liégeois then lost in the second round to Dundee FC of Scotland (lost 1–3 away, 1–4 at home).

Honours edit

Competition Winner
Division I RSC Anderlechtois
Cup RFC Brugeois
Division II ARA La Gantoise
Division III KFC Turnhout and RCS Brugeois
Promotion KSC Menen, KSC Maccabi Voetbal Antwerp, RCS La Forestoise and FC Witgoor Sport Dessel

Final league tables edit

Premier Division edit

References edit