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]
Overview
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
| 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
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
Final league tables
Premier Division
References
