2018–19 Belgian First Division B

The 2018–19 season of the Belgian First Division B began in August 2018 and ended in April 2019. It was the third season of the First Division B following a change in league format from the old Belgian Second Division.

Belgian First Division B
Season2018–19
ChampionsMechelen
PromotedMechelen
RelegatedTubize
Top goalscorerLeonardo Rocha (16 goals)
Biggest home win9 matches (6x 3–0, 2x 4–1 & 1x 5–2)
Biggest away winMechelen vs Union SG, 0–5
Highest scoringBeerschot-Wilrijk vs Tubize, 5–2

The season was impacted by the 2017–19 Belgian football fraud scandal which most notably involved Mechelen, as it was unclear upon completion of the season whether and how any involved clubs would be sanctioned and what the effect would be on the number of promotion and relegation places. As a result, Mechelen won the title and celebrated promotion on 16 March 2019, following a win over Beerschot Wilrijk in the promotion-playoffs, although the verdict on the investigation was still pending.[1] End of May, Mechelen was found guilty and not allowed to be promoted, with runners-up Beerschot Wilrijk taking their spot instead. Mechelen appealed the decision at the Belgian Court for Sportsarbitration, which confirmed the verdict of guilt in July, but also ruled that according to the rules of the Belgian Football FA Mechelen could not be penalized with relegation back to the Belgian First Division A as the violation occurred during a previous season, hence Mechelen was allowed to keep its promotion.

Team changes

In

Out
  • Cercle Brugge won the promotion play-offs against Beerschot-Wilrijk and was thus promoted after three seasons at the second level.
  • Lierse went bankrupt and dissolved as a team. Tubize had finished in last place in the relegation playoffs but were saved from relegation as a result of the bankruptcy of Lierse.

Team information

Stadiums and locations
Beerschot Wilrijk
Lommel
Mechelen
Locations of the 2018–19 Belgian First Division B teams
Matricule Club City First season of
current spell at
second level		 Coming from 2017-18 result Stadium Capacity
155 FCO Beerschot Wilrijk Antwerp 2017–18 Belgian First Amateur Division 3rd (D1B) Olympic Stadium 12,771
2554 Lommel SK Lommel 2018–19 Belgian First Amateur Division 1st (D1Am) Soevereinstadion 8,000
25 Mechelen Mechelen 2018–19 Belgian First Division A 16th (D1A) AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne 16,672
18 Oud-Heverlee Leuven Leuven 2016–17 Belgian Pro League 2nd (D1B) Den Dreef 10,000
134 K.S.V. Roeselare Roeselare 2010–11 Belgian Pro League 5th (D1B) Schiervelde Stadion 9,075
5632 A.F.C. Tubize Tubize 2009–10 Belgian Pro League 8th (D1B) Stade Leburton 9,000
10 R. Union Saint-Gilloise Saint-Gilles, Brussels 2015–16 Belgian Third Division 6th (D1B) Stade Joseph Marien 5,500
2024 K.V.C. Westerlo Westerlo 2017–18 Belgian First Division A 7th (D1B) Het Kuipje 8,035

Personnel and kits
Club Manager Captain Kit Manufacturer Sponsors
Beerschot Wilrijk Stijn Vreven Tom Pietermaat Joma DCA
Lommel Tom Van Imschoot Wouter Scheelen Legea United Telecom
Mechelen Wouter Vrancken Seth De Witte Kappa Telenet and AFAS
OH Leuven Vincent Euvrard Dimitri Daeseleire Vermarc King Power
Roeselare Juanito Raphaël Lecomte Joma Euro Shop
Tubize Philippe Thys Quentin Laurent Kappa No shirt sponsor
Union SG Luka Elsner Charles Morren Patrick Culture et Formation
Westerlo Bob Peeters Nicolas Rommens Saller Soudal

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position Replaced by Date of appointment
Union SG Marc Grosjean Mutual consent 8 May 2018 [2] Pre-season Luka Elsner 23 May 2018 [3]
Beerschot Wilrijk Marc Brys Signed by Sint-Truiden 21 May 2018 [4] Stijn Vreven 25 May 2018 [5]
Mechelen Dennis van Wijk Sacked 20 August 2018 [6] 7th Wouter Vrancken 21 August 2018 [7]
Roeselare Jordi Condom 10 November 2018 [8] 7th Nano 12 November 2018 [9]
Roeselare Nano Release fee paid by Shanghai Greenland Shenhua 8 January 2019 [10] Closing tournament: 4th
Overall: 6th		 Juanito 11 January 2019 [11]
OH Leuven Nigel Pearson Sacked 3 February 2019 [12] Closing tournament: 7th
Overall: 8th		 Vincent Euvrard 8 February 2019 [13]

League table

Opening tournament
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MEC USG B-W LOM WES OHL ROE TUB
1 Mechelen 14 9 3 2 29 9 +20 30 Qualification to Promotion play-offs — 2–1 3–0 1–2 2–0 3–0 3–0 1–0
2 Union SG 14 7 3 4 23 14 +9 24 2–2 — 2–0[lower-alpha 1] 1–1 2–0 1–2 2–0 3–2
3 Beerschot Wilrijk 14 7 3 4 19 19 0 24 1–0 1–0 — 1–3 1–1 3–1 2–1 1–0
4 Lommel 14 6 4 4 21 20 +1 22 0–3 1–0 1–2 — 0–1 1–1 3–1 2–2
5 Westerlo 14 6 1 7 16 20 −4 19 0–3 1–3 1–2 4–1 — 0–1 2–1 2–1
6 OH Leuven 14 4 3 7 19 24 −5 15 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–2[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 1–3 — 0–2 4–1
7 Roeselare 14 3 4 7 14 24 −10 13 2–2 1–1 2–1 2–2 0–1[lower-alpha 1] 0–4 — 2–1
8 Tubize 14 2 3 9 15 26 −11 9 0–3[lower-alpha 1] 0–2 3–3 0–2 2–0 3–1 0–0 —
Source: Belgian First Division B (in French and Dutch)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[16]

Closing tournament
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification B-W MEC USG ROE WES OHL TUB LOM
1 Beerschot Wilrijk 14 8 6 0 29 14 +15 30 Qualification to Promotion play-offs — 0–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 5–2 3–0
2 Mechelen 14 8 5 1 26 16 +10 29 1–1 — 0–5 2–2 3–0 2–1 3–1 3–2
3 Union SG 14 6 3 5 18 15 +3 21 1–1 1–2 — 1–2 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–0[lower-alpha 3]
4 Roeselare 14 5 5 4 19 17 +2 20 1–2 0–0 1–1 — 1–1 3–1 0–1 4–2
5 Westerlo 14 3 6 5 12 17 −5 15 1–2 1–3 2–0 2–0 — 0–0 1–0 2–2
6 OH Leuven 14 4 2 8 21 24 −3 14 2–2 1–3 1–2 0–1 3–0 — 0–2 3–1
7 Tubize 14 4 2 8 13 22 −9 14 1–3 0–3 2–0 3–2 0–0 1–3 — 0–0
8 Lommel 14 2 3 9 15 29 −14 9 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–1 2–1 2–3 1–0 —
Source: Belgian First Division B (in French and Dutch)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[16]
  1. The matches of the tenth matchday in the weekend of 13–14 October 2018 were postponed by nearly two weeks to 30–31 October following an ongoing investigation into match-fixing during the 2017-18 season, most notably involving Mechelen.[15]
  2. The match between OH Leuven and Lommel was postponed again, following the death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha as part of the 2018 Leicester helicopter crash.[14]
  3. Match postponed from 2 February 2019 to 6 February due to excessive snow.[17]

Aggregate table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Mechelen 28 17 8 3 55 25 +30 59 Qualification to Promotion play-offs [1]
2 Beerschot Wilrijk 28 15 9 4 48 33 +15 54
3 Union SG 28 13 6 9 41 29 +12 45 Qualification to Europa League play-offs
4 Westerlo 28 9 7 12 28 37 −9 34
5 Roeselare 28 8 9 11 33 41 −8 33 Qualification to Relegation play-offs[2]
6 Lommel 28 8 7 13 34 46 −12 31
7 OH Leuven 28 8 5 15 40 48 −8 29
8 Tubize 28 6 5 17 28 48 −20 23
Source: Belgian First Division B (in French and Dutch)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Away matches won; 7) Play-off.[18]
Notes
  1. ^
    The team that promotes to the 2019–20 Belgian First Division A, either by winning the promotion playoff or by winning both the opening and the closing tournament, will not take part in the Europa League play-offs. The next team in the league will take its spot instead.
  2. ^
    In case the team that wins the promotion playoff finishes in the bottom four, the 4th placed team will play the relegation playoff instead.

Promotion play-offs

The winners of the opening tournament and the closing tournament will meet in a two-legged match to determine the division champion, who will promote to the 2019–20 Belgian First Division A. The team finishing highest in the aggregate table will be allowed to play the second leg at home. In case a single team wins both the opening and the closing tournament, that team will be promoted automatically and no play-offs will be organized.

On 9 November 2018, Mechelen won the opening tournament and was therefore assured of playing at least the promotion play-offs. On the final day of the closing tournament, Mechelen only managed a draw away to Lommel, allowing Beerschot Wilrijk to win the closing period. If Mechelen had won they would have assured direct promotion, instead they had to face Beerschot-Wilrijk in the promotion play-offs.

The first leg saw both teams having chances, with goalkeeper Michael Verrips making big saves in the first half to deny attempts by Erwin Hoffer and Gertjan De Mets, while in the second half Mechelen failed to take advantage of a red card for Jan Van den Bergh. In the second leg, Beerschot-Wilrijk again saw a player sent off following a vicious tackle by Marius Noubissi already after 32 minutes. Nikola Storm opened the score for Mechelen just after the start of the second half, but ten-men Beerschot-Wilrijk managed the equalizer through penalty kick and looked on its way to promote via the away goals rule, when substitute Clément Tainmont scored a volley just two minutes from time to win the match and send Mechelen back to the highest division after just one season in the Belgian First Division B. With that, Beerschot Wilrijk lost the promotion play-offs for the second consecutive year. Several weeks later, Mechelen was found guilty of match-fixing and not allowed to promote as a result, with Beerschot-Wilrijk taking their spot. Mechelen appealed the decision successfully, as per the rules of the Belgian FA they could no longer be punished for events of more than one year in the past.

Beerschot Wilrijk0–0Mechelen
Prychynenko  49'
Van den Bergh  54'  60'		 Report Van Damme  31'
Cornet  81'
Engvall  90+2'
Lemoine  90+3'
Attendance: 10,700
Referee: Erik Lambrechts
Mechelen2–1Beerschot Wilrijk
Storm  46'
Tainmont  88'
Engvall  90+3'		 Report Noubissi  32'
De Jonghe  45'
Vanzeir  64' (pen.)
Vanzeir  64'
Grisez  90+3'
Prychynenko  90+4'
Attendance: 16,298
Referee: Lawrence Visser

Mechelen won 2–1 on aggregate.

Relegation play-offs

The four bottom teams in the aggregate table took part in the relegation play-offs in which they keep half of the points they collected during the overall regular season (rounded up). As a result, the teams started with the following points before the playoff: Roeselare 17 points, Lommel 16, OH Leuven 15 and Tubize 12 points. As the points of all teams were rounded up, the half point deduction was not relevant in case of ties. Roeselare started matchday 5 with 2 points, but the game, away against Lommel ended in a 0-1 win for Roeselare, giving them 3 points and tying with Tubize in points. On matchday 6 of 6, coincidentally, Roeselare met Tubize, and defeated them 4-0. As a result, Tubize were relegated to the Belgian First Amateur Division.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification OHL ROE LOM TUB
1 OH Leuven 6 4 1 1 11 3 +8 28 — 3–0 1–0 0–1
2 Roeselare 6 2 2 2 8 7 +1 25 2–2 — 0–1 4–0
3 Lommel 6 2 1 3 5 5 0 23 0–2 0–1 — 3–0
4 Tubize (R) 6 1 2 3 3 12 −9 17 Relegation to the 2019–20 Belgian First Amateur Division 0–3 1–1 1–1 —
Source: Belgian First Division B (in French and Dutch)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points without (possible) half points added due to rounding; 3) Position obtained in the 2018–19 Aggregate table 4) Matches won; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Away matches won; 9) Play-off[19]
(R) Relegated.

Season statistics

Top scorers
As of completion of the regular season.[20]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Leonardo Rocha Lommel 16
2 Igor de Camargo Mechelen 13
Thomas Henry OH Leuven[nb 1]
Youssouf Niakaté Union SG
Dante Vanzeir Beerschot Wilrijk
6 Marius Noubissi Beerschot Wilrijk 12
7 Faïz Selemani Union SG 9
8 Gustav Engvall Mechelen 8
9 Jens Naessens Westerlo 7
10 Kurt Abrahams Westerlo 6
Frédéric Duplus OH Leuven
Roman Ferber Union SG
Mathieu Maertens OH Leuven
Percy Tau Union SG
Tarik Tissoudali Beerschot Wilrijk
5 goals (6 players)
4 goals (3 players)
3 goals (16 players)
2 goals (17 players)
1 goal (32 players)
1 own goal (8 players)

Team of the season

Upon completion of the regular season a team of the season award was compiled, based upon the results of the team of the week results throughout the season, constructed based on nominations from managers, assistant-managers, journalists and analysts. The results were announced from 22 March 2019, with one player revealed each day.

Position PlayerClubReference
GKThéo DefournyTubize[21]
RBFederico VegaUnion SG[22]
CBThibault PeyreUnion SG & Mechelen[23]
CBJan Van den BerghBeerschot Wilrijk[24]
LBDerrick TshimangaOH Leuven[25]
MFOnur KayaMechelen[26]
MFLukas Van EenooWesterlo[27]
MFRobin HenkensLommel[28]
LWNikola StormMechelen[29]
RWPercy TauUnion SG[30]
FWIgor de CamargoMechelen[31]

Number of teams by provinces
Number of teams Province or region Team(s)
3  AntwerpBeerschot Wilrijk, Mechelen and Westerlo
1  BrusselsUnion SG
 Flemish BrabantOH Leuven
 LimburgLommel
 Walloon BrabantTubize
 West FlandersRoeselare

Notes
  1. Includes eleven goals scored for Tubize, before his transfer to OH Leuven.
  2. Includes one goal scored for OH Leuven, before his transfer to Roeselare.

References
  1. ""Natuurlijk speelt KV Mechelen volgend seizoen in 1A, waarom niet?"" ["Of course KV Mechelen will play in 1A next season, why not?"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2019-03-16.
  2. "Union neemt afscheid van coach Grosjean door "sportieve verschillen"" [Union says goodbye to coach Grosjean due to "differing sportive development views"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-05-08.
  3. "Jonge Sloveen Elsner zet vanaf volgend seizoen de lijnen uit bij Union" [Young Slovenian Elsner to manage the team next season at Union] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-05-23.
  4. "Marc Brys wordt maandag voorgesteld als coach van STVV" [Marc Brys to be presented Monday as new coach of STVV] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-05-19. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  5. "Vreven moet Brys doen vergeten op het Kiel: "Volks en vurig naar 1A"" [Vreven to make Brys forgotten at the Kiel: "Folksy and fiery towards 1A"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-05-25.
  6. "Van Wijk moet na 3 speeldagen al opstappen bij KV Mechelen" [Van Wijk forced to leave at KV Mechelen after just 3 matchdays] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-08-20.
  7. "Vrancken: "Mijn rugzak zit vol genoeg om deze mooie stap te zetten"" [Vrancken: "Backpack filled with enough experience to take this nice opportunity"] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-08-21.
  8. "Roeselare zet Jordi Condom op de keien na troosteloze 1 op 18" [Roeselare sacks Jordi Condom following lacklustre 1 out of 18] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-11-10.
  9. "Roeselare kiest met "Nano" opnieuw voor een Spaanse coach" [With "Nano", Roeselare again chooses Spanish manager] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2018-11-12.
  10. ""Een van de beste Spaanse coaches" plukt T1 weg bij Roeselare" ["One of the best Spanish managers" snatches T1 from Roeselare] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2019-01-08.
  11. "Juan Gutiérrez Moreno nieuwe hoofdtrainer" [Juan Gutiérrez Moreno new head coach] (in Dutch). ksvroeselare.be. 2019-01-11.
  12. "Pearson krijgt na graatmager seizoen ontslagbrief van OHL" [Pearson receives discharge letter from OHL after meager season] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 2019-02-03.
  13. "Oud-Heverlee Leuven stelt coach en adviseur voor" [Oud-Heverlee Leuven presents coach and advisor] (in Dutch). ohleuven.com. 2019-02-08.
  14. "OH Leuven-Lommel wordt uitgesteld naar 4 december wegens rouw" [OH Leuven-Lommel postponed to 4 december for mourning] (in Dutch). sporza.be. 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  15. "BREAKING: Speeldag 10 uitgesteld!" [BREAKING: Matchday 10 postponed!] (in Dutch). proximus11.be. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  16. "General terms Belgian competition" (PDF). kbvb.be. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  17. "UNION SG - LOMMEL SK VINDT OP 6 FEBRUARI PLAATS!" [UNION SG - LOMMEL SK TO TAKE PLACE ON 6 FEBRUARY !] (in Dutch). rusg.brussels. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  18. "General terms Belgian competition" (PDF). kbvb.be. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  19. "Reglement 2018-2019 Boek B: De koepelorganisatie KBVB en haar deelorganisaties" [General Rules 2018-2019 Book B: The overall organisation KBVB and its subsidiaries] (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Belgian FA. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  20. "Spelersstatistieken". Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  21. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // DOELMAN // Theo Defourny (Tubize)" [Proximus League-team of the season // GOALKEEPER // Theo Defourny (Tubize)]. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  22. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // RECHTSACHTER // Federico Vega (Union SG)" [Proximus League-team of the season // RIGHTBACK // Federico Vega (Union SG)]. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  23. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // CENTRUMVERDEDIGER RECHTS // Thibault Peyre (Union - KVM)" [Proximus League-team of the season // CENTRE BACK RIGHT // Thibault Peyre (Union SG - Mechelen)]. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  24. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // CENTRUMVERDEDIGER LINKS // Jan Van den Bergh (Beerschot Wilrijk)" [Proximus League-team of the season // CENTRE BACK LEFT // Jan Van den Bergh (Beerschot Wilrijk)]. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  25. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // LINKSACHTER // Derrick Tshimanga (OHL)" [Proximus League-team of the season // LEFTBACK // Derrick Tshimanga (OH Leuven)]. 26 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  26. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // DRIEHOEK MIDDENVELD // Onur Kaya (KV Mechelen)" [Proximus League-team of the season // TRIANGLE MIDFIELD // Onur Kaya (KV Mechelen)]. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  27. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // DRIEHOEK MIDDENVELD // Lukas Van Eenoo (Westerlo)" [Proximus League-team of the season // TRIANGLE MIDFIELD // Lukas Van Eenoo (Westerlo)]. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  28. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // DRIEHOEK MIDDENVELD // Robin Henkens (Lommel SK)" [Proximus League-team of the season // TRIANGLE MIDFIELD // Robin Henkens (Lommel SK)]. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  29. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // LINKSBUITEN // Nikola Storm (KV Mechelen)" [Proximus League-team of the season // LEFT WINGER // Nikola Storm (KV Mechelen)]. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  30. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // RECHTSBUITEN // Percy Tau (Union SG)" [Proximus League-team of the season // RIGHT WINGER // Percy Tau (Union SG)]. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  31. "Proximus League-elftal van het seizoen // CENTRUMSPITS // Igor De Camargo (KV Mechelen)" [Proximus League-team of the season // CENTER FORWARD // Igor De Camargo (KV Mechelen)]. 31 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
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