KV Mechelen

Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen^[1] (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɛ.loː ˈrɛt ˈkoː.nɪŋk.lə.kə ˈvud.bɑl.ˌklʏp ˈmɛ.xə.lə(n)]) (often simply called KV Mechelen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkaː ˈveː ˈmɛxələ(n)]) or KV (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkaː ˈveː]), or by their former French naming FC Malinois), is a Belgian professional football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp province. KV Mechelen plays in the Belgian Pro League. They have won 4 Belgian championships and 1 Belgian Cups, as well as the 1987-88 European Cup Winners' Cup. They collected all of their honours in the 1940s and in the 1980s.

KV Mechelen was founded in 1904 and, in 1921–22, promoted to the first division. After two successive relegation and promotion, they were back for good between 1928–29 and 1955–56. In the 1960s and 1970s, the club had several promotions and relegations between the first and second division. From 1983–84 to 1996–97, they had a successful first division spell, with a title and several 2nd and 3rd place finishes. During that period, they also won a European Cup Winners' Cup and they reached the same competition semi-finals as well as the European Cup quarter finals. KV Mechelen eventually declined in the late 1990s, though they had two more spells at the highest level from 1999–2000 to 2000–01 and in 2002–03. At the end of that season, the club did not receive their Belgian professional football license, and so they were relegated to the third division with a 9-point penalty. After two consecutive promotions in 2004–05 and in 2006–07, KV Mechelen has come back to the first division.

The club outfits are a striped yellow and red shirt with black shorts and socks. They play their home matches at the Argosstadion Achter de Kazerne, where Argos is their stadium sponsor and Achter de Kazerne means 'Behind the Barracks'. The stadium has been named so because there used to be barracks next to stadium. KV Mechelen fans have a long-standing rivalry with KRC Mechelen.

History

The club was founded in 1904, a few months after the birth of city rival KRC Mechelen. The club had a first successful period in the 1940s. During World War II, in 1943, the club won their first domestic title. The second title came a few years later, in 1946, and in 1948 the club was successful again. After that, the club fell back. In 1954, they managed to finish third, only one point behind champions RSC Anderlecht, but that was their last good season. Two years later, Mechelen was relegated to second division. During the 60s and the 70s, Mechelen went up and down between the first and second division. The club enjoyed a brief spell of both domestic and European success in the period of 1987–1990. They are now today still the last Belgian team that won a European cup. KV Mechelen seemed to be on its way to becoming one of the top clubs in Belgium, but quickly declined when their chairman Cordier (who owned the rights to most of their players) was forced to sell many players due to his company's bad results. On June 10, 2007, the team achieved promotion to the Belgian First Division. Two years later in 2009, KV Mechelen played the finale of the Belgian Cup, losing it 2–0 to KRC Genk. One year after that, they stranded in the semi finale with a 2–2 draw and a 1–0 loss against KAA Gent. After a successful 2010 and four seasons for the yellow reds, coach Peter Maes decided to leave Malinwa and signed a four year contract with Sporting Lokeren. Malinwa made a deal with Marc Brys to take over from Maes. Marc Brys was coach of FC Den Bosch, a second division team in the Netherlands.

Honours

• Belgian First Division:
  • Winners (4): 1942–43, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1988–89
• Belgian Second Division:
  • Winners (6): 1925–26, 1927–28, 1962–63, 1982–83, 1998–99, 2001–02
• Belgian Second Division Final Round:
  • Winners (2): 1981, 2007
• Belgian Third Division:
  • Winners (1): 2004–05
• Belgian Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1986–87
• European Cup Winners Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1987–88
• European Super Cup:
  • Winners (1): 1988
• Joan Gamper Trophy:
  • Winners (1): 1989

European record

As of December, 2008.

Matches

• R = round
• Group = group stage / Group 1 = first group stage / Group 2 = second group stage
• 1/8 = eighth finals / 1/4 = quarter-finals / 1/2 = semi-finals
• F = final

Summary of best results

European Cup/UEFA Champions League:

- quarter-finalists in 1990

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:

- winners in 1988

- semi-finalists in 1989

UEFA Super Cup:

- winners in 1988

Current squad

As of 11 September, 2011

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

For recent transfers, see List of Belgian football transfers summer 2011.

Out on loan

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

Notable players

References

External links

• (Dutch) Official website
• (Dutch) Fanclub website
• KV Mechelen at UEFA.COM
• KV Mechelen at EUFO.DE
• KV Mechelen at Weltfussball.de
• KV Mechelen at Playerhistory.com
• KV Mechelen at Transfermarkt.de
• KV Mechelen at Football Squads.co.uk
• KV Mechelen at National Football Teams.com
• KV Mechelen at Football-Lineups.com