The 2008–09 season of the Belgian First Division (also known as Jupiler Pro League after a sponsor) was the 106th season of top-tier football in Belgium. The regular season began on 16 August 2008 and ended on 16 May 2009. Standard Liège were the defending champions.
On 19 April 2009, Mons were relegated after Dender beat Roeselare 3–1 and made it mathematically impossible for Mons to climb into 16th position or higher. Tubize were relegated on 3 May 2009 after a 1–1 draw at home to Anderlecht.
The 2008–09 champions were decided in a playoff because Standard and Anderlecht finished the regular season equal on points and number of wins. Standard won the playoff by 2–1 on aggregate and thereby retained the title.
Participating teams The league consisted of 18 teams, the best 16 teams from last season and two promoted teams from the Second Division.
The number of participants was reduced to 16 teams the season after, hence relegation was increased from two to three or four teams.
Team changes from the previous season Sint-Truidense and Brussels were relegated to the Second Division at the end of the previous season after finishing in the last two places. They were replaced by Second Division champions Kortrijk and promotion playoff winners Tubize.
Overview Club Location Current manager Team captain Stadium CapacityStandard LiègeLiège László Bölöni Steven DefourStade Maurice Dufrasne 30,000R.S.C. AnderlechtAnderlecht Ariel Jacobs Olivier DeschachtConstant Vanden Stock Stadium 28,063Club Brugge KVBruges Jacky Mathijssen Philippe ClementJan Breydel Stadium 29,415Cercle Brugge K.S.V.Bruges Glen De Boeck Denis VianeJan Breydel Stadium 29,415K.F.C. Germinal BeerschotAntwerp Aimé Anthuenis Daniel CruzOlympisch Stadion 12,148K.A.A. GentGhent Michel Preud'homme Bryan RuizJules Ottenstadion 12,919S.V. Zulte WaregemWaregem Francky Dury Ludwin Van NieuwenhuyzeRegenboogstadion 8,500R. Charleroi S.C.Charleroi John Collins Frank DefaysStade du Pays de Charleroi 25,000K.V.C. WesterloWesterlo Jan Ceulemans Jef DelenHet Kuipje 8,200K.R.C. GenkGenk Pierre Denier and Hans Visser (caretakers) Hans CornelisCristal Arena 24,900R.E. MouscronMouscron Enzo Scifo Gonzague van DoorenStade Le Canonnier 11,500K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-VlaanderenLokeren Aleksandar Janković Olivier DollDaknamstadion 10,000KV MechelenMechelen Peter Maes Jonas IvensVeolia-Stadion 14,145K.S.V. RoeselareRoeselare Dennis Van Wijk Stefaan TangheSchiervelde Stadion 9,036F.C. Verbroedering Dender E.H.Denderleeuw Johan Boskamp Steven de PetterFlorent Beeckmanstadion 6,800R.A.E.C. MonsMons Christophe Dessy (caretaker) Roberto MirriStade Charles Tondreau 9,504K.V. KortrijkKortrijk Hein Vanhaezebrouck Stéphane DemetsGuldensporen Stadion 8,770A.F.C. TubizeTubize Albert Cartier Gregory NeelsStade Leburton 4,000
Managerial changes
During summer break Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Position in table Mons Albert Cartier Mutual consent 11 May 2008 Philippe Saint-Jean 6 June 2008 Pre-Season Gent Trond Sollied Resigned 18 May 2008 Michel Preud'homme 27 May 2008 Pre-Season Standard Liège Michel Preud'homme End of contract 26 May 2008 László Bölöni 9 June 2008 Pre-Season Tubize Philippe Saint-Jean Resigned 6 June 2008 Albert Cartier 14 June 2008 Pre-Season
During the season Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Position in table Mons Philippe Saint-Jean Resigned 21 August 2008 Thierry Pister (caretaker) 21 August 2008 18th Roeselare Dirk Geeraerd Sacked 26 October 2008 Dennis van Wijk 29 October 2008 18th Germinal Beerschot Harm van Veldhoven Resigned 13 November 2008 Aimé Anthuenis 14 November 2008 16th Mons Thierry Pister (caretaker) Sacked 4 December 2008 Christophe Dessy (caretaker) 4 December 2008 15th Charleroi Thierry Siquet Sacked 15 December 2008 John Collins 15 December 2008 11th Genk Ronny Van Geneugden Resigned 5 March 2009 Pierre Denier and Hans Visser (caretakers) 5 March 2009 4th Lokeren Georges Leekens Resigned 31 March 2009 Aleksandar Janković 6 April 2009 7th
League standings
Final table
Championship playoff Since Anderlecht and Standard were tied on both points and wins, a two-legged playoff was played in order to determine the league champions. Standard won the playoff 2–1 on aggregate and were crowned champions.
Positions by matchday Note: The classification was made after the weekend of each matchday, so postponed matches were only processed at the time they were played to represent the real evolution in standings. These postponed matches are: Matchday 1: Mechelen vs. Club Brugge (played between 4th and 5th matchday) Matchday 2: Club Brugge vs. Zulte-Waregem (played between 8th and 9th matchday) Matchday 13: Kortrijk vs. Zulte-Waregem (played between 16th and 17th matchday) Matchday 19: Gent vs. Anderlecht (played between 22nd and 23rd matchday)
Results
Season statistics
Scoring First goal of the season: Dieumerci Mbokani for Standard Liège against Dender (16 August 2008) Widest winning margin: 6: Anderlecht 7–1 Mechelen (25 October 2008) and Tubize 0–6 Zulte Waregem (21 February 2009) Most goals in a match: 8: Anderlecht 7–1 Mechelen (25 October 2008) Hat-tricks scored: Idir Ouali for Mouscron against Gent (13 September 2008) Nicolás Frutos for Anderlecht against Mechelen (25 October 2008) Habib Habibou for Charleroi against Tubize (22 November 2008) Jérémy Perbet for Tubize against Kortrijk (29 November 2008) Adnan Ćustović for Mouscron against Club Brugge (20 December 2008) Chris Makiese for Zulte Waregem against Kortrijk (18 April 2009)
Cards First yellow card: Jimmy Hempte for Kortrijk against Roeselare (16 August 2008) First red card: Karim Belhocine for Kortrijk against Roeselare (16 August 2008)
Goalscorers Sources: , sport.be
17 goals (1 player) Alfonso Ruiz (Westerlo)
16 goals (2 players) Tom De Sutter (Cercle Brugge (7) and Anderlecht (9)) Dieumerci Mbokani (Standard Liège)
15 goals (1 player) Joseph Akpala (Club Brugge)
14 goals (3 players) Adnan Ćustović (Mouscron (10) and Gent (4)) Ouwo Moussa Maazou (Lokeren) Wesley Sonck (Club Brugge)
13 goals (2 players) Mbaye Leye (Zulte Waregem (9) and Gent (4)) Jérémy Perbet (Tubize)
12 goals (5 players)
Mbark Boussoufa (Anderlecht) Oleg Iachtchouk (Cercle Brugge) Milan Jovanović (Standard Liège) Bryan Ruiz (Gent) Björn Vleminckx (Mechelen)
11 goals (2 players) Elimane Coulibaly (Kortrijk) David Destorme (Dender)
10 goals (1 player) Giuseppe Rossini (Mechelen)
9 goals (4 players)
Mohamed Dahmane (Mons (7) and Club Brugge (2)) Habib Habibou (Charleroi) Adékambi Olufadé (Gent) Kevin Roelandts (Zulte Waregem)
8 goals (8 players)
Igor de Camargo (Standard Liège) Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht) Faris Haroun (Germinal Beerschot) Mustapha Jarju (Mons) Ivan Leko (Club Brugge (4) and Germinal Beerschot (4)) Zlatan Ljubijankić (Gent) Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht) Axel Witsel (Standard Liège)
7 goals (7 players)
João Carlos (Genk) Stijn De Smet (Cercle Brugge) Sven Kums (Kortrijk) Chris Makiese (Charleroi (1) and Zulte Waregem (6)) Miloš Marić (Gent) Ernest Nfor (Gent (1) and Zulte Waregem (6)) Norman Sylla (Dender)
6 goals (9 players)
Grégory Dufer (Tubize) Nicolás Frutos (Anderlecht) Omer Golan (Lokeren) Sherjill MacDonald (Roeselare) Sanharib Malki (Germinal Beerschot) Thomas Matton (Zulte Waregem) Idir Ouali (Mouscron) Tim Smolders (Charleroi (4) and Gent (2)) Kevin Vandenbergh (Germinal Beerschot)
5 goals (14 players)
Admir Aganović (Dender) Willian (Kortrijk) Elyaniv Barda (Genk) Frederik Boi (Cercle Brugge) Honour Gombami (Cercle Brugge) Dawid Janczyk (Lokeren) Jonathan Legear (Anderlecht) Christophe Lepoint (Mouscron) Ivan Perišić (Roeselare) Jeroen Simaeys (Club Brugge) Sulejman Smajić (Dender) Bernd Thijs (Gent) Bertin Tomou (Westerlo) Balázs Tóth (Genk)
4 goals (22 players)
Franck Berrier (Zulte Waregem) Thomas Chatelle (Anderlecht) Daniel Chávez (Club Brugge) Wilfried Dalmat (Standard Liège) Steven Defour (Standard Liège) Tom De Mul (Genk) Mahamadou Dissa (Roeselare) Tosin Dosunmu (Germinal Beerschot) Julien Gorius (Mechelen) Mouhcine Iajour (Charleroi) Jaycee Okwunwanne (Mouscron) Roland Juhász (Anderlecht) Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (Charleroi) Joachim Mununga (Mechelen) Adam Nemec (Genk) Daniel Pudil (Genk) Cyril Théréau (Charleroi) Gonzague Van Dooren (Mouscron) Vittorio Villano (Tubize) Stanislav Vlček (Anderlecht) Jelle Vossen (Genk) Stef Wils (Westerlo (3) and Gent (1))
3 goals (37 players)
Antolín Alcaraz (Club Brugge) Anele Ngcongca (Genk) Randall Azofeifa (Gent) Istvan Bakx (Kortrijk) Walter Baseggio (Mouscron) Christian Benteke (Standard Liège) Cédric Bétrémieux (Roeselare (2) and Kortrijk (1)) Fadel Brahami (Mons) Thomas Buffel (Cercle Brugge) Dmitri Bulykin (Anderlecht) Aboubacar Camara (Lokeren) Philippe Clement (Club Brugge) Daan De Pever (Dender) Nabil Dirar (Club Brugge) Christophe Grégoire (Charleroi) Moussa Gueye (Mons) Jimmy Hempte (Kortrijk) Stijn Huysegems (Genk) Jonas Ivens (Mechelen) Cheikhou Kouyaté (Kortrijk) Tim Matthys (Zulte Waregem) Ilombe Mboyo (Charleroi) Andréa Mbuyi-Mutombo (Zulte Waregem) Koen Persoons (Mechelen) Obiora Odita (Westerlo) Marvin Ogunjimi (Genk) Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liège) Abdelmajid Oulmers (Charleroi) Mustapha Oussalah (Mouscron) Tony Sergeant (Cercle Brugge) Valeri Sorokin (Gent (0) and Tubize (3)) Marko Šuler (Gent) Salim Tuama (Standard Liège) Jelle Van Damme (Anderlecht) Ronald Vargas (Club Brugge) Wouter Vrancken (Mechelen) Dieter Wittesaele (Dender)
2 goals (33 players)
Abdessalam Benjelloun (Charleroi (1) and Roeselare (1)) Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht) Mario Carević (Lokeren) Cédric Collet (Mons) Wouter Corstjens (Westerlo) Koen Daerden (Club Brugge) Stijn de Wilde (Lokeren) Kris De Wree (Germinal Beerschot) Mounir Diane (Mons) Rachid Farssi (Westerlo) Dominic Foley (Gent (2) and Cercle Brugge (0)) Fred (Dender) Bart Goor (Anderlecht (1) and Germinal Beerschot (1)) Janne Hietanen (Roeselare) Oleksandr Iakovenko (Anderlecht) Jean-Paul Kielo-Lezi (Mechelen) Stijn Meert (Zulte Waregem) Pieterjan Monteyne (Germinal Beerschot) Dugary Ndabashinze (Genk) Vuza Nyoni (Cercle Brugge) Azubuike Oliseh (Roeselare) Kevin Oris (Mons) Sekou Ouattara (Roeselare) Killian Overmeire (Lokeren) Jan Polák (Anderlecht) Roberto Rosales (Gent) Wouter Scheelen (Westerlo) Serhiy Serebrennikov (Cercle Brugge) Dániel Tőzsér (Genk) Bart Van Den Eede (Dender) Ludwin Van Nieuwenhuyze (Zulte Waregem) Lukáš Zelenka (Westerlo) Yoav Ziv (Lokeren)
1 goal (77 players)
Mozes Adams (Westerlo) Karim Belhocine (Kortrijk) Leon Benko (Standard Liège) Víctor Bernárdez (Anderlecht) Sylvain Berton (Mouscron) Siebe Blondelle (Dender) Ludovic Buyssens (Mons) Jean-Philippe Caillet (Genk) Fabien Camus (Charleroi) Janis Coppin (Zulte Waregem) Alessandro Cordaro (Mons) Daniel Cruz (Germinal Beerschot) Jusuf Dajić (Tubize) Dante (Standard Liège) Wim De Decker (Genk (0) and Germinal Beerschot (1)) Dieter Dekelver (Westerlo) Bram de Ly (Kortrijk) Boubacar Dembélé (Roeselare) Steven de Petter (Dender) Joeri Dequevy (Roeselare) Jonas de Roeck (Gent) Karel D'Haene (Zulte Waregem) Didier Dheedene (Germinal Beerschot) Frédéric Dupré (Lokeren) Chemcedine El Araichi (Mouscron) Karel Geraerts (Club Brugge) Kevin Geudens (Mechelen) Réginal Goreux (Standard Liège) Christophe Grondin (Gent) Romain Haghedooren (Mouscron) Alan Haydock (Tubize) Kristof Imschoot (Mechelen) Steven Jacobs (Dender) Frédéric Jay (Mons) Torben Joneleit (Charleroi) Yasin Karaca (Tubize) Mahamoudou Kéré (Charleroi) Paul Kpaka (Germinal Beerschot) Mladen Lazarević (Roeselare) Hernán Losada (Anderlecht) Marcel Mbayo (Lokeren) Damien Miceli (Charleroi) Damir Mirvić (Roeselare) Jimmy Mulisa (Roeselare) Henri Munyaneza (Germinal Beerschot)