Standard Liège

Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Template:Langx ; Template:Langx ; Template:Langx ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège.

They are one of the most successful clubs in Belgium, having won the Belgian league on ten occasions, most recently in 2007–08 and 2008–09. They have been in the top flight without interruption since 1921, longer than any other Belgian side. They have also won eight Belgian Cups, and in 1981–82 they reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, which they lost 2–1 against Barcelona.

Standard players are nicknamed les Rouches because of their red jerseys. The French word for red, rouge, when pronounced with a Liège accent, sounds like rouche.

In March 2022, Standard Liège was acquired by US-based private investment firm 777 Partners. In October 2024 it was announced that 777 Partners were declared bankrupt by a London court, making the future ownership unclear.

History

On the first day of school in September 1898, the pupils of Collège Saint-Servais in Liège started a football club, which they called Standard of Liège in reference to Standard Athletic Club of Paris. Standard, whose official name is Royal Standard Club of Liège, was based in Cointe and Grivegnée before settling permanently in 1909 in Sclessin, an industrial neighbourhood in Liège. Standard initially joined the Belgian First League in 1909 before returning to the lower leagues a few years later. The club then gained promotion back to the top division in 1921 and has never been relegated since.

File:Standard de Liège (ancien logo).svg

Club crest from 1923–1952

Shortly after World War II, Roger Petit, a former player and team captain, became general secretary of the club. Petit worked alongside President Henrard Paul to establish Standard among the elite of Belgian football. In 1954, Standard won their first club trophy, the Belgian Cup, which was soon followed by a first national title in 1957–58.

At European level, in the 1960s, the club reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1961–62, falling to beaten finalists Real Madrid 0–6 on aggregate, and the same stage of the Cup Winners' Cup in the year 1966–67, losing to eventual champions Bayern Munich.

File:Standaard Luik tegen Real Madrid beide elftallen en Koning Boudewijn tijdens wed, Bestanddeelnr 913-7603.jpg

Standard faced Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the 1961–62 European Cup.

The 1960s and early 1970s brought much success to the club, as Standard won six Belgian First Division titles, two Belgian Cups and a League Cup.

Driven by the Austrian Ernst Happel, Standard won the Belgian Cup again in 1981. The following year, Raymond Goethals took control of the team. Playing by the "Raymond Science" philosophy of football, the club was twice the champions of Belgium, twice winners of the Belgian Supercup (in three appearances) and reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1982. Standard played against Barcelona in the final at the Camp Nou on 12 May 1982, losing the match 1–2 to the Spaniards.

In 1984, these exploits were tainted by the revelation of the Template:Ill. Just days before the match against Barcelona, to secure the championship of Belgium and guard against last minute injuries, Standard had approached Roland Janssen, the captain of Thor Waterschei, to ensure that Thor players threw the final game of the season. This scandal involved several players, including Eric Gerets, and coach Raymond Goethals, who fled to Portugal to escape suspension. In compensation the Standard players gave their game bonuses to the Waterschei players. Following the scandal, Standard was deprived of many of its playing staff due to long-term suspensions and it took the club several years to recover from the incident.

On 6 June 1993, Standard won the Belgian Cup for the fifth time in its history, defeating Robert Waseige's Charleroi at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels. This led to another appearance in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, ending in a record 10–0 aggregate defeat to Arsenal— having lost 3–0 at Highbury in London, Standard were humiliated 0–7 in the second leg at home.

Following the scandal of 1982, it took 25 years before Standard won the Belgium Championship again, lifting the title on 20 April 2008. The club won the Belgian league again the following year, securing the club's tenth league title on 24 May 2009 after a home-and-away game against rivals Anderlecht. Standard won the national cup once more in 2011, defeating Westerlo 2–0 in the final at the King Baudouin Stadium on 21 May 2011. The club was bought by businessman Roland Duchatelet on 23 June 2011, who then took over English club Charlton in December 2013, creating an affiliation between the two clubs.

File:Standard liege flag.jpg

Flag waving at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne

On 20 October 2014, Guy Luzon resigned as manager of Standard with the club sitting in 12th position in the Pro League standings and having taken only two points from three UEFA Europa League matches. Luzon later became head coach of Charlton. Assistant and former midfielder Ivan Vukomanović took over as caretaker-manager.

Golden Shoe

On nine occasions, Standard players have won the Belgian Golden Shoe as the best player in the domestic league. Jean Nicolay won the award in 1963, Wilfried Van Moer in 1969 and 1970, Christian Piot in 1972, Eric Gerets in 1982, Sérgio Conceição in 2005, Steven Defour in 2007, Axel Witsel in 2008 and Milan Jovanović in 2009.

Stadium

File:Standard Liege02.jpg

The stadium before a game in the 2005–06 season.

The stadium is popularly called Sclessin. That is not the official name, but Stade Maurice Dufrasne. Sclessin is the district where the stadium is located. Maurice Dufrasne was the fifth chairman of Standard. He was also the driving force behind the move of Standard from Grivegnée to Sclessin. It was opened in 1909. Initially it was just a field, players had to change in a nearby pub.

A year later a first stand was built. By 1924 the club could accommodate 24,000 spectators. Around 1970 it reached its maximum capacity with 43,000 spectators.

Sclessin received a new main stand in 1985, and seven years later, in 1992, works started on the stand at the opposite side. Both ends got redeveloped in the late 1990s in preparation of the Euro 2000 tournament.

Rivalries

File:Derby de Wallonie 1.jpg

Standard fan group, prior to a 2017 derby match against Royal Charleroi.

Standard Liège supporters share a fierce rivalry with RSC Anderlecht, dubbed the Belgian "Clasico". The rivalry not only reflects the traditional geographical one between the two cities of Liège and Brussels, but also a class divide, with Anderlecht being perceived as the team of the bourgeois elite and Standard, based in an industrial district, as the workers club. The two teams were also the two most successful teams in Belgium for long periods until the emergence of Club Brugge. Many players have played for both clubs, most notably Standard title winning captain Steven Defour, who when returning to Sclessin under Anderlecht's purple colours was greeted with a large tifo with his head decapitated.

Standard also has a traditional city derbies with RFC Seraing and RFC Liège. In recent years, they have also developed a rivalry with fellow Walloon club Sporting Charleroi, with several matches having been stopped due to crowd disturbances between the two sets of supporters.

Matches with Limburgish clubs Racing Genk and STVV also are characterised with heightened tensions. This is due to the proximity of Genk and Sint-Truiden with the city of Liège and the historical ties of the mining and steel industries of these regions in Belgium. The rivalry between Standard and Racing Genk was fueled by the events of 17 May 2011. In this title match Standard winger Mehdi Carcela was hit in the face with a tackle by Genk defender Chris Mavinga. Carcela lost consciousness and was subbed off. Mavinga was not sent off after his reckless intervention. Genk went on to win the title with 1–1 draw, but it left many Standard fans with a sour taste.

Honours

Standard Liège honours

Type	Competition	Titles	Seasons	Ref.
Domestic	Belgian First Division	10	1957–58, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1981–82, 1982–83, 2007–08, 2008–09
	Belgian Cup	8	1953–54, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1980–81, 1992–93, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2017–18
	Belgian League Cup	1	1975
	Belgian Supercup	4	1981, 1983, 2008, 2009

Continental

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1981–82
• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1996

Invitational

• Amsterdam Tournament:
  • Runners-up (1): 1981
• Mohammed V Cup:
  • Champions (1): 1986

European record

Competition	A	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
European Cup / UEFA Champions League	14	58	25	10	23	87	73
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	6	36	19	5	12	68	49
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League	23	139	59	35	45	193	182
UEFA Intertoto Cup	3	20	8	10	2	25	16

A = appearances, GP = games played, W = won, D = drawn, L = lost, GF = goals for, GA = goals against.

Summary of best results

From the quarter-finals upwards:

• European Cup/UEFA Champions League:

Semifinalists in 1962

Quarterfinalists in 1959, 1970 and 1972

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1):

Runners-up in 1982

Semifinalists in 1967

Quarterfinalists in 1968

• UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League:

Quarterfinalists in 1981 and 2010

• UEFA Intertoto Cup (1):

Runners-up in 1996

Semifinalists in 2000

UEFA coefficient

Correct as of 21 May 2025.

Rank	Team	Points
140	Template:Flagicon FC Flora	11.500
141	Template:Flagicon K.R.C. Genk	11.370
142	Template:Flagicon Standard Liège	11.370
143	Template:Flagicon Royal Charleroi S.C.	11.370
144	Template:Flagicon Pafos FC	11.250

Players

Current squad

Template:Updated Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
3	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Nathan Ngoy
4	DF	Template:Country data CRO	Boško Šutalo
5	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Boli Bolingoli
6	MF	Template:Country data GRE	Sotiris Alexandropoulos (on loan from Sporting)
7	MF	Template:Country data CRO	Marko Bulat (on loan from Dinamo Zagreb)
8	MF	Template:Country data CIV	Jean Thierry Lazare (on loan from Union SG)
9	FW	Template:Country data SUI	Andi Zeqiri (on loan from Genk)
11	FW	Template:Country data GER	Dennis Eckert (on loan from Union SG)
13	DF	Template:Country data USA	Marlon Fossey
14	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Léandre Kuavita
17	DF	Template:Country data SEN	Ilay Camara
20	MF	Template:Country data FRA	Ibrahim Karamoko
25	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Ibe Hautekiet

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
29	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Daan Dierckx
30	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Laurent Henkinet
40	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Matthieu Epolo
41	DF	Template:Country data HUN	Attila Szalai (on loan from Hoffenheim)
44	DF	Template:Country data SCO	David Bates
51	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Lucas Noubi
54	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Alexandro Calut
55	MF	Template:Country data MAR	Brahim Ghalidi
77	FW	Template:Country data BEN	Andreas Hountondji (on loan from Burnley)
88	DF	Template:Country data ENG	Henry Lawrence
99	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Tom Poitoux
—	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Adnane Abid
—	MF	Template:Country data GER	Tobias Mohr

SL16 FC

SL16 FC is the reserve/U23 squad of Standard that plays in the third-tier Belgian National Division 1. Template:Updated

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
4	DF	Template:Country data MAR	Samy Tory
5	DF	Template:Country data SEN	Birame Diaw
6	DF	Template:Country data CRO	Mate Šimičić
7	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Steeven Assengue
8	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Noah Sy
10	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Adrien Giunta
11	MF	Template:Country data HOL	Junior van Beveren
12	FW	Template:Country data BEL	Amine Benfriha
13	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Matteo Godfroid
18	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Noah Radelet
20	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Noah Makembo-Ntemo

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
23	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Rabby Mateta Pepa
27	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Thiago Paulo da Silva
28	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Oscar Olivier
31	DF	Template:Country data BEL	Noah Dodeigne
32	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Afonso N'Salambi
35	FW	Template:Country data BEL	René Mitongo
38	MF	Template:Country data BEL	Gabriel Pires de Carvalho
42	FW	Template:Country data MAR	Anisse Brrou
46	MF	Template:Country data LUX	Rayan Berberi
90	DF	Template:Country data GER	Faroukou Cissé
—	GK	Template:Country data BEL	Elias Mago

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	DF	Template:Country data CIV	Souleyman Doumbia (to Charlotte until 31 December 2025)
—	MF	Template:Country data MLI	Moussa Djenepo (to Antalyaspor until 30 June 2025)
—	MF	Template:Country data DRC	Noah Mawete Kinsiona (to Lierse Kempenzonen until 30 June 2025)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	Template:Country data RWA	Hakim Sahabo (to Beerschot until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	Template:Country data MAR	Soufiane Benjdida (to RWD Molenbeek until 30 June 2025)
—	FW	Template:Country data FRA	Grejohn Kyei (to Charleroi until 30 June 2025)

Notable players

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Standard career	Apps
1	Template:Flagicon Guy Hellers	1983–2000	474
2	Template:Flagicon Gilbert Bodart	1981–96, 1997–98	469
3	Template:Flagicon Guy Vandersmissen	1978–91	465
4	Template:Flagicon Léon Semmeling	1959–74	449

Most goals

Rank	Player	Standard career	Goals (App.)
1	Template:Flagicon Jean Capelle	1929–44	245 (285)
2	Template:Flagicon Roger Claessen	1956–68	161 (229)
3	Template:Flagicon Maurice Gillis	1919–35	124 (275)

Captains

Player's name in bold when Standard won the title

1939–43: Template:Flagicon Roger Petit 1943–53: Template:Flagicon Fernand Massay 1953–54: Template:Flagicon Fernand Blaise 1954–55: 1955–56: 1956–57: 1957–62: Template:Flagicon Denis Houf 1962–63: 1963–64: Template:Flagicon Marcel Paeschen 1964–65: Template:Flagicon Jean Nicolay 1965–66: Template:Flagicon Lucien Spronck 1966–72: Template:Flagicon Léon Semmeling 1972–74: Template:Flagicon Jean Thissen

1974–76: Template:Flagicon Wilfried Van Moer 1976–77: 1977–78: 1978–79: 1979–80: 1980–83: Template:Flagicon Eric Gerets 1983–84: 1984–85: 1985–86: 1986–87: 1987–88: 1988–90: Template:Flagicon Guy Vandersmissen 1990–91:

1991–92: 1992–96: Template:Flagicon Gilbert Bodart 1996–99: Template:Flagicon Guy Hellers 1999–02: Template:Flagicon Didier Ernst 2002–04: Template:Flagicon Ivica Dragutinović 2004–05: Template:Flagicon Eric Deflandre 2005–07: Template:Flagicon Sérgio Conceição 2007–11: Template:Flagicon Steven Defour 2011–15: Template:Flagicon Jelle Van Damme 2015–16: Template:Flagicon Adrien Trebel 2016–18: Template:Flagicon Alexander Scholz 2018–19: Template:Flagicon Sébastien Pocognoli 2019–21: Template:Flagicon Zinho Vanheusden

2021–22: Template:Flagicon Konstantinos Laifis 2022–25: Template:Flagicon Arnaud Bodart

Club officials

Position	Staff
Press Officer	Template:Flagicon Olivier Smeets
Global Sports Director	Template:Flagicon Johannes Spors
Sporting director	Template:Flagicon Fergal Harkin
Head coach	Template:Flagicon Ivan Leko
First-team coach	Template:Flagicon Frazer Robertson
First-team coach	Template:Flagicon Geoffrey Valenne
Goalkeeping coach	Template:Flagicon Jean-François Gillet
Fitness coach	Template:Flagicon Léo Djaoui Template:Flagicon Renaat Philippaerts Template:Flagicon Kevin Miny
Video analysis manager	Template:Flagicon Nathan Kirby
Video analyst	Template:Flagicon Lovic Mandela Sound
Team Doctor	Template:Flagicon Bertrand Vanden Bulck
Physiotherapist	Template:Flagicon Ludovic Depreter
Team Manager	Template:Flagicon Piero Rossi
Player Liaison Officer	Template:Flagicon Ricardo Carvalho

Coaches

Dates Name July 1912 – June 1916 Template:Flagicon Charles Bunyan, Sr. July 1916 – June 1922 Template:Flagicon Camille van Hoorden July 1922 – June 1924 Template:Flagicon Lamport Template:Flagicon Pierre Kogel July 1924 – June 1930 Template:Flagicon Percy Wilding Hartley July 1930 – June 1932 Template:Flagicon Maurice Grisard July 1932 – June 1935 Template:Flagicon Percy Wilding Hartley July 1935 – June 1936 Template:Flagicon Jean Dupont July 1936 – March 1937 Template:Flagicon Percy Wilding Hartley April 1937 – Nov 1938 Template:Flagicon Emile Riff Dec 1938 – June 1939 Template:Flagicon Jean Dupont July 1939 – June 1940 Template:Flagicon Maurice Grisard July 1940 – June 1942 Template:Flagicon René Dohet July 1942 – June 1945 Template:Flagicon Fernand Wertz July 1945 – June 1950 Template:Flagicon Marcelin Waroux July 1950 – June 1951 Template:Flagicon Antoine Basleer July 1951 – June 1953 Template:Flagicon Maurice Grisard July 1953 – June 1958 Template:Flagicon André Riou July 1958 – June 1961 Template:Flagicon Géza Kalocsay

Dates Name July 1961 – June 1963 Template:Flagicon Jean Prouff July 1963 – Nov 1964 Template:Flagicon Auguste Jordan Dec 1964 – June 1968 Template:Flagicon Milorad Pavić July 1968 – June 1973 Template:Flagicon René Hauss July 1973 – Oct 1973 Template:Flagicon Vlatko Marković Nov 1973 – June 1974 Template:Flagicon Ned Bulatović July 1974 – Dec 1975 Template:Flagicon Cor van der Hart Jan 1976 – June 1976 Template:Flagicon Maurice Lempereur Template:Flagicon Lucien Leduc July 1976 – June 1979 Template:Flagicon Robert Waseige July 1979 – June 1981 Template:Flagicon Ernst Happel July 1981 – Feb 1984 Template:Flagicon Raymond Goethals March 1984 – June 1984 Template:Flagicon Léon Semmeling July 1984 – April 1985 Template:Flagicon Louis Pilot May 1985 – Feb 1987 Template:Flagicon Milorad Pavić Feb 1986 – June 1987 Template:Flagicon Helmut Graf July 1987 – Sept 1987 Template:Flagicon René Desaeyere Oct 1987 – March 1988 Template:Flagicon Milorad Pavić April 1988 – June 1988 Template:Flagicon Jozef Vliers

Dates Name July 1988 – June 1989 Template:Flagicon Urbain Braems July 1989 – June 1991 Template:Flagicon Georg Kessler July 1991 – Dec 1993 Template:Flagicon Arie Haan Jan 1994 – June 1994 Template:Flagicon René Vandereycken July 1994 – June 1996 Template:Flagicon Robert Waseige July 1996 – June 1997 Template:Flagicon Jos Daerden Jul 1997 – Oct 1997 Template:Flagicon Aad de Mos Nov 1997 – March 1998 Template:Flagicon Daniel Boccar April 1998 – June 1998 Template:Flagicon Luka Peruzović July 1998 – Sept 1999 Template:Flagicon Tomislav Ivić Oct 1999 – Dec 1999 Template:Flagicon Željko Mijač Jan 2000 – May 2000 Template:Flagicon Jean Thissen Template:Flagicon Henri Depireux May 2000 – Dec 2000 Template:Flagicon Tomislav Ivić Dec 2000 – Jan 2001 Template:Flagicon Dominique D'Onofrio Template:Flagicon Christian Labarbe Jan 2001 – June 2002 Template:Flagicon Michel Preud'homme Jun 2002 – Oct 2002 Template:Flagicon Robert Waseige Oct 2002 – June 2006 Template:Flagicon Dominique D'Onofrio

Dates Name Jul 2006 – Sep 2006 Template:Flagicon Johan Boskamp Sept 2006 – June 2008 Template:Flagicon Michel Preud'homme June 2008 – Feb 2010 Template:Flagicon László Bölöni Feb 2010 – June 2011 Template:Flagicon Dominique D'Onofrio July 2011 – May 2012 Template:Flagicon José Riga May 2012 – Oct 2012 Template:Flagicon Ron Jans Oct 2012 – May 2013 Template:Flagicon Mircea Rednic May 2013 – Oct 2014 Template:Flagicon Guy Luzon Nov 2014 – Feb 2015 Template:Flagicon Ivan Vukomanović Feb 2015 – Jun 2015 Template:Flagicon José Riga Jun 2015 – Aug 2015 Template:Flagicon Slavoljub Muslin Sep 2015 – Sep 2016 Template:Flagicon Yannick Ferrera Sep 2016 – Apr 2017 Template:Flagicon Aleksandar Janković Apr 2017 – May 2017 Template:Flagicon José Jeunechamps June 2017 – May 2018 Template:Flagicon Ricardo Sá Pinto June 2018 – Jun 2020 Template:Flagicon Michel Preud'homme June 2020 – Dec 2020 Template:Flagicon Philippe Montanier Dec 2020 – Oct 2021 Template:Flagicon Mbaye Leye Oct 2021 – April 2022 Template:Flagicon Luka Elsner June 2022 – June 2023 Template:Flagicon Ronny Deila June 2023 – December 2023 Template:Flagicon Carl Hoefkens January 2024 – present Template:Flagicon Ivan Leko

Cultural references

Standard Liège are mentioned in the song "This One's for Now" by the band Half Man Half Biscuit on the album Urge for Offal.

External links

• Template:Official website Template:In lang
• Standard Liège at UEFA.com Template:In lang (archived)
• Standard Liège at National Football Teams.com