Club Brugge secured the Belgian Pro League title for the 20th time in their history on Thursday evening, clinching the championship with a 2-2 draw away at KV Mechelen on the penultimate matchday of the season. The result was enough because title rivals Union Saint-Gilloise — the Brussels-based defending champions — could only draw 0-0 at AA Gent on the same evening, leaving Club Brugge mathematically unreachable at the top of the table.
The title triumph was the culmination of a dramatic second half to the season. Union had held first place since the sixth round of the regular season and appeared to be cruising toward a second consecutive championship. Club Brugge, managed by Croatian coach Ivan Leko, overhauled them only in the final weeks, with a crushing 5-0 victory over Union last Sunday proving the decisive turning point. Greek forward Christos Tzolis, formerly of Dutch club FC Twente, was the standout performer across the campaign, contributing 16 goals and 22 assists. The squad also featured several Dutch players, including Dani van den Heuvel, Bjorn Meijer, and Ludovit Reis.
The celebrations were, however, overshadowed by disorder at the Mechelen stadium. As the final whistle approached and large numbers of Club Brugge supporters had filled sections normally reserved for home fans, around 50 Mechelen supporters — several wearing balaclavas — moved toward the main stadium entrance where visiting fans were exiting. Police intervened with pepper spray to prevent a direct confrontation, leaving six supporters affected, four of whom required hospital treatment. Four home supporters were formally detained — three for public order offences and one for entering the pitch — and police issued fines to 15 home supporters in total for offences including throwing beer cups and brawling. Authorities are continuing to review CCTV footage to identify further individuals.
Off the pitch, the title also marks a farewell milestone: technical director Dévy Rigaux, 38, is leaving Club Brugge after 17 years with the club to take up a role at Dutch side Feyenoord. The championship is the last trophy he will have won in his long stint in Bruges.
The title is significant both for the club's domestic standing and for Belgian football more broadly. With 20 league titles, Club Brugge cement their status as one of the country's most decorated clubs, having outlasted a determined Union side that had re-emerged as a genuine challenger to the traditional order of Belgian football over recent seasons.