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54-543: Royale Union Saint-Gilloise [y.njɔ̃ sɛ̃.ʒil.waz] , commonly referred to as Union Saint-Gilloise and abbreviated as RUSG , is a Belgian professional football club originally located in the municipality of Saint-Gilles , in Brussels , although since the 1920s, it has been based at the Joseph Marien Stadium in the neighbouring municipality of Forest . The club is one of the most successful in

108-493: A " Zwanze derby" with R.W.D. Molenbeek , which stems from their old rivalry with Daring Club Brussels , that has been encapsulated in the Brussels play Bossemans et Coppenolle . However, the two are said to have a love-hate relationship, having both experienced financial difficulty in the modern era, and organised friendlies together in support. Union have another Brussels city rivalry with neighbour RSC Anderlecht , although

162-484: A (professional) football club is incorporation . A football club is an entity which is formed and governed by a committee and has members which may consist of supporters in addition to players. A consequence of the FIFA rules and regulations for association football clubs is that players are not allowed to be owned by any legal entity other than the clubs themselves. This means that the involvement of external investors in

216-561: A 0–2 away victory. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Five players from the Union Saint-Gilloise finished top scorers in the Belgian First Division A Two players from

270-522: A 1–0 win over Royal Antwerp in the final . In the Champions' Play-offs, Union suffered four consecutive defeats which saw them drop to third place behind rivals Anderlecht and Club Brugge, followed by two wins against Antwerp and two draws against the other two title contenders which minimized their chances to secure the title for the third attempt in a row. Following victories over Cercle Brugge and Genk, Union finished as runners-up, just one point behind

324-508: A 3–1 opening-day win away to Brussels' traditional giants Anderlecht. Union in their next match a week later hosted reigning champions Club Brugge on 1 August 2021 in their first home game in the top division since 1973, being edged out 1–0 through a late Eduard Sobol winner. Union went top of the Pro League on 17 October 2021, passing previous leaders Eupen by virtue of a 4–1 win over Seraing , and would remain there until May. Due to

378-597: A First Division B licence, goalkeeper Anthony Moris and Loïc Lapoussin . On 13 March 2021, after defeating R.W.D. Molenbeek 2–1 at home, Union were promoted back to the Belgian First Division A. This marked its first appearance in the top flight since 1972. Due to restrictions at the time due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Union fans were not able to celebrate their promotion at the stadium. A sensational return to top-flight football after 48 years away saw

432-455: A Second Division licence, so Union were promoted in their place. On 21 May 2018, Tony Bloom , chairman of English Premier League side, Brighton & Hove Albion was confirmed as the majority shareholder. Current Union chairman Alex Muzio was a co-investor with Tony Bloom in 2018. On 7 July 2023 Alex Muzio was confirmed as having become the majority owner of Union. Promoted from the third tier in 2015, Union quickly established themselves as

486-609: A big chance of winning the group to qualify for the Play-Offs 2 Final, but losses away to Waasland-Beveren and Zulte Waregem saw them overtaken by Kortrijk right at the end. The Kerels finished on 24 points, Union 20. With Elsner taking up a coaching job in France with Amiens SC , Thomas Christiansen was brought in as his replacement, with Union again falling marginally short in both the Opening and Closing Tournaments. However, there

540-644: A business, city or district. Clubs often are the sole event organisers of their home games. Stadium naming rights are sometimes procured by sponsors to generate additional sources of revenue for the football club. Normally this requires the club (or its owners) to have sole ownership of the stadium of which naming rights are sold. An association football club exists as a business entity. The club signs commercial contract with players as well as non-playing personnel. As any business entity it has its own secretary or secretarial department as well as financial, legal, accounting and other departments. The club also often has

594-476: A club is and is not allowed to do with their spending and capital holdings. The capital structure of a football club most closely resembles that of a nonprofit corporation , although it may still be profitable per se to its investors. A practical example is the fact that clubs may deliberately price matchday tickets below market value , instead favouring a higher stadium attendance or membership priority access over total matchday revenues. Another notable example

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648-440: A combination of their own youth academies, as well as external sources of talent (pools) through affiliated clubs as well as the arrangement of youth tournaments. An association football club normally has a designated stadium as their home ground, where the club plays its home games, which normally make up about half of fixtures for a given season. The home ground can either be owned by the club itself or by some other entity such as

702-430: A department or someone who popularizes it or interacts with public on behalf of the club (public affair). The club may also contain own agronomist or whole agricultural department. An association football club often times provides some medical support in forms of first or urgent medical aid and physical rehabilitation or recovery plans for its players. 2014%E2%80%9315 Belgian Third Division The 2014–15 season of

756-447: A national level within each national member association. The majority of association football clubs take part in a league system . These league systems are governed on a continental level by the six regional FIFA confederations. Football clubs exist all over the world on amateur, semi-professional or professional levels of the game. They can be owned by members as well as business entities. Football clubs have been in practice since

810-532: A point behind on 45. Union would be champions if they won their game against Club Brugge, and Antwerp did not win theirs against Genk. No other scenario would crown Union as champions. On the final matchday of the Play-offs, Union were leading 1–0 at home against Club Brugge in the 89th minute, and with Racing Genk leading Royal Antwerp 2–1 at the Cegeka Arena , Union were on the way to being champions, with

864-422: A presence within a certain geographic area where football is a natural part of the culture. Football clubs may also expand their area of reach further from the local region of origin to whom they belong. Many association football clubs will have either one or more youth systems connected to the organization, either as part of the club, or as an affiliate to the club. The more prestigious football clubs often have

918-506: A rebounded own goal from goalkeeper Anthony Moris to take a three-point lead with two games to go. A late equaliser from Casper Nielsen was disallowed by VAR for offside. Club Brugge clinched the league crown in their next (and penultimate) game against Royal Antwerp, despite Union beating Anderlecht for the fourth time in the season 2–0 at Lotto Park . Eventually, Union finished four points down on Club in second place, with 46 points compared to Club's 50, historically qualifying Union for

972-517: A top-six side in Division 1B, without becoming a top-3 side. A change of coach in May 2018 saw Marc Grosjean replaced after three years of finishing 6th, 4th and 6th by Luka Elsner , with Union contesting at the top of Division 1B in 2018–19, which that season was divided into South American-style "opening" and "closing" competitions, framed in the "apertura and clausura" style seen in many countries in

1026-471: Is 10. The team was traditionally popular with the working-class communities of central Brussels (the Marolles) and southern Brussels. On 13 March 2021, after defeating local rivals R.W.D. Molenbeek , Union were promoted back to the Belgian First Division A , marking their first appearance in top-flight football in 48 years. The following year, they finished top of the table at the end of the regular season,

1080-442: Is the prevalence of community initiatives by professional football clubs. The English Premier League is wholly owned by its 20 participating member clubs. Professional football clubs also act as market entities offering a highly sought after product to an entertainment sector audience. It therefor acts as a market intermediator between its product (the football players) and its market (the supporters). In doing so, it fills

1134-824: The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League in the third qualifying round, having last appeared in the 1964–65 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup . In the 2022–23 season, the team played their group stage home games at Den Dreef and their knockout phase home games at the Lotto Park , as the Joseph Marien Stadium does not meet the UEFA requirements. Football club (association football) The sport of association football allows teams that partake in some sort of club activity to participate in tournaments such as leagues and other competitions. Teams must register their players as well as staff and other personnel to be eligible to represent

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1188-475: The UEFA Champions League . League glory for Union would have seen them become the first newly promoted side to win a top-20 European national league championship at the first attempt since Kaiserslautern 's 1998 Bundesliga success. During their run for the title, coach Felice Mazzu gained a reputation for dancing in front of Union's fans post-match, cited as keeping a light atmosphere within

1242-673: The UEFA Europa League and won their group, earning four victories from their six games against Union Berlin , Braga and Malmö . A last-16 reunion with Union Berlin saw the Brussels club draw 3–3 away in Berlin, and win their "home" return 3–0 at Anderlecht's Lotto Park . The quarter-finals had them paired with another Bundesliga side in Bayer Leverkusen , who defeated them 5–2 on aggregate (1–1 away, 1–4 home). Domestically, Union continued their remarkable form from

1296-530: The 19th century, with the existence of clubs dating back to the 1850s . During the early 1860s, there were increasing attempts in England to unify and reconcile the various football games that were played in the public schools as well in the industrial north under the Sheffield Rules. Working class, industrial cities all over the U.K. began forming their own Football Associations in the late 1800s, from

1350-613: The Americas. The winner of each competition would qualify for the promotion play-off final, with automatic promotion being the incentive for a club to try and win both competitions. Union were second behind Mechelen by six points in the Opening Tournament which concluded at Christmas, and regrouped to take third behind Beerschot Wilrijk in the Closing Tournament. Despite not reaching the final, Union's reward

1404-467: The Pro League trophy being flown via helicopter to the Joseph Marien Stadium. However, three late goals from Club Brugge - two in stoppage-time - and a late Antwerp equaliser from Toby Alderweireld sent the crown Antwerp's way. Union's second consecutive title-race collapse saw them drop to third place which qualified them to the Europa League play-off round . Owing to a third-place finish in

1458-623: The Scottish Football Association in 1873 to Lancashire FA in 1878. Teams still in existence began popping up, some with the help of the Church; for example, Aston Villa was founded in 1874, Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1877, Bolton Wanderers in 1874 and Everton in 1878. Due to the scope and popularity of the sport, professional football clubs carry a significant commercial existence, with fans expecting personal service and interactivity, and external stakeholders viewing

1512-656: The Third Division B, inside the relegation zone. However, KVK Tienen were found guilty of making irregular payments and were automatically relegated to the Fourth Division, earning Union a reprieve via a play-off, which they won 1–0 against RFC de Liege. Union went on to finish a creditable third in the 2014–15 Belgian Third Division , but again would prosper from other clubs’ problems, as the top two of Cappellen and Sprimont Comblain Sport both passed up applying for

1566-530: The Third Division for the first time. Union bounced back to the Second Division after just one season, but an even bigger decline followed at the end of the 1970s, back-to-back relegations seeing Union fall from the Second Division to the Fourth in successive years. The club rallied in the mid-80s to earn back-to-back promotions back up to the Second Division, claiming the Fourth Division crown in 1983 and

1620-540: The Third the following season. But no further progress could be made and Union would move between the second and third flights for close on the next four decades. Promotion back to the Second Division in 2004 saw two subsequent seasons of battling against relegation, but the 2006–07 started brightly and promotion back to the First Division was a prospect until a poor climax to their campaign post-Christmas, leading to

1674-635: The Union Saint-Gilloise finished top scorers in the Belgian Second Division [REDACTED] Dante Vanzeir / [REDACTED] Georges Mikautadze - RFC Seraing ( 29 Goals ) A player from the Union Saint-Gilloise finishes top scorers in the Europa League 2022-2023 [REDACTED] Victor Boniface / [REDACTED] Marcus Rashford - [REDACTED] Manchester United ( 6 Goals ) Union Saint-Gilloise went 58 years between appearances in European competitions, entering

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1728-462: The Year, Mazzu departed for cross-town rivals Anderlecht and was replaced by his assistant Karel Geraerts . Anderlecht's move meant they had to pay Union compensation, sparking ill-feeling between the two Brussels clubs, Despite an early exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Rangers after a 2–0 "home" win at OH Leuven 's Den Dreef stadium and a 3–0 loss at Ibrox , Union dropped into

1782-518: The acquirement of players to the club must only involve the eventual transfer of the rights to the contract of the player in question, and not the contract itself. There are several professional football clubs that are publicly traded. Normally, football clubs are not run with the intent of profit maximization , as its sports outcomes are considered more important than its financial outcomes by its ownership. In addition, financial regulations as, for example, UEFA Financial Fair Play may also limit what

1836-527: The champions, Club Brugge. Union attract supporters primarily from the Brussels region, especially from the south of the Belgian capital. Their ultras are known as the Union Bhoys, and attend in the all-standing Tribune Est . The Union Bhoys have friendships with RFC Liège and Cercle Brugge supporters. Union's supporters promote anti-fascist ideals. Union share a Brussels city derby, also known as

1890-682: The club and maintaining a close relationship with the Union fans. Union's runners-up spot qualified them for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, sending them into European football for the first time since 1964–65, and their first UEFA competition after featuring in five editions of the Fairs Cup in the 1950s and 60s. After going into first place in October, Union were top for 200 consecutive days. Having been voted Belgian Coach of

1944-470: The club in any activity as it regards to association football competitions. In association football terminology, competitions are referred to as "club competitions". Supporters may also acquire membership rights within their club. Even sponsors may be accounted for as members of the club of affiliation. This is a reason as to why the sport came to be called association football. The exact requirements for club licensing are regulated by FIFA and implemented on

1998-486: The emergence of Anderlecht in the 1960s. Seven of those titles came before the outbreak of World War One in 1914. In the early 1900s, Union also had a dominant spell in some of the first "European" Cup competitions that took place, prior to officially sanctioned UEFA competitions. Between 1958 and 1965, the club had a brief spell of European success, playing in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and reaching

2052-416: The field of professional football as a source of significant business advantages. For this reason, expensive player transfers have become an expectable part of the sport. Awards are also handed out to managers or coaches on a yearly basis for excellent performances. The designs, logos and names of professional football clubs are often licensed trademarks. The difference between a football team and

2106-463: The first club in Belgian history to do so the season after promotion to the top flight. Union would go on to finish second in the champions play off, securing Champions League qualification for the first time ever in club history, and after being eliminated in the third qualifying round, reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League . The club was founded in 1897 and obtained its first of eleven titles as Champion of Belgium in 1904. From 1933 to 1935

2160-483: The first derby between the two teams in the championship, Union beat Anderlecht 3–1. In January 2022, in their first home game against Anderlecht in the championship since their relegation in 1972, Union completed a league double over Anderlecht, defeating them 1–0. During the Champions Playoffs at the end of the 2021–22 season, they again defeated Anderlecht twice, first with a 3–1 home victory and again with

2214-678: The history of Belgian football. The club won eleven Belgian championships between 1904 and 1935, making it the most successful Belgian club before World War II , but fell into decline after relegation from the First Division in 1973. The Apaches took part in the first European competitions, the Challenge International du Nord , the Coupe Van der Straeten Ponthoz and the Coupe Jean Dupuich between 1898 and 1925. The team colours are blue and yellow and its matricule

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2268-674: The last season, Union entered in the playoff round of the Europa League . There, they faced FC Lugano and won, qualifying for the Europa League group stage for the second consecutive season. In the group, they were drawn with Liverpool , Toulouse and LASK . They would finish third in the group, but they secured some great results like their 2–1 win over Liverpool. In the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round playoffs, they were drawn against Eintracht Frankfurt . The first leg finished 2–2, but they won

2322-473: The lead over Club Brugge maintained at three points. The title race swung in the direction of Bruges in back-to-back games between Union and Club, with the champions earning a tight 2–0 win in Brussels to draw level on points, with Club going top under the "half-points" rule, as Union had needed their tally from the regular season rounded-up. Club Brugge won the midweek return 1–0 at the Jan Breydel through

2376-415: The novelty of being crowned unofficial winter champions , Union were awarded a special trophy by the newspaper HLN. In a difficult January run against all of the previous season's top four, Union beat Anderlecht, Genk and Royal Antwerp , drawing 0–0 away to Club Brugge. By the end of the regular season, Union were top on 77 points, five ahead of Club Brugge, with Antwerp and Anderlecht also qualifying for

2430-432: The sacking of coach Tshupula Kande, replaced by Alex Czerniatynski. In May 2007, long-standing chairman Enrico Bove resigned along with several other members of the board of directors, and the club suffered another relegation to the Third Division. Bove returned as chairman in 2010 with the backing of new Italian sponsors, but Union's prospects on the pitch continued to suffer, and in 2012–13, finished 17th out of 19 clubs in

2484-534: The season before, lying second heading into the final round of the Belgian Pro League regular season and reaching the Belgian Cup semi-finals, only to lose to Royal Antwerp on penalties. Union reached the final day of the title play-offs in second place on 46 points, with leaders Antwerp also on 46, top by virtue of finishing in first place at the end of the regular season. Third-placers Genk were

2538-517: The second leg in Frankfurt 2–1 to win 4–3 on aggregate and qualify for the round of 16 where they lost to Fenerbahce . Following their 2–0 away win over OH Leuven on 2 March 2024, Union mathematically became the regular season champions for the second time in three seasons, as they had an 8-point lead over city rivals Anderlecht with only two regular season matchdays to go. On 9 May 2024, Union won their first Cup title after 110 years, following

2592-604: The semi-finals in the 1958–60 edition after a two-legged victory against A.S. Roma . In 1963, however, the club was relegated to the second division, and in 1980 even fell as low as the Belgian Promotion division, the fourth tier. In the sixties, Union began to struggle, bouncing between the First and Second Division several times. In 1973, the club dropped out of the First Division and would not return for 48 years. Two years later in 1975, would come another relegation to

2646-404: The six rounds of play-offs, where the quartet would bring forward half of the regular season points into the play-offs. Hence, Union would resume on 39, Club 36, with Anderlecht and Antwerp both on 32. On 10 April 2022, during their first season back in the top flight in 48 years, Union Saint-Gilloise finished the regular season in first place after a draw against last place Beerschot . The match

2700-627: The team played 60 consecutive matches undefeated, setting a still unbeaten record in Belgium, winning three league titles in a row across that period led by captain Jules Pappaert . With its first national title barely a few years after its foundation, Union quickly became a superpower and supplier to the Belgian team for the Olympic Games in 1920. The 1935 success was the club's eleventh, a Belgian record that would not be broken until

2754-507: The two have met even fewer times in the modern era than RWDM and Union have. This is arguably Union's fiercest derby, with many fans considering it to be the most important match of the season. They met for the first time since 1979 in the Belgian Cup in 2018, with Union stunning Anderlecht 3–0 at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium . In 2021, Union were promoted to the First Division for the first time in 49 years. In

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2808-501: Was abandoned after 83 minutes, after Beerschot fans threw flares onto the pitch. Union were later awarded three points due to forfeit. This was the first time that a newly promoted club finished top of the table in the history of the Belgian league. Union started the play-offs strongly, beating Anderlecht 3–1 and thus becoming the first club ever to inflict three defeats on the Mauves in the same league season. A 0–0 draw away to Antwerp saw

2862-491: Was to be given one of the three places allocated for Division 1B teams in Play-Offs 2 , for the right to compete for a place in the UEFA Europa League . Placed in a group of six with every other opponent being from the top division, USG went unbeaten at home, beating Kortrijk , Waasland-Beveren and Cercle Brugge , drawing with Zulte Waregem and Excel Mouscron . Away wins over Kortrijk, Mouscron and Cercle put them in with

2916-539: Was to be no place in Play-Offs 2 this time, as these were abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the 2019–20 season end prematurely in March. The summer of 2020 saw Felice Mazzu appointed as first-team coach, assisted by Karel Geraerts , with a number of interesting young talents signed from lower-division football both in Belgium and abroad, such as Dante Vanzeir , Deniz Undav , Christian Burgess , Teddy Teuma , and from Virton following that club's denial of

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