Club Brugge declared Jupiler Pro League champions after premature end to season
The Belgian Pro League has confirmed their decision to end the season and hand Club Brugge the title after a meeting by all the clubs within the Jupiler Pro League. The Belgian top tier became the first major European league to prematurely end their football season over the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, even though the Belgian Pro League were the first ones to prematurely end their season, the decision was never confirmed by the league. Since then, UEFA has allowed leagues with special circumstances to do as much which saw both the Dutch Eredivisie and the French Ligue 1 also prematurely end their seasons. But while the Eredivisie never handed out a title but only the Champions League spots, the Ligue 1 handed PSG the league title.
But with discussions still taking place for the Jupiler Pro League, things have finally changed and the BBC has reported that the league title has been confirmed as Club Brugge. The newly crowned Belgian Champions had an impossible to overcome 15 point lead over Gent with just one game left before they moved into the play-off system. However, the league didnât just decide on handing Brugge the league title but also the Champions League, Europa League, and various relegation places.
That will see Gent enter next seasonâs Champions League in the qualifying stage, alongside Club Brugge who get a direct group stage spot, with Royal Antwerp, Charleroi, and Standard Liege in the Europa League. However, the league also confirmed that Waasland-Beveren would be relegated from the Jupiler Pro League into the Proximus League.