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Oud-Heverlee Leuven

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This article is about the men's football club based in Belgium. For the women's team, see Oud-Heverlee Leuven (women).

Oud-Heverlee Leuven (Flemish pronunciation: [ʌut ˈɦeːvərˌleː ˈløːvə(n)]), also called OH Leuven or OHL, is a Belgian professional football club from the city of Leuven. It was created in 2002 from the merger of three clubs, F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee, whose registration number it inherited, Daring Club Leuven, and Stade Leuven. The club's home ground is Den Dreef, located in Heverlee. The club currently plays in the country's first division, the Belgian Pro League.

Oud-Heverlee Leuven
Full nameOud-Heverlee Leuven
Short nameOHL, OH Leuven
Founded2002; 22 years ago (2002)
GroundKing Power At Den Dreef
Capacity10,020[1]
OwnerKing Power
ChairmanAiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha
Head coachHans Somers
LeagueBelgian Pro League
2023–24Belgian Pro League, 10th of 16
Websitehttps://www.ohleuven.com/
Current season

History

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F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee was founded in 1957, climbing out of the provincial leagues in 1996 and winning the Belgian Fourth Division title during the 1999–2000 season. Promoted to the Belgian Third Division they joined their Leuven neighbours Stade Leuven, founded in 1905, which had played over 30 seasons in the Belgian Second Division and one year in the First in the 1949–50 season. As of 2002, F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee was in bad financial shape, moving up and down between third and fourth division since 1991.

In 2002, the city of Leuven decided that both Third division teams, Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee and K. Stade Leuven, would merge also with the third club from Leuven, K. Daring Club Leuven, which was at that time playing at the fifth level of the league. Daring Club Leuven was founded in 1922, had played several seasons in the Belgian Second Division, and after being the leading club from the Leuven region between 1958 and 1964, had dropped down into the provincial leagues in 1979 and stayed there since. The new club took over the registration of Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee, and started playing in the Belgian Third Division under the name Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

At the end of its first season, the club narrowly lost out on promotion, going down on penalty kicks to Eendracht Aalst in the Third division play-off final, after finishing 2nd in the 3rd division B, 5 points behind champions Tubize. After a 3rd place in the same division in season 2003–04, Oud-Heverlee Leuven finished 2nd once again in season 2004–05 and this time they did win the promotion play-off and entered the second division in the 2005–06 season. After two seasons finishing 6th and 5th, OH Leuven finished 3rd in the 2007–08 Belgian Second Division season with 61 points. This allowed them to take part in the promotion playoffs where the team finished as the bottom 4th after losing all six games to Tubize, Antwerp, and Lommel United.

Two seasons with the team finishing 9th and 14th were followed by a second division title on Sunday 24 April 2011, when Oud-Heverlee Leuven secured the 2010–11 2nd division championship and gained promotion to the First division for the season 2011–12, following a 2–2 draw at Antwerp. The team rounded off the season the following Sunday with a 2–0 home win against Lommel United, gathering a total of 73 points from 34 games and finishing 8 points ahead of 2nd placed Lommel United. Their promotion brought First division football to the city of Leuven for the first time since the 1949–50 season, when Stade Leuven had finished bottom of the league and were relegated.

OH Leuven secured its top flight status following a 0–0 draw at home against Lierse on 3 March 2012, marking the first time a team from the city of Leuven managed to remain at the highest level of Belgian football for more than a single season. In the 2013–14 season, OH Leuven was relegated after losing the 2014 promotion/relegation play-offs. Although finishing 6th, the team was promoted next year via the 2015 promotion/relegation play-offs, but it was immediately relegated again after finishing last in the 2015–16 season.

In September 2016, OH Leuven were caught up in a scandal affecting football in England. In relation to allegations made against individuals within English football, OH Leuven chairman Jimmy Houtput was alleged to have offered up the club as a "conduit" to allow third-party companies to gain ownership of football players in England.[2] Houtput claimed he was "merely trying to obtain the identity of the possible investor(s) and would never take part in illegal activities to circumvent the third-party ownership", but subsequently resigned as OH Leuven chairman on 30 September.[3]

Later that season, with the club struggling financially, OH Leuven was taken over by the King Power International Group led by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who already owned Leicester City.[4]

In July 2018, OH Leuven reclaimed the registration number that originally belonged to Stade Leuven, to "reclaim the glorious past", thus dropping registration number 6142 (originally belonging to F.C. Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee) and reverting to 18.[5]

On 27 October 2018, the club's chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died in a helicopter crash following Leicester City's home game against West Ham United.[6]

Evolution throughout the league

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Green denotes the highest level of football in Belgium; yellow the second highest; red the third highest.

Honours

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Kit and colours

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Upon its foundation in 2002, white was chosen as the club color, with the logo of the new club combining the green of Stade Leuven, the black of Zwarte Duivels Oud-Heverlee and the red of Daring Leuven. Throughout the years, the home shirt has remained white, often decorated with a few red or green stripes or colored sleeves. The away shirt color has alternated mostly between red and green but has been black, yellow and blue as well.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2002–03 Erima Speedy
2003–06 Vandezande
2006–08 Option
2008–15 Vermarc
2015–16 Just Eat
2016–17 Leuven Klimaatneutraal 2030
2017–19 King Power
2019–22 Adidas
2022–25 Stanno Starcasino

Stadium

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Main article: Den Dreef
 
Den Dreef Stadium (before the expansions to the main stand (right) and construction of a same stand on the opposite side (left).)

Their stadium is called Stadion Den Dreef and is situated on Kardinaal Mercierlaan in the south Leuven suburb of Heverlee (not to be confused with 'Oud-Heverlee' in the club name, which is in fact a separate municipality). The entrance for visiting fans is on Tervuursevest.

Players

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First-team squad

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For the women's team, see Oud-Heverlee Leuven (women).
As of 25 November 2024[7]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   BEL Tobe Leysen
3 DF   BEL Antef Tsoungui (on loan from Feyenoord)
4 MF   BEL Birger Verstraete
5 DF   JPN Takuma Ominami (on loan from Kawasaki Frontale)
6 MF   NED Ezechiel Banzuzi
8 MF   BEL Siebe Schrijvers
10 MF   FRA Youssef Maziz
14 DF   URU Federico Ricca
15 FW   CIV Konan N'Dri
16 GK   FRA Maxence Prévot
19 FW   NGA Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi
20 DF   MAR Hamza Mendyl
21 MF   COD William Balikwisha
22 FW   MTQ Mickaël Biron (on loan from RWDM)
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 MF   SRB Stefan Mitrović (on loan from Hellas Verona)
25 MF   BEL Manuel Osifo
27 DF   ESP Óscar Gil
28 DF   BEL Ewoud Pletinckx
30 DF   JPN Takahiro Akimoto
33 MF   BEL Mathieu Maertens
55 MF   BEL Wouter George
58 DF   TUR Hasan Kuruçay
61 GK   BEL Owen Jochmans
63 DF   BEL Christ Souanga
71 GK   BEL Théo Radelet
77 DF   BEL Thibault Vlietinck
99 DF   BEL Davis Opoku

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
9 FW   NOR Jonatan Braut Brunes (on loan to   Raków Częstochowa until 30 June 2025)
11 FW   BEL Nachon Nsingi (on loan to   Dunkerque until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 MF   GHA Emmanuel Toku (on loan to   AEL Limassol until 30 June 2025)
82 FW   BEL Yohan Mboko (on loan to   Lecce until 30 June 2025)

Under-23 squad

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As of 5 November 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
40 DF   BEL Roméo Monticelli
41 DF   BEL Ilias Breugelmans
44 FW   BEL Eli Honnof
47 MF   ALB Kevin Shkurti
48 MF   BEL Mathias De Wolf
56 MF   BEL Mathéo Parmentier
64 DF   BEL Mathéo Gerard
66 MF   BEL Warre Smet
70 FW   BEL Hugo Eugène
71 GK   BEL Tobias Geeroms
72 DF   BEL Dragan Lausberg
72 MF   BEL Sebastian Murru
73 MF   BEL Soufiane Hassouan
No. Pos. Nation Player
74 DF   COD Christvie Dienena
74 DF   BEL Andreas Claes
78 FW   BEL Franck Idumbo-Muzambo
80 MF   BEL Matteo Heremans
81 GK   BEL Lander Gijsbers
86 MF   BEL Mohamed Aouameur
89 FW   BEL Chike Van De Ven
90 FW   BEL Amine Benfriha
93 DF   BEL Milan Gigot
94 DF   BEL Noa Wyns
95 GK   BEL Théo Radelet
99 DF   BEL Davis Opoku
— MF   SLE Mahdi Kallon

Club staff

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As of 23 November 2024[8][9]

Directors & Senior Management
Role Person
Chairman   Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha
Vice chairman   Apichet Srivaddhanaprabha
Director   Susan Whelan
Director   Jon Rudkin
Technical Director   Gyorgy Csepregi
Chief Executive Officer   Frédéric Van den Steen
Chief Commercial Officer   Filip Van Doorslaer
Head of Operations   Marc Tordeur
First Team Management
Role Person
Head Coach   Hans Somers
Assistant Coach   Glenn Cleemput
First Team Coach Vacant
Goalkeeping Coach   Bram Verbist
Performance Coach   Piermaria Colistro
  Charle Jaspers
Video Analyst   Mehdi Hosseinpour
First Team Doctor   Ignace Verscheure
Physiotherapist   Michiel Devyver
Physiotherapist   Kylian Lenaerts
Physiotherapist   Mathias Mariën
Team Manager   Nicolas Cornu
Team Manager   André Michiels
Equipment Manager   Vahbi Altinisik
Equipment Manager   Karl van Cauwenbergh

Managers

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Former players

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For details on former players, see Category:Oud-Heverlee Leuven players.

Top goal scorers

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The following list the top scorers for OH Leuven per season, counting only goals scored during official matches: league, cup and playoffs.

Player Goals Season
  Youssef Maziz 8 2023–24
  Mario González 15 2022–23
  Sory Kaba 12 2021–22
  Thomas Henry 21 2020–21
  Thomas Henry 16 2019–20
  Frédéric Duplus and   Mathieu Maertens 7 2018–19
  Yannick Aguemon 13 2017–18
  Esteban Casagolda 8 2016–17
  Yohan Croizet and   Leandro Trossard 9 2015–16
  Jovan Kostovski 14 2014–15
  Bjorn Ruytinx 11 2013–14
  Ibou 19 2012–13
  Jordan Remacle 16 2011–12
  Hamdi Harbaoui 28 2010–11
  Cédric Bétrémieux 13 2009–10
  Frederik Vanderbiest 9 2008–09
  Toni Brogno and   Bjorn Ruytinx 16 2007–08
  Toni Brogno 14 2006–07
  Samuel Remy 14 2005–06
  François Sterchele 32 2004–05
  Kristof De Voeght 15 2003–04
  Hans Goethuys 12 2002–03

Internationals

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The list below consists of current and former players of OH Leuven who have gained caps for their national team.

Flags indicate national teams they played for.
Only players obtaining first team caps are included, U21 or unofficial matches are not.

Footnotes

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  1. ^   Sven Swinnen took his place on the bench as caretaker manager for the match on 4 February 2023.
  2. ^ Although Benković never played an official match for OH Leuven, he was part of the squad for the second half of the 2020–21 season and is hence counted as a former OH Leuven player.
  3. ^ Although Zimmerman never played an official match for OH Leuven, he was part of the squad for the 2022–23 season and is hence counted as a former OH Leuven player.
  4. ^ Odoi gained A-caps both for Belgium as well as Ghana.
  5. ^ Although Copa never played an official match for OH Leuven, he was part of the squad for the 2017–18 season and is hence counted as a former OH Leuven player.

References

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  1. ^ King Power at Den Dreef Stadion Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine (as of 30/03/2018)
  2. ^ "Belgium football club offered itself as a conduit to help a fictitious investment firm get around third party ownership – against FA and Fifa rules". The Daily Telegraph. 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Belgian football club chairman resigns after offering club as conduit for banned third party ownership scheme". The Daily Telegraph. 30 September 2016. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  4. ^ "OH Leuven komt in Thaise handen: "Zo snel mogelijk weer naar 1e klasse A"" [OH Leuven comes in Thai hands: "As soon as possible back to 1st class A"] (in Flemish). Sporza. Retrieved 22 September 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "OHL draagt voortaan stamnummer 18" [OHL now bears the number 18] (in Flemish). Radio 2. 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Leicester City owner among five dead in helicopter crash". BBC Sport. London. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Team". OH Leuven. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. ^ "A-Kern". OH Leuven. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha wordt voorzitter Oud-Heverlee Leuven". OH Leuven. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
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