FLASHBACK The 1944-1945 season did not follow a normal course due to the Second World War. The Normandy landing took place on June 6, 1944, and by autumn, most of Belgium had been liberated. Because of this, the idea to start a competition from November 1944 began to gain traction.
Eleven clubs were allowed to participate, and later Olympic Charleroi was also added (they had initially been excluded because they had played a friendly match against a Wehrmacht team).
However, the progress of the competition was severely disrupted by Hitler's Ardennes Offensive. As a result, the Ardennes region, including the area around Liège, became almost inaccessible. Antwerp was also constantly bombarded with German V2 rockets. The start of the competition was postponed until January. In the end, football was played: 113 matches were completed, but on June 10, 1945, the competition was ultimately halted. It proved impossible to complete the full schedule, despite the end of the war.
At the time of the stoppage, Anderlecht was leading with 26 points from 19 matches. FC Malinois followed with 24 points but had played two matches fewer. La Gantoise had played as many games as Anderlecht but was already 4 points behind. Due to the premature end of the season, Anderlecht was denied the chance to win their first official title.
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In a flashback article, we look back in time at an important event for the club or a former player.
