K.V. Mechelen

Yellow Red Koninklijke Voetbalclub Mechelen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌjɛloː ˈrɛt ˌkoːnɪŋkləkə ˌvudbɑlklʏp ˈmɛxələ(n)]), often called KV Mechelen (Dutch pronunciation: [kaːˌveː ˈmɛxələ(n)], KVM) or simply by their former French name Malinois /ˌmalɪˈnwɑː/, is a Belgian professional football club based in Mechelen in the Antwerp province. KV Mechelen plays in the Belgian Pro League. They have won four Belgian championships and twice the Belgian Cup, as well as the 1987–88 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1988 European Super Cup. They collected most of their honours in the 1940s and in the 1980s.

KV Mechelen was founded in 1904 and, in 1921–22, promoted to the first division. After two successive relegation and promotion, they were back for good between 1928–29 and 1955–56. In the 1960s and 1970s, the club had several promotions and relegations between the first and second division. From 1983–84 to 1996–97, they had a successful first division spell, with a title and several second- and third-place finishes. During that period, they also won a European Cup Winners' Cup and they reached the same competition semi-finals as well as the European Cup quarter-finals.

KV Mechelen declined in the late 1990s though they had two more spells at the highest level from 1999–2000 to 2000–01 and in 2002–03. At the end of that season, the club did not receive their Belgian professional football license. They were therefore relegated to the third division with a nine-point penalty. After two promotions in 2004–05 and in 2006–07, KV Mechelen returned to the first division.

The club's outfits are a striped yellow and red shirt with black shorts and socks. They play their home matches at the AFAS-stadion Achter de Kazerne, where AFAS is their stadium sponsor and Achter de Kazerne means 'Behind the Barracks'. The stadium has been named so because there used to be barracks next to stadium. KV Mechelen fans have a long-standing rivalry with KRC Mechelen.

The club was founded in 1904, a few months after the birth of city rival KRC Mechelen. The club had a first successful period in the 1940s. During World War II, in 1943, the club won their first domestic title. The second title came a few years later, in 1946, and in 1948 the club was successful again. After that, the club fell back. In 1954, they managed to finish third, only one point behind champions Anderlecht, but that was their last good season. Two years later, Mechelen was relegated to second division. During the 1960s and the 1970s, Mechelen went up and down between the first and second division.

The club enjoyed a spell of both domestic and European success in the period from 1987 to 1992. During these five seasons, Mechelen won one Belgian championship and one Belgian cup title. They also finished second in the Belgian league twice and lost the Belgian Cup final twice. After winning the domestic cup title in 1987, and hence qualifying for the European Cup Winners' Cup, they completed the extraordinary achievement of winning this tournament in 1988. Coached by Aad de Mos, the well balanced team with international players like Michel Preud'Homme, Lei Clijsters, Erwin Koeman, Marc Emmers and Eli Ohana defeated Ajax in the final 1–0. In the 1988–89 season, the team also won the European Super Cup against another Dutch side, PSV Eindhoven. Mechelen are the last Belgian team that has won a European trophy.

KV Mechelen seemed to be on its way to becoming one of the top clubs in Belgium, but quickly declined when their chairman John Cordier (who owned the rights to most of their players) was forced to sell many players due to his company's bad results. A few years in a row, Anderlecht, located in nearby Brussels, attracted top players from Mechelen such as Graeme Rutjes, Johnny Bosman, Marc Emmers, Bruno Versavel, Philippe Albert and Glen de Boeck. Coach de Mos also made the switch.

In 1997, Mechelen finished second to last again, and was therefore relegated to the Second Division.