2022–23 K.V. Mechelen season

K.V. Mechelen
2022–23 season
Manager	Danny Buijs; (until 17 October); Steven Defour; (from 17 October)
Stadium	Achter de Kazerne
Belgian Pro League	13th
Belgian Cup	Runners-up
	← 2021–22 2023–24 →

The 2022–23 K.V. Mechelen season was the club's 119th season in existence and the fourth consecutive season in the top flight of Belgian football. In addition to the domestic league, Mechelen participated in this season's edition of the Belgian Cup. The season covered the period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

Players

First-team squad

As of 11 January 2023^[1]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	BEL	Gaëtan Coucke
2	DF	BEL	Iebe Swers
3	DF	NED	Lucas Bijker
4	MF	BEL	Dries Wouters (on loan from Schalke)
5	DF	IDN	Sandy Walsh
6	MF	BEL	Jannes Van Hecke
7	MF	BEL	Geoffry Hairemans
8	MF	MEX	Jorge Hernandez
9	FW	BEL	Julien Ngoy
10	FW	ISR	Yonas Malede
11	FW	BEL	Nikola Storm
14	DF	BEL	Dimitri Lavalée
15	GK	BEL	Yannick Thoelen
16	MF	BEL	Rob Schoofs
17	MF	CMR	Samuel Gouet


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
18	DF	BEL	Alec Van Hoorenbeeck
19	FW	SWE	Kerim Mrabti
21	DF	BEL	Boli Bolingoli
22	FW	CPV	Alessio da Cruz
23	DF	FRA	Thibault Peyre
26	FW	BEL	Jules Houttequiet
27	DF	SCO	David Bates
28	FW	BEL	Frederic Soelle Soelle
30	DF	BEL	Jordi Vanlerberghe
31	GK	BEL	Oskar Annell
32	GK	BEL	Rayane Falchou
34	FW	MAR	Ilyas Lefrancq
37	MF	BEL	Bas Van den Eynden
39	FW	BEL	Milan Robberechts
66	MF	BEL	Birger Verstraete (on loan from Antwerp)

Out on loan

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	BEL	Arno Valkenaers (to Thes Sport until 30 June 2022)
—	DF	BEL	Dylan Dassy (to Helmond Sport until 30 June 2023)
—	DF	BEL	Toon Raemaekers (to Lierse Kempenzonen until 30 June 2023)
—	DF	SWE	Victor Wernersson (to Stabæk until 31 December 2022)
—	MF	BEL	Gaétan Bosiers (to Helmond Sport until 30 June 2023)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	BEL	Jarno Lion (to Helmond Sport until 30 June 2023)
—	FW	SWE	Gustav Engvall (to Sarpsborg until 31 December 2022)
—	FW	BEL	Chris Kalulika (to Helmond Sport until 30 June 2023)
—	FW	CIV	William Togui (to Hapoel Jerusalem until 30 June 2023)

Other players under contract

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	BEL	Niklo Dailly

Pre-season and friendlies

Win Draw Loss Fixtures

25 June 2022 Friendly	Kortrijk	3–1	Mechelen	Kortrijk
15:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Guèye 9', 40' Henen 33'	Report	? 54'	Stadium: Guldensporen Stadion

2 July 2022 Friendly	Antwerp	4–0	Mechelen	Antwerp
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Scott 48' Benson 78' Miyoshi 86' Janssen 110' (pen.) ? 110'	Report	Schoofs 36'	Stadium: Bosuilstadion

9 July 2022 Friendly	Mechelen	1–0	Maccabi Haifa	Mechelen
15:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Jorge Hernandez 51' Schoofs 90+2'	Report	Lavi 30' Levi 78'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne

13 July 2022 Friendly	Mechelen	0–0	RWDM	Sint-Katelijne-Waver
15:30 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Vorogovskiy 20' Sankhon 56'	Stadium: Complex Kon. FC Katelijne

16 July 2022 Friendly	Mechelen	3–4	VfL Wolfsburg	Alkmaar, Netherlands
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Shved 43' Hernandez 57' Vanlerberghe 70' Hairemans 78'	Report	L. Nmecha 9' Waldschmidt 11' Marmoush 33' Baku 36'	Stadium: AFAS Stadion

4 December 2022 Friendly	NAC Breda	0–2	Mechelen	Breda, Netherlands
14:00 CET (UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Rat Verlegh Stadion

14 December 2022 Friendly	Espanyol	1–1	Mechelen	San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain
12:00 CET (UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Pinatar Arena

Competitions

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Belgian Pro League	24 July 2022	May 2023	Matchday 1	13th	34	11	7	16	49	63	−14	032.35
Belgian Cup	9 November 2022	30 April 2023	Sixth round	Runners-up	6	5	0	1	10	3	+7	083.33
Total					40	16	7	17	59	66	−7	040.00

Source: Soccerway

Belgian Pro League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
11	Anderlecht	34	13	7	14	49	46	+3	46
12	Sint-Truiden	34	11	9	14	37	40	−3	42
13	Mechelen	34	11	7	16	49	63	−14	40
14	Kortrijk	34	8	7	19	37	61	−24	31
15	Eupen	34	7	7	20	40	75	−35	28

Source: Jupiler Pro League (in Dutch), Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Matches won; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away matches won; 6) Away goal difference; 7) Away goals scored; 8) Play-off.^[2]

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
25	7	6	12	35	46	−11	27	6	5	3	27	23	+4	1	1	9	8	23	−15

Last updated: 17 February 2023.
Source: Jupiler Pro League

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Ground	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	L	L	W	D	W	L	L	W	D	L	L	L	W	W	L	D	W	D	L	W	L	W	L	D
Position	14	17	12	11	8	10	11	10	12	12	12	13	13	10	13	13	13	12	13	12	12	11	12	12

Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2023. Source: Calendar
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 22 June 2022.^[3]

24 July 2022 1	Mechelen	0–2	Antwerp	Mechelen
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Vanlerberghe 23'	Report	Frey 31', 35' (pen.) Alderweireld 50'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 11,565 Referee: Erik Lambrechts

30 July 2022 2	Oostende	2–1	Mechelen	Ostend
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Atanga 17', 43' Albanese 55' Bätzner 65'	Report	Shved 63' Peyre 75' Van Hoorenbeeck 89'	Stadium: Albertpark Attendance: 3,569 Referee: Wim Smet

6 August 2022 3	Mechelen	3–0	Union SG	Mechelen
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Schoofs 44' Walsh 51' Ngoy 59' Lavalée 60' Schoofs 65'	Report	Boone 11' Ziani 56' Teuma 58' Lapoussin 88' Puertas 90+1'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 11,521 Referee: Jasper Vergoote

13 August 2022 4	Cercle Brugge	0–0	Mechelen	Bruges
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Somers 90+5'	Report	Hairemans 11' Bolingoli 34' Hernandez 89' Van Hoorenbeeck 90+5'	Stadium: Jan Breydel Stadium Attendance: 3,851 Referee: Wesli De Cremer

21 August 2022 5	Mechelen	5–4	Westerlo	Mechelen
21:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Hairemans 39', 48' Schoofs 63' 76' Robberechts 77', 85'	Report	Bernát 22' Nene 26' Dierckx 60' (pen.), 63' Foster 73' Van den Keybus 90'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 12,157 Referee: Bert Put

27 August 2022 6	STVV	3–1	Mechelen	Sint-Truiden
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Al Dakhil 52' Kagawa 57' Bruno 76', 90+5'	Report	Gouet 51' Hairemans 53' Walsh 75' Van Hoorenbeeck 82'	Stadium: Stayen Attendance: 4,987 Referee: Wim Smet

3 September 2022 7	Mechelen	2–3	Seraing	Mechelen
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Ngoy 13' Peyre 27' Walsh 44' Wouters 50'	Report	Thoelen 22' (o.g.) Mouandilmadji 25', 71', 81' Sylla 75'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 13,944 Referee: Brent Staessens

10 September 2022 8	Kortrijk	1–4	Mechelen	Kortrijk
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Vandendriessche 30' Lamkel Zé 63' Silva 70' D'Haene 83'	Report	Hairemans 24', 53' Walsh 37' Schoofs 41', 90+3' Vanlerberghe 61' Da Cruz 68' Malede 88' Ngoy 90'	Stadium: Guldensporenstadion Attendance: 4,402 Referee: Nicolas Laforge

17 September 2022 9	Mechelen	0–0	OH Leuven	Mechelen
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Da Cruz 44' Soelle 90' Bolingoli-Mbombo 90+2'	Report	Maertens 70' Dom 87'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,663 Referee: Bert Put

1 October 2022 10	Club Brugge	3–0	Mechelen	Bruges
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Jutglà 37' Sobol 53' Buchanan 86'	Report		Stadium: Jan Breydelstadion Attendance: 20,076 Referee: Kevin Van Damme

9 October 2022 11	Mechelen	1–3	Anderlecht	Mechelen
13:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Vanlerberghe 15' Soelle 90+1'	Report	Diawara 9' Refaelov 31' Stroeykens 46', 67', 79' Silva 71' Van Crombrugge 84'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 16,125 Referee: Bram Van Driessche

16 October 2022 12	Gent	3–0	Mechelen	Ghent
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Samoise 35' Owusu 45' Fortuna 64' Odjidja-Ofoe 72'	Report	Bolingoli-Mbombo 40' Da Cruz 47' Walsh 48' Verstraete 49'	Stadium: Ghelamco Arena Attendance: 17,000 Referee: Jan Boterberg

19 October 2022 13	Mechelen	2–0	Standard	Mechelen
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Verstraete 32' Vanlerberghe 71' Ngoy 74'	Report	Alzate 49' Zinckernagel 79'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,890 Referee: Jasper Vergoote

22 October 2022 14	Mechelen	2–1	Eupen	Mechelen
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Da Cruz 22' Bates 49' 63' Ngoy 76' Schoofs 90+5'	Report	N'Dri 16', 78' Lambert 40' Jeggo 75' Wakaso 80'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 11,225 Referee: Jonathan Lardot

28 October 2022 15	Genk	3–1	Mechelen	Genk
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Muñoz 9' Arteaga 57' El Khannous 59' 64' Paintsil 90+1'	Report	Schoofs 15' Bolingoli-Mbombo 25' Wouters 74'	Stadium: Cegeka Arena Attendance: 19,248 Referee: Nathan Verboomen

5 November 2022 16	Mechelen	2–2	Zulte Waregem	Mechelen
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Verstraete 16' Dismas 41' (o.g.) Van Hecke 80'	Report	Offor 36' Sissako 44' 75' Sangaré 54' Vossen 62' Rommens 66'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 12,325 Referee: Kevin Van Damme

12 November 2022 17	Charleroi	0–5	Mechelen	Charleroi
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Ilaimaharitra 37' Benbouali 52'	Report	Walsh 45'	Stadium: Stade du Pays de Charleroi Referee: Jan Boterberg
Note: The match was stopped at the 67th minute while Charleroi led 1–0, due to Charleroi supporters throwing pyrotechnics on to the pitch. On 23 November 2022, Charleroi was penalized with a fine of €75,000 and a threat of three matches behind closed doors.^[4] A few months later following appeals, the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled a forfeit victory for Mechelen.^[5]

23 December 2022 18	Mechelen	1–1	Cercle Brugge	Mechelen
20:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Bates 19' Verstraete 47' Storm 71' Mrabti 73'	Report	Denkey 3' Deman 32' 52' Daland 74' Vanhoutte 83'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,344 Referee: Brent Staessens

8 January 2023 19	Zulte Waregem	2–0	Mechelen	Waregem
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Rommens 5' Derijck 23' Gano 73' Ciranni 90+4'	Report	Van Hoorenbeeck 4' Walsh 59' Lavalée 68' Verstraete 77' Bates 84' Schoofs 88'	Stadium: Elindus Arena Attendance: 6,985 Referee: Bert Put

14 January 2023 20	Mechelen	2–1	Oostende	Mechelen
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Da Cruz 40' Bates 50', 70'	Report	Rodin 30' Bätzner 63' Awokoya-Mebude 76'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,341 Referee: Jan Boterberg

17 January 2023 21	Standard	2–0	Mechelen	Liège
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Laifis 45+1' Cimirot 60' Davida 78' Ohio 85'	Report		Stadium: Stade Maurice Dufrasne Attendance: 12,226 Referee: Jonathan Lardot

21 January 2023 22	Mechelen	3–2	Kortrijk	Mechelen
18:15 CEST (UTC+2)	Storm 37' Mrabti 48' Ngoy 73' Van Hecke 89' Bolingoli-Mbombo 90+3'	Report	Silva 17' De Neve 33' Wasinski 46' Kadri 57' Lončar 68' Guèye 87'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,889 Referee: Arthur Denil

28 January 2023 23	Westerlo	2–0	Mechelen	Westerlo
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Vaesen 22', 56' Madsen 53'	Report	Verstraete 52' Lavalée 68' 77'	Stadium: Het Kuipje Attendance: 5,927 Referee: Brent Staessens

5 February 2023 24	Mechelen	2–2	Charleroi	Mechelen
16:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Storm 5' Hairemans 27' Schoofs 40'	Report	Štulić 54' Zorgane 66', 67', 83' Kayembe 90+4'	Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Attendance: 10,980 Referee: Nicolas Laforge

Belgian Cup

9 November 2022 Sixth round	Lokeren-Temse	0–5	Mechelen	Lokeren
22:00 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Schoofs 21' Malede 44', 52' Da Cruz 71' Van Hoorenbeeck 88'	Stadium: Daknamstadion Referee: Anthony Letellier

20 December 2022 Seventh round	Mechelen	1–0	Seraing	Mechelen
22:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Mrabti 57'	Report		Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Referee: Alexandre Boucaut

11 January 2023 Quarter-finals	Kortrijk	0–1	Mechelen	Kortrijk
18:30 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Walsh 90+1'	Stadium: Guldensporen Stadion Referee: Jasper Vergoote

2 February 2023 Semi-finals 1st leg	Zulte Waregem	1–2	Mechelen	Waregem
20:45 CET	Fadera 2'	Report	Storm 25' Mrabti 51'	Stadium: Elindus Arena Referee: Jan Boterberg

28 February 2023 Semi-finals 2nd leg	Mechelen	1–0	Zulte Waregem	Mechelen
20:45 CET	David Bates 76'	Report		Stadium: Achter de Kazerne Referee: Bram Van Driessche

Notes

References

^ "A-kern 2022-2023". kvmechelen.be.
^ "Bondsreglement Titel 7: Competities" [Association Rules Title 7: Competitions] (PDF). Royal Belgian Football Association. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
^ "De volledige competitiekalender voor komend seizoen is bekend: Club Brugge opent tegen Racing Genk, Standard ontvangt AA Gent". Het Nieuwsblad.
^ "Charleroi - Malines arrêté, les Zèbres écopent de 75.000 euros d'amende et risquent 3 matches à huis clos" [Charleroi – Mechelen stopped, the Zebras are fined 75,000 euros and risk 3 matches behind closed doors] (in French). RTBF. 23 November 2022.
^ "Charleroi-KV Mechelen wordt dan toch niet herspeeld, Malinwa krijgt forfaitzege" [Charleroi-KV Mechelen will not be replayed after all, Malinwa will receive a forfeit victory]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 11 April 2023.

[1] "A-kern 2022-2023". kvmechelen.be.

[2] "Bondsreglement Titel 7: Competities" [Association Rules Title 7: Competitions] (PDF). Royal Belgian Football Association. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2020.

[3] "De volledige competitiekalender voor komend seizoen is bekend: Club Brugge opent tegen Racing Genk, Standard ontvangt AA Gent". Het Nieuwsblad.

[4] "Charleroi - Malines arrêté, les Zèbres écopent de 75.000 euros d'amende et risquent 3 matches à huis clos" [Charleroi – Mechelen stopped, the Zebras are fined 75,000 euros and risk 3 matches behind closed doors] (in French). RTBF. 23 November 2022.

[5] "Charleroi-KV Mechelen wordt dan toch niet herspeeld, Malinwa krijgt forfaitzege" [Charleroi-KV Mechelen will not be replayed after all, Malinwa will receive a forfeit victory]. De Morgen (in Dutch). 11 April 2023.

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v t e 2022–23 in Belgian football
« 2021–22 2023–24 »
League competitions	Pro League Challenger Pro League National Division 1 Division 2 Division 3
Women's League competitions	Super League Vrouwenvoetbal
Cup competitions	Belgian Cup (Final) Super Cup
Transfers	Summer 2022 Winter 2022–23 Summer 2023
UEFA competitions	Champions League Europa League Europa Conference League
Related to national team	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A (Group 4) 2022 FIFA World Cup (Group F) Roberto Martínez Domenico Tedesco
Club seasons
Pro League	Anderlecht Antwerp Cercle Brugge Charleroi Club Brugge Eupen Genk Gent Kortrijk Mechelen OH Leuven Oostende Seraing Sint-Truiden Standard Liège Union SG Westerlo Zulte Waregem
Challenger Pro League	Beerschot Beveren Club NXT Deinze Dender EH Jong Genk Lierse K. Lommel RSCA Futures RWD Molenbeek SL16 FC Virton

2022–23 season
Manager	Danny Buijs (until 17 October) Steven Defour (from 17 October)
Stadium	Achter de Kazerne
Belgian Pro League	13th
Belgian Cup	Runners-up
← 2021–22 2023–24 →