The 2019–20 Eredivisie was the 64th season of the Dutch football league
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
since its establishment in 1955. The season began on 2 August 2019 and was suspended on 12 March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths.
The virus reached the Netherlands on 27 February 2020, when its first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Tilburg. It involved a 56-year-old Dutchman ...
. The season was abandoned on 24 April.
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
were the defending champion. Twente
Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...
, RKC Waalwijk
RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional football club based in Waalwijk, that is currently competing in the Eredivisie. Its name is derived from 'Rooms Katholieke Combinatie' ('Roman Catholic Combination' in Dutch) and was established as a merger ...
, and Sparta Rotterdam joined as the promoted clubs from the 2018–19 Eerste Divisie. They replaced NAC Breda
NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eerste Divi ...
, Excelsior
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
, and De Graafschap
VBV De Graafschap () is a professional football club from Doetinchem, Netherlands, playing in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football.
It was formed on 1 February 1954 and they play their home games at the De Vijverberg stadium. ...
who were relegated to the 2019–20 Eerste Divisie
The 2019–20 Eerste Divisie, known as Keuken Kampioen Divisie for sponsorship reasons, was the sixty-fourth season of Eerste Divisie since its establishment in 1955. It began in August 2019 with the first matches of the season and was scheduled t ...
.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
On 12 March 2020, all football leagues were suspended until 31 March as the Dutch government prohibited events due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths.
The virus reached the Netherlands on 27 February 2020, when its first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Tilburg. It involved a 56-year-old Dutchman ...
. On 15 March this period was extended until 6 April. Following the decision of the Dutch government to prohibit all gatherings and events until 1 June 2020, this period was further extended.
On 2 April, several clubs including Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
, AZ and PSV indicated they were not willing to play the remainder of the season.
The Dutch government announced on 21 April that all events subject to authorization would remain prohibited until at least 1 September 2020. As a result, the KNVB
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch Netherlands nati ...
announced on the same day that it did not intend to resume the 2019–20 season. A final decision would be taken after consultation with the UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
and debating the consequences with the clubs involved.
On 24 April 2020 the KNVB announced their final decision:
* The ranking on 8 March 2020 is the final ranking, but Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
will not be champions.
* There will be no promotion nor relegation between the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie.
* European places will be assigned based on the ranking on 8 March: Champions League for Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
and AZ, and Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
for Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
, PSV, and Willem II.
The KNVB had intended to resume the season on 19 June behind closed doors, but announced in a statement that the government's decision to ban all public events until September made it impossible to finish the season on time.
Teams
A total of 18 teams took part in the league.
Stadiums and locations
AZ only played their first home game at AFAS Stadion
AFAS Stadion is a stadium in Alkmaar, Netherlands. It is used for football matches and is the home stadium of AZ Alkmaar. The stadium is able to hold 19.478 people and bears the name of a Dutch software company. Due to UEFA's sponsorship regulatio ...
due to the stadium's roof collapse on 10 August 2019. From then on they've played their home matches at the 17,000-capacity Cars Jeans Stadion
The ADO Den Haag Stadium (known as the Bingoal Stadion for sponsorship reasons) is a multi-use stadium in The Hague, Netherlands, designed by Zwarts & Jansma Architects. Completed in 2007, the stadium is used mostly for football and field hockey. I ...
in The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, home of ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...
. AZ returned to their 'roofless' AFAS Stadion for the match against Ajax on 15 December 2019.
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
Standings
Fixtures/results
Results by round
Season statistics
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
Assists
Attendance
Awards
Monthly awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eredivisie, 2019-20
2019-20
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
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Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...