Standard Liège

The Stade Maurice Dufrasne, universally known as "La Citadelle", is the imposing home of Standard Liege, located at Rue de la Centrale 2 in the Sclessin district of the city of Liege in the Walloon region of Belgium. The stadium holds 27,670 spectators and has been Standard's home since 1909, making it one of the oldest continuously used football venues in Belgium. Built on a hillside overlooking the Meuse river valley, La Citadelle takes its informal name from its fortress-like presence over the surrounding industrial landscape of the Liege agglomeration.

Standard Liege are the most successful club in Wallonia and one of the most historically significant in Belgian football, having won 10 league titles. The stadium has hosted European competition on many occasions, including UEFA Champions League qualifying and group stage matches. The Sclessin crowd is widely regarded as the most intimidating and passionate in Belgian football, and La Citadelle's atmosphere on European nights has made it notorious among visiting clubs. The club has produced notable Belgian internationals over the decades, including the legendary Jan Ceulemans era and more recently players such as Radja Nainggolan and Marouane Fellaini who came through the club's system.

The Stade Maurice Dufrasne was substantially renovated in the 1990s and 2000s, with the old terraces replaced by seated stands and improved facilities. Structural improvements have been ongoing, and further modernisation plans have been proposed to maintain the stadium's UEFA compliance for European competition. Despite occasional financial difficulties at club level, La Citadelle remains one of Belgian football's great venues - a ground where the steep stands and dense, vocal crowd create an atmosphere that few stadiums in Europe can rival. The red and white scarves of Standard Liege filling the ground on a winter evening in Sclessin is one of Belgian football's most iconic sights.