US Monastir (football)

History

Foundation and pre-independence (1923–1956)

Union Sportive Monastirienne (USM) was founded on 17 March 1923 with a credit balance of 5,395 Tunisian francs. Following World War II, the club saw a resurgence in interest and enthusiasm for football among the people of Monastir. This led to the club's roster expanding to over one hundred players, with half of them playing for the senior team and the other half competing in the junior categories. Despite this growth, the following years proved to be more difficult for the club.

Post-independence (1956–1979)

Following Tunisia's independence, US Monastir underwent a significant turning point. On the field, the club did not win any titles in the Tunisian Cup or the league during this period. However, USM consistently bounced back; after several relegations, the team managed to return to the first division. It was during the 1961–1962 season that USM reached the national division for the first time, having previously spent two seasons in the third division (1957–1958 and 1958–1959) and one season (1959–1960) in the Honor Division.

Results between rise and fall (1980–2018)

The 1980s marked a significant turning point for US Monastir, as the club became semi-professional, enabling the team to remain in the national division for fourteen consecutive years. During this period, USM also reached the semi-finals of the Tunisian Cup but were defeated 1–0 by Club Africain in Monastir after extra time. With a record of eight wins, eight losses, and ten draws, USM secured a solid fifth-place finish.However, this stability was short-lived.Since 1993–1994 season proved to be extremely challenging, particularly in terms of resources. Four coaches took charge in succession as the team struggled with numerous issues.

In July 2006, Néji Stambouli succeeded Zouhair Chaouch, who had served as president for six years.

On 3 May 2009, after a 3–2 victory against Espérance Sportive de Tunis at Stade El Menzah, USM qualified for their first-ever Tunisian Cup final. The final, held on 24 May at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Radès, saw USM face CS Sfaxien, with CS Sfaxien winning 1–0 in the presence of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In the following years, USM's league position fluctuated between fifth and tenth place, until 2017.

Following the appointment of coaches Skandar Kasri and Lassaad Dridi, the team delivered solid performances, finishing the 2017/2018 season in sixth place and the 2018/2019 season in seventh place.

Golden generation (2019–)

At the start of the 2019 season, US Monastir signed a contract with coach Lassaad Chabbi. During the 2019–2020 season, the team secured third place in the national league, which qualified them for continental competition for the first time in their history—the 2020–21 CAF Confederation Cup ,then the 2022–23 CAF Champions League , 2022–23 CAF Confederation Cup , the 2024–25 CAF Champions League and the 2025–26 CAF Champions League.

In the Tunisian Cup, renamed the Habib Bourguiba Cup in honor of the 20th anniversary of his passing, USM won the competition for the first time in its history, defeating Espérance de Tunis 2–0 in the final, on 27 September 2020.

After Chabbi's resignation as head coach, Afouène Gharbi took over, leading the team to a tenth-place finish. The club then appointed Mourad Okbi, who led them to their second-ever title by winning the Tunisian Super Cup,on 18 September 2021.

Honours

• Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 : Runner-up: 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25 : Third Place: 2019–20
• Tunisian Cup : Champions: 2019–20 : Runner-up: 2008–09
• Tunisian Super Cup : Champions: 2019–20
• Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 2 : Champions: 1975–76, 1979–80,1997–98, 2010–11 : Runner-up: 1960–61, 2016–17

Colors

The colors of US Monastir are white and blue. At home, the player wears a blue jersey, blue shorts and white socks. Outside of Monastir, the player wears a white jersey, white shorts and blue socks.

File:Citation USM (Union sportive monastirienne) الاتحاد الرياضي المنستيري.jpg|Supporters' expressions on the walls of Monastir. Citation USM (Union sportive monastirienne) photo 1 الاتحاد الرياضي المنستيري.jpg|Shop in Monastir honoring the colors of the team.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Coaching staff

Managers

Presidents

The first president of the club is the French Joseph Kalfati, followed by four other French: Peteche, Georges Rambi, Renaud and Fenech, while the first Tunisian president is Mohamed Salah Sayadi who takes the head of the club in 1929. Another Tunisian president, Salem B'chir, acceded to the presidency in 1953. We owe him for having established a sporting discipline and for putting an end to the laxity of certain players.

Home stadium

US Monastir's home ground is the Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium located in Monastir, Tunisia. It was one of the venues used during the 2004 African Cup of Nations. The stadium has a seating capacity of 20,000 and occasionally serves as a home venue for the Tunisia national football team.

Inaugurated in 1958, the stadium was originally designed by architect Olivier-Clément Cacoub, utilizing the "cantilevered ball joint" technique to create suspended tiers. Initially, it had a capacity of 3,000 seats. Over the years, several expansions took place, increasing its capacity to over 10,000 by the late 1990s. Ahead of the 2004 African Cup of Nations, further renovations expanded the seating to 20,000.

The stadium is part of a larger sports complex in Monastir, situated just a few hundred meters from the city center.

Rivalry

The most important rivalry known to US Monastir, is the one against Étoile du Sahel in the city of Sousse. The match is called the Sahel Derby, in reference to the Tunisian coastal region (Tunisian Sahel) where both teams are located.

References

References

1. "US Monastirienne". Soccerway.