Union Sportive de la Médina d'Alger (); known as USM Alger or simply USMA for short, is a football club based in the inner suburbs of Algiers. The club was founded in 1937 and its colours are red and black. Their home stadium, Omar Hamadi Stadium, has a capacity of 10,000 spectators. The club is currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.
The club has one of Algeria's successful football records or simply list the achievements, as it won the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 8 times, the Algerian Cup 10 times and the Algerian Super Cup 3 times. Internationally, USM Alger won the CAF Confederation Cup twice, the CAF Super Cup once in 2023 and the UAFA Club Championship once in 2013. The IFFHS ranks USMA in the 18th place of the best African teams of the decade between 2001–2010. USMA have also reached the 2015 CAF Champions League final but suffered a defeat against TP Mazembe and lost the title.
In past years, the Union Sportive Musulmane d'Alger (former name of the USMA) was the winner of the first 1962–63 Algerian Championnat National. USMA has since become the name in the postwar years since the Algerian War for independence. In one year, the club won the Algerian championship and subsequently qualified for the finals of the Algerian Cup 1969. The club now has stronger financial support after they were bought in 2010. This privatization has been accompanied by positive sporting results, as they have been solidly anchored in Ligue 1 since the arrival of the Algerian investor Ali Haddad. They won the Ligue 1 in 2014, and the club regularly qualifies for the current African cups CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, as they have won the CAF Confederation Cup twice, as well as the CAF Super cup once.
History
Early years
In July 1935, Omar Aichoun and Mustapha Kaoui, both merchants, decided to create an exclusively Muslim sports association in which no European could play. At the time, Algeria was under French colonial rule. Algeria is one of few settler colonies in the world, meaning that their colonial power attempted to replace the native Arab Muslim population of Algeria with French Christians. The budding Algerian independence movement, spearheaded by groups such as the Algerian People's Party and later the FLN, wanted to bring the youth of Algeria together, and so sports clubs like the USMA functioned as a tool to develop a unique sense of Algerian nationalism.
In 1935, the two men gained the support of Arezki Meddad, father of a future Algerian independence fighter Ourida Meddad, which gave them access to the backing of other Algerian nationalists. They selected Ali Lahmar, known as Ali Zaid, a future independence fighter in his own right, along with Sid Ahmed Kemmat to complete the first executive committee of USM Alger, with Ali Zaid serving as president. The honorary presidency was entrusted to Omar Aichoun and Arezki Meddad.
In addition to their nationalist and sporting efforts, Omar Aichoun and Mustapha Kaoui were active members of the Nadi Ettaraki (Circle of Progress), an association established under the French 1901 Law on Associations which regulated Algerian affairs to keep colonial control. Its headquarters were located at 9 Place du Gouvernement in Algiers (now Place des Martyrs). The Circle was closely associated with the Islamic Reform Movement (El Islah), led by Sheikh Tayeb El Okbi. Notably, his son Djamel El Okbi would later become a goalkeeper for USM Alger.
Concerned that engaging in sports might conflict with Islamic principles, the founders consulted Sheikh Tayeb El Okbi, who not only reassured them but also blessed the creation of the club and offered his expressed support. For administrative formalities and to obtain the colonial authorities' approval, the founders approached the Secretary General of MC Alger, who provided them with a copy of the club statutes to serve as a model.
At that time, the Algerian youth were cut off from playing football or any other sport freely and of their own preference. Opportunities to practice were scarce, so the playing fields were the only space for creativity. The Wilaya of Algiers alone could not meet the demands of the large number of young people eager for sports activities. Early founders of USM Alger like Ahmed Kemmat, Ali Zaid, and Arezki Meddad would often use their own money to purchase balls and equipment so that these youths could continue practicing their hobbies without interference from the French Authories.
USM Alger and National Liberation War
In the words of their founder, Ahmed Kemmat: "USMA is also a school of nationalism." At the beginning of 1955, the war for Algerian independence was in full swing, and Mr. Ali Chérifi, the club president at the time, having heard of foolish behavior committed by some young players, summoned the recruits to give them advice. He said to them:
"My children, I don't have the right to call you thugs, even if you're behaving like them, because I know you're from good families, and I know your parents. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say: our country is at war, and we need men to fight French colonialism and drive it out. If tomorrow the leaders of the FLN or the ALN contact us asking for men to join their ranks, do you know what I'd have to tell them? That I only have children here who know nothing but how to fool around. I've made a serious decision if you don't change your behavior, you will no longer play football."
In 1956, the central leadership of the National Liberation Front, or in the original French, Front de libération nationale (FLN) made the strategic decision to suspend all sporting activities of Muslim clubs as part of the national resistance effort. A pivotal meeting was held at the USM Alger circle, located on Rue de Bône, to discuss and decide on the cessation of football. This meeting was chaired by Ali Cherifi, then vice president of USMA and financial officer of the Algerian Autonomous Zone (AAZ). Two of the early leaders of the AZZ were active members of USMA, further illustrating the club's close ties to the liberation movement. Among them was Mohamed Hattab, better known as Habib Reda, a key figure in the AAZ's bomb network. Hattab, who was later sentenced to death by the colonial authorities, played basketball for USM Alger.
After independence
Algeria's First Champion
Following Algeria's independence in 1962, national football competitions were reorganized under the guidance of the Ministry of Sports and Youth. Due to the former French administration's system, each regional league operated autonomously. Competitions were structured as regional championships, with regional champions qualifying for national playoffs to determine the Algerian champion.
In the inaugural 1962–63 season, USM Alger made history by becoming the first champions of independent Algeria. The club appointed Abdelaziz Ben Tifour, a former player for Nice and Monaco, as both coach and player. The squad notably included Freddy Zemmour, an Algerian-born player who was one of the few players of French descent that chose to remain in Algeria after independence.
USM Alger competed in Group V, finishing top with 51 points and had the highest-scoring attack of any team in the group stage with 75 goals. In the Algiers League, they were grouped with MC Alger, AS Orléansville, NA Hussein Dey, and OM Saint Eugène, and again finished first with a perfect record of 12 points out of 12. In the semi-final, they defeated Hamra Annaba (then known as USM Annaba) to reach the national final.
In the championship final, USM Alger once again faced MC Alger. The USM Alger side led by player-coach Ben Tifour, triumphed 3–0 in a match played at the Stade d'El Annasser, in the presence of President Ahmed Ben Bella and Minister of Defense Houari Boumedienne. With this victory, USM Alger became the first club to win the Algerian football championship in the post-independence era.
USM Alger in the Reforms Era and the First Cup Triumph
Toward the end of 1974, a major sports reform initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports sought to provide elite clubs with a solid financial foundation, promoting a professional structure under the system known as Association Sportive de Performances (ASP). As part of this reform, many clubs changed their names based on their state sponsors. For instance, Sonatrach-sponsored clubs included MP Alger (MC Alger), MP Oran (MC Oran), and EP Sétif (ES Sétif). In line with this reform, during the 1977–78 season, USK Alger was renamed Union sportive kahraba d'Alger () meaning electricity, under the sponsorship of Sonelgaz (Société nationale de l'électricité et du gaz).
After suffering seven defeats in Algerian Cup finals, El Kahraba finally won their first Cup title in the 1980–81 season, defeating ASM Oran coached by Ali Benfadah at the newly built Stade 24 Fevrier 1956. This victory made them the first club to win the Algerian Cup while playing in the second division. Some officials and supporters of USM Alger believe that the team's previous final losses were politically influenced, blaming President Houari Boumédiène for his antagonism toward former President Ahmed Ben Bella a well known supporter of USM Alger. They note that the Cup victory came only after Boumédiène's death. In 1987, the club changed its name again to Union d'Alger, but this was short lived. Amidst a financial and economic crisis, the Algerian government abandoned the 1977 reform in 1989, and most clubs reverted to their historical identities. USM Alger thus adopted its final and current name Union sportive de la médina d'Alger () meaning city.
On July 5, 1987, USK Alger celebrated its 50th anniversary. However, the event failed to live up to its potential as an inclusive celebration of the club's rich history. Many influential figures, from founding members like Sid Ahmed Kemmat to notable supporters like Chaabi singer Boualem Rahma, were absent. The lack of recognition for many individuals who had contributed to the club over the years left the celebration incomplete.
Saïd Allik Era (1994–2010)
The Allik Era Begins: USM Alger's Return to Glory
In 1994 Saïd Allik became chairman of the board of directors of USM Alger and promised to return the team to Division 1, On May 26, 1995, USM Alger won away from home against MC Ouargla and achieved a promotion challenge back to the Division 1 after five full seasons under the leadership of Younis Ifticen, Allik announce that USM Alger has returned to its normal place and will not fall again to the second division. From 1996 to 2001, USM Alger endured a period of drought in the Algerian league, failing to win the title. The team only secured the runners-up position twice in 1998 and 2001 leaving them without major league honors during that period. However, the club excelled in the Algerian Cup, adding three more trophies during this otherwise difficult era, and five total from 1997 to 2003, solidifying their status as a cup powerhouse.
The first double: League and Cup