Club Africain on Clubhouse

Description

a tunisian football club based in tunis. Founded in 1920 in the bab jdid district known by the nickname "Lefriki". The Club African was ready to operate from the year 1919 but what delayed the start was the name it would take ( African Islamic Club ). Indeed, this name was contested by the authorities of the French protectorate because, at that time, any Tunisian club had the right to exist only with the authorization of the authorities. It was therefore only on October 4, 1920 that the club was officially authorized to exercise its activities, but its itinerary did not begin on that date.

The African Club, as some of its founding fathers affirmed, is the natural extension of the African Stadium (association founded in 1915 and dissolved in 1918 ) of which it retains the colors, the spirit, part of the name and a core of players (particularly Mohamed Soudani). The latter is also the president of the constitutive meeting of the club which is held in a café in Bab Jedid belonging to a now clubist family. It should be noted that the first head office of the club is the Makhzen Essouf (wool depot) which is located in the district of El Morkadh .

As soon as it is presented, the authorization request is blackmailed since the authorization is subject to three conditions:

the appointment at the head of the Board of a president of French nationality ;
the change of the chosen colors (namely red and white ) which forces the club to play its first season with a blue jersey;
renouncing the national emblem (crescent and star).
It is then a question of forcing club members to distance themselves from any reference to the national flag and to alienate all its identity base. The terms of this compromise are categorically refused, especially the first point since its future great rival and neighbor, the EST founded on January 15, 1919 , had a French president, Louis Montassier .

Finally, the relentlessness forced the authorities of the time to give in and grant the African Club a historic concession on the Tunisian nationality of the president and the national emblem which now adorns the club's jersey. The founding fathers of the club, much more intransigent, finally won their case and imposed an entirely Tunisian executive committee chaired by Béchir Ben Mustapha .