US Monastir (football)

Union Monastirienne

Full name	Union Sportive Monastirienne
Nickname(s)	Sons of the capital of The Big of sahel (كبير الساحل)
Founded	17 March 1923; 101 years ago (17 March 1923)
Ground	Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium Monastir, Tunisia
Capacity	22,000
Chairman	Amir Hizem (interim)
Manager	Mohamed Sahli
League	Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1
2023–24	Ligue 1, 2nd of 14
Website	http://usmonastir.org.tn
Home colours Away colours

Union Sportive Monastirienne (Arabic: الاتحاد الرياضي المنستيري), known as US Monastir or simply USM for short, is a Tunisian football club based in Monastir. The club was founded in 1923 and its colours are blue and white. Their home stadium, Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium, has a capacity of 20,000 spectators. The club is currently playing in the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

Founded in 1923 under the name Ruspina Sports, it was renamed Union Sportive Monastirienne in 1942. The new name reflects the union between Ruspina Sports and other clubs in town (swimming, petanque, etc.) and the Nationalists of Monastir (like Mustapha Ben Jannet). Monastir has won two trophies in its history, as it won both the Tunisian Cup and Tunisian Super Cup in 2020.

After being founded in 1923, Ruspina Sports was officially renamed US Monastir on 13 June 1942, the date of publication in the official journal of the decree of her creation.

At the end of the 1930s, Ruspina Sports experienced innumerable financial difficulties and a series of disgraces within the general public which, far from being insensitive to the misdeeds of colonialism, resolutely committed against it by creating teams of neighborhoods. Just as Ruspina Sports is in decline, voices are being raised to unify the other teams and create a kind of unique selection. On 13 June 1942, the decree creating USM was signed and the new association inherited Ruspina Sports' credit balance, i.e. 5,395 Tunisian francs.

If the end of the war coincided with a renewed interest and enthusiasm among the Monastirians for football, the USM has more than one hundred players, half of whom play in the senior team and the second half in the junior categories, the following years will be more difficult.

With the independence of Tunisia, USM knew a turning point. In the field, USM did not win any titles either in the Tunisian Cup or in the league. Each time, the USM returned to the charge and, after its successive relegations, goes back to the first division. It is during the 1961–1962 season that the USM reached for the first time in the national division after having spent two seasons in the third division (1957-1958 and 1958–1959) and one season (1959–1960) in the honor division.

The 1980s were a turning point for the club, which became semi-professional and allowed the team to remain in the national division for fourteen consecutive years. During the same season, USM qualified for the quarter-finals of the Tunisian Cup but lost in Monastir against the Club African (1–0) during the overtime session. With eight wins, eight losses and ten draws, USM occupied a comfortable fifth place.

This situation does not last and the 1993–1994 season promised to be very difficult on all fronts and more particularly material. Four coaches followed one another to help a team in crisis since it suffered from several shortcomings. During the 1994–1995 season, the team found itself relegated to the third division according to the new organization of the Tunisian Football Federation. During the 1995–1996 season, Habib Allègue took the reins of the team which managed to win and advance to the honor division (southern pool) before returning to League I two seasons later and maintaining his position. In July 2006, Néji Stambouli succeeded Zouhair Chaouch, in place for six years, at the head of the club.

On 3 May 2009, after a victory against Esperance Sportif de Tunis at Stade El Menzah, on the score of three goals to two, the club qualified for the first Tunisian Cup final in its history: it opposed CS Sfaxien on May 24 at the November 7 stadium in Radès, and ends with a score of 1 to 0 for the Sfaxiens with the presence of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

At the end of the 2009–2010 season, the club was relegated to Ligue II.

However, the team re-promoted to the first division after one season, and its ranking ranged between fifth and tenth in the following years until it relegated in 2015 and the team spent two seasons in the second division before rising again in 2017.

After that, the teams presented respectable levels after the assignment of coach Skandar Kasri and Lassaad Dridi to finish the ranking in 2019 in seventh place.

And at the beginning of the 2019 season, a contract was signed with Lassaad Chabbi. The 2019–2020 season the team managed to take third place in the national league, which enabled it to participate in a continental competition for the first time in its history, namely the 2020–21 CAF Confederation Cup.

As for the Tunisian Cup (named the Habib Bourguiba Cup this season, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of his death), the team managed to win it for the first time in its history, after beating Espérance Tunis in the final 2–0.

After Chabbi resigned from coaching the team, Afouène Gharbi, who finished the season in tenth place, was appointed. The team then contracted with Mourad Okbi, who succeeded in winning the team's second title in its history by obtaining the Tunisian Super Cup.

• Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1

Runners-up: 2021–22, 2023–24

Third place: 2019–20

• Tunisian Cup

Winner: 2019–20

• Tunisian Super Cup

Winner: 2019–20

Runner up: 2008–09

• Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 2

Champions: 1975–76, 1979–80, 1997–98, 2010–11

• CAF Champions League: 2 appearance

2022–23 – Second Round

2024–25 – Second Round

• CAF Confederation Cup: 2 appearances

2020–21 – Second Round

2022–23 – Quarter-finals

• Arab Club Champions Cup: 4 appearances

2006–07 – Round of 32

2007–08 – Round of 32

2008–09 – Quarter-finals

2022–23 – Group stage

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.

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  US Monastir's Press Conference Room Logo
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  A boutique in Monastir honoring the colors of the team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  TUN Rayen Besbes 2 DF  TUN Mahmoud Ghorbel 3 DF  TUN Youssef Hersh 4 MF  SEN Mustapha Samb 5 DF  CIV Naude Zeguei 7 FW  TUN Ahmed Jafeli 8 MF  TUN Louay Trayi 9 FW  TUN Hazem Mestouri 10 MF  TUN Faissal Mannai 11 FW  TUN Iyed Hadj Khalifa 12 DF  TUN Fourat Soltani 13 MF  TUN Rayane Azzouz 14 MF  TUN Riadh Frioui 15 MF  TUN Moez Haj Ali 16 MF  NGA Moses Orkuma (captain)

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 MF  TUN Aymen Harzi 18 FW  TUN Anas Bouatay 19 MF  GUI Ousmane Diane 20 FW  MTN Yassin El Welly 22 GK  TUN Abdessalem Hallaoui 24 GK  TUN Ahmed Slimane 25 DF  TUN Raed Chikhaoui 26 DF  TUN Dhiaeddine Jouini 28 MF  TUN Adnene Yaakoubi 30 FW  TUN Chiheb Jebali 33 FW  TUN Malcolm Elhmidi 35 DF  TUN Malek Miladi -- DF  TUN Raed Jaziri -- MF  TUN Mehdi Ganouni

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  TUN Zied Lazreg (on loan to AS Menzel Ennour) — MF  TUN Zahreddine Sassi (on loan to CS M'saken)

Role	Name
Manager	Mohamed Sahli
Assistant manager	?

Nat Name Period Hassouna Denguezli 1957–1958 Slaïem Belhaj Ali 1958–1959 Mokhtar Ben Nacef [fr] 1959–1961 Rudi Gutendorf 1961–1962 Ahmed Benfoul 1962–1963 Ferenc Locsey 1963–1967 Ameur Hizem 1967–1968 Mustapha Jouili 1968–1970 Miodrag Georgeovic 1970–1972 Hammadi Henia [fr] 1972–1973 Khemais Chkir 1973–1974 Mustapha Jouili 1974–1975 Kamel Benzarti 1975–1976 Ameur Hizem 1976–1978 Ammar Hedhili 1978–1979 Faouzi Benzarti 1979–1982 Dieter Schulte 1982–1983 Radojica Radojičić 1983–1984 Hamid Zouba 1984–1985 Lotfi Benzarti 1985–1987

Nat Name Period Ameur Dhib 1987–1988 Gerhard Wolfgang 1988–1989 Dominique Bathenay Jean-Pierre Brucato 1989–1990 Manfred Höner 1990–1991 Faouzi Benzarti 1991–1992 Bouzid Cheniti 1992–1993 Ameur Hizem 1993–1994 Kamel Chebli 1994 Salah Guedich 1995–1996 Jean-Yves Chay 1996–1997 Lotfi Benzarti 1997–1999 Habib Majeri 1999–2000 Léon Semmeling 2000 Ali Fergani 2000–2001 Lotfi Benzarti 2001–2004 Lotfi Rhim 2004–2005 Faouzi Benzarti 2005–2006 Samir Jouili 2006–2007 Antoine Hey 2007–2008

Nat Name Period Lotfi Rhim 2008–2009 Henri Depireux 2009–2010 Jalel Kadri 2010–2011 Rachid Belhout 2011 Dragan Cvetković 2011–2012 Chiheb Ellili 2012–2013 Lotfi Benzarti 2013 Mourad Okbi 2013–2015 Samir Jouili 2015 Lotfi Kadri 2015–2016 Lotfi Rhim 2016–2017 Skander Kasri 2017–2018 Lassaad Dridi 2018–2019 Lassaad Chabbi 2019–2021 Afouène Gharbi 2021 Mourad Okbi 2021 Faouzi Benzarti 2021–2022 Darko Nović 2022–2023 Imed Ben Younes 2023 Tarek Jani 2023 Mohamed Kouki 2023–2024 Lassaad Chabbi 2024 Mohamed Sahli 2024–present

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.

N°	Nat	Name	Period		N°	Nat	Name	Period
1		Bechir Charnine	1955–1956		16		Zouhair Chaouche	1996–1999
2		Mohamed Salah Chedly	1956–1962		17		Ali Benzarti	1999–2002
3		Mahmoud Chaouche	1962–1963		18		Zouhair Chaouche	2002–2006
4		Allala Laouiti	1963–1980		19		Neji Stambouli	2006–2008
5		Mohamed El May	1980–1981		20		Frej Meddeb	2008–2009
6		Abdelwahab Abdallah	1981–1982		21		Zouhair Chaouche / Riadh Bhouri	2009–2010
7		Hedi Benzarti	1982–1983		22		Hedi Benzarti	2010–2011
8		Moncef Skhiri	1983–1985		23		Ahmed Belli	2011–2014
9		Naceur Ktari	1985–1988		24		Salem Harzallah / Ali Mzali	2014–2015
10		Hedi Benzarti	1988–1990		25		Hamed Zenati	2015–2016
11		Slaheddine Ferchiou	1990–1992		26		Ahmed Belli	2016–2023
12		Naceur Ktari	1992–1993		27		Amir Hizem (interim)	2023–present
13		Abdelkader Aguir	1993–1994
14		Mohamed El May / Naceur Skandrani	1994–1995
15		Habib Allegue	1995–1996

The home stadium of US Monastir is the Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium which is a multi-use stadium in Monastir, Tunisia. It was used for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. The stadium holds 20,000 people and sometimes, it's used as a home for Tunisia national football team.

It was inaugurated in 1958, this stadium with suspended tiers thanks to the technique of "cantilevered ball joint" used by the architect Olivier-Clément Cacoub initially offers a capacity of 3,000 places. Over time, several expansion works were carried out: its capacity was increased in the late 1990s to more than 10,000 places. On the occasion of the organization of the 2004 African Cup of Nations, new works allow to reach a capacity of 20,000 places.

The stadium is integrated into the sports complex of the city of Monastir, Tunisia, located a few hundred meters from the city center.

• Étoile Sportive du Sahel (Derby)

• (Fr), (Ar) Official website
• (en) www.sofascore.com
• (en) Official Instagram Account