The history of Union Sportive Muslmane Algéroise between 1937 and 1962, commonly referred to as USM Alger or simply USMA, is an Algerian professional association football club based in Algiers, as a Muslim football club under French colonial rule. It quickly becomes a symbol of national identity and pride for Algerians. USMA competes in the lower divisions of the Algiers League. World War II disrupts football activity. Despite limited resources and colonial repression, the club survives and maintains strong community support.
A difficult period marked by discrimination against Muslim clubs. USMA occasionally reaches the top division of the Algiers League but is disadvantaged compared to European teams. It becomes a gathering point for nationalist youth.
1954: The Algerian War of Independence begins. Several players and officials join or support the FLN (National Liberation Front). USMA withdraws from all official competitions following an FLN directive, along with other Muslim clubs, as a protest against colonial control. The club enters a period of silent resistance.
1956–1962: No official activity. However, USMA remains alive in people's memory. Many former players and leaders participate in the independence struggle; some are imprisoned or martyred. In July 5, 1962: Algeria gains independence. USMA is revived and reenters national competition, becoming part of the new era of Algerian football.
Before establishment By the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, football began to expand and spread globally. The first international football federation (FIFA) was founded in Paris in 1904, followed by the creation of various regional football bodies in Europe. Its influence soon reached the Maghreb countries Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. In Algeria, the sport was first introduced by European colonial associations, which established football clubs such as the Club des Joyeusetés in 1894, Club de la Chapelle Blanche in 1904, Association Sportive de Blida in 1905, C.S.C. Philippeville in 1910 and Association Gymnastique de la Vieille Garde Algérienne was founded in 1917, among other clubs managed exclusively by Europeans.
Muslim youth were prohibited from practicing football, and the sport remained limited to a small elite among the European settlers and colonial administrators. However, a small group of Algerian youth sought to establish clubs that would allow them to play football in an organized manner. Their aim was not merely recreational, but social and political as well affirming their identity and resisting colonial exclusion. Amid these restrictions, several Muslim led clubs were established with a reformist and nationalist orientation: Mouloudia Club Algéroise in 1921, Club sportif constantinois in 1926, Union sportive musulmane Oranaise in 1926, Union Sportive Musulmane de Sétif in 1933, Union Sportive Musulmane Blidéenne in 1936. Barely had the first four decades of the past century passed when the number of Algerian clubs with a national and Islamic character had grown significantly across the country. This number continued to rise steadily until the mid-1950s, when all sporting activities were suspended under colonial rule by order of the Liberation Revolution.
These early clubs were more than just sports institutions. They were platforms for national awareness, cultural resistance, and social reform. Their players and members often came from reformist circles students in Quranic schools and disciples of Islamic reform movements. The clubs were deeply intertwined with Algeria's Islamic identity and national cause, forming a unique fusion of sport and political consciousness. Under colonial rule, football was organized by the French Federation (F.F.F.A.), which imposed strict and exclusionary rules. Still, by the mid-1930s, several Algerian clubs had become strong enough to compete in five regional leagues (Algiers, Oran, Constantine, Tunisia, and France), leading to national finals in Algiers. Clubs were then divided under the Fédération sportive et gymnique du travail (F.S.G.T.), which classified and ranked clubs under colonial standards.
Early years
In July 1935, Omar Aichoun and Mustapha Kaoui, both merchants of jute bags, decided to create an exclusively Muslim sports association in which no European would appear. At the time, the National Movement, led by Étoile Nord-Africaine of Emir Khalid ibn Hashim, grandson of Emir Abdelkader, ran out of steam while the creation of the PPA (Parti du peuple algérien), spiritual father, was organized. of the FLN, Aichoun and Kaoui, join the popular effervescence. They frequent the activists of the National Movement, many in the district of the Casbah and hear about the need to create sports clubs, the ideal framework to bring together Algerian youth. The increasingly seasoned national movement is pushing for the creation of sports associations.
In 1935, two determined men intensified their contacts with the support of Arezki Meddad, father of future martyr Ourida Meddad. Their choice of leadership fell upon Ali Lahmar, known as Ali Zaid, a future martyr of the liberation war of Liberation, along with Sid Ahmed Kemmat. These men formed 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. 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 full encouragement. For administrative formalities and to obtain the colonial authorities’ approval, the founders approached the Secretary General of MC Alger, who generously 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, according to their preferences. Opportunities to practice were scarce the playing fields were the only space for creativity. No one was expected to take responsibility or open up prospects for them. The Wilaya of Algiers alone could not meet the demands of the large number of young people eager for sports activities. Well known sports figures 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 interruption. As Mr. Ahmed Kemmat continues:
In an interview with Ahmed Kemmat, published in the magazine AFRIC Sports, issue no. 18 (June–July 1987), he recounted his deep belief in this cause. As one of the original founders of USM Alger, he spoke about the birth of the idea, which emerged around 1937, and how it gradually became a concrete decision moving from Rue Salluste to other neighborhoods.
The Birth of USM Alger: Between Oral Memory and Official Records
Despite the differing accounts regarding the identity of USM Alger's first president, the official document dated July 5, 1937, addressed to the Algiers prefecture, clearly confirms that Ali Zaid who would later become a martyr of the Algerian War of Independence was the first official and administrative president of the club. The same document indicates that Arezki Meddad held the role of honorary president, suggesting his symbolic and social influence without occupying a formal administrative position. However, press sources particularly the Alger républicain newspaper dated June 20, 1963, state that the club was founded through the efforts of Arezki Meddad (brother of Saïd Meddad, a later president), martyr Ali Zaid, and former player Mohamed Hamdi. This version relies heavily on oral testimony from former club members and was written nearly 29 years after the club's founding, reflecting the influence of post-independence memory and narrative construction. From these findings, it is clear that the club's founding unfolded in two distinct phases.
An unofficial, grassroots phase that began in early 1937, driven primarily by Arezki Meddad, whose café in Rue Salluste (Casbah of Algiers) served as the informal headquarters for the founding meetings. A formal, legally recognized phase initiated with the club's official registration with colonial authorities in July 1937, under the presidency of Ali Zaid, in compliance with French colonial legal requirements for associations. Most of the founding members and early club activists were young men from the Casbah, aged between 16 and 20. Their unity stemmed from shared social and political convictions, as well as a collective desire to create a Muslim Algerian sports club that reflected their identity and resisted the dominance of colonial sports institutions.
founded clubs in Algeria, it was not the first such club established in the country. Several Muslim oriented or Muslim European mixed sports clubs preceded it during the Colonial era, including: Union Sportive d'Alger (USA): Founded in 1919 by a group of Algerians and French settlers. Its headquarters was located on Rue du Soudan in Algiers. Union Athlétique (UA): Founded in 1921 by both Muslim Algerians and Europeans, and based near Valièze Slope (Pente Valièze), Algiers. Union Sportive Musulmane (USM): Created in 1927 exclusively by Muslim Algerians. Its base was located near Rue de Lyon, Algiers.
Despite the similar naming conventions Union, Sportive, Musulmane there is no conclusive evidence of a direct organizational, legal or historical link between any of these earlier clubs and USMA, founded officially in July 1937. USMA appears to have been established independently, although inspired by the nationalist and social spirit shared by those earlier clubs. This matter was specifically addressed in a report published by Algérie Actualité magazine (issue dated June 13–19, 1971), under the headline: "L'Union Sportive Musulmane" To Awaken National Spirit. The article emphasized that, while naming overlaps were common during the colonial period partly to express Muslim identity within a restricted legal environment USMA had its own genesis, driven by a group of young men from the Casbah in 1937, notably Ali Zaid, Arezki Meddad and others, with no confirmed continuity from the older organizations.
Club Colors: From Variety to National Symbolism When USM Alger was first established, the club's founders chose light burgundy red (purplish red) and black as the official team colors. This combination was a stylistic choice in line with trends seen in several football clubs of the era, reflecting elegance and strength. However, due to the complex realities of colonial Algeria marked by political repression, material scarcity, and administrative restrictions USMA did not always play in its chosen colors. At various times, the team adopted alternative kits based on availability and circumstance.