On 15 January 1919 Espérance Sportive de Tunis was officially registered, the club now known as the "elder" of Tunisian football. On 15 January 2027 the club turns 108 years old. Its story starts in a café and ends at the top of Africa.

A café in Bab Souika

Founders Mohamed Zouaoui and Hédi Kallel were regulars at the Café de l'Espérance in the Bab Souika district of Tunis. That is where the idea was born, and the team took its name from the café. The French word "espérance" means "hope".

Tunisia was a French protectorate at the time, and the rules did not allow Tunisians to obtain a licence for an association. So the first president was a Frenchman, Louis Montassier. Some sources include Chedly Zouiten among the founders, others do not.

The first committee also included Mohamed Hentati as vice-president. The early years were hard, and the team started out in the lower divisions. Only in 1936 did it reach the top level of the Tunisian league.

From green to "blood and gold"

The first shirts were green and white. Soon, however, the team switched to red and yellow, the colours that gave it the nickname Sang et Or, "blood and gold".

The sources disagree on how the change happened. One version says that in 1920 a young student, Chedly Zouiten, brought a set of shirts with vertical red and yellow stripes. Another version speaks of a shortage of green shirts, and others say Zouiten found them while shopping or donated them.

Whatever the truth, Zouiten became the club's great figure. He was president for decades, until 1963, and a stadium in Tunis bears his name.

Taraji, Mkachkha and the crest

Supporters call the team Taraji and Mkachkha. After its dominant 1994 season, the nickname "the Beast of Africa" stuck as well.

The crest has changed many times, with versions in 1919, 1924, 1950, 1969, 1987, 2000 and 2012. All of them are dominated by the club's red and yellow.

The team's popularity grew during the struggle for independence. After 1956 Espérance became the country's leading club.

Great nights in Africa

Espérance have won the CAF Champions League four times: in 1994, 2011, 2018 and 2019. In 2011 Harrison Afful scored the only goal of the final against Wydad Casablanca.

In 2018 the team staged a comeback against Al Ahly, with a memorable goal by Anice Badri. In 2019 they kept the title, with Youcef Belaïli scoring against Wydad once again.

They have played at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2011, 2018, 2019 and 2025. At home they won seven league titles in a row from 1998 to 2004. Their home is the stadium in Radès, with 65,000 seats, which opened in 2001.

Legends of the red and yellow shirt

The greatest is Tarak Dhiab, the club's leader in appearances and goals. In 1977 he was named African Player of the Year as an Espérance player.

Other standouts include Khaled Ben Yahia, Nigerian striker Michael Eneramo and Youssef Msakni. The club still honours the memory of Hédi Berkhissa, who died on the pitch in 1997.

Celebrate with us

A café called "Hope" gave rise to Tunisia's most decorated club. Happy 108th birthday to Espérance, in blood and gold!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Espérance fans in the Curva Sud, match against Horoya (2017) – Bahbouhe, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.