The Club Sportif Sfaxien, our history is our honor!

A major sports club in Tunisia, the CSS represents the city of Sfax, the capital of southern Tunisia, nationally and internationally in many sports competitions. A glimpse into the history of the club certainly says a lot about the prestigious career of Blacks and Whites.

For almost a century, the CSS or "Juventus al Arab" (Juventus of Arabs) as it is nicknamed continues to excel on the ground at all levels and in all disciplines to be in the summit of the ambitions of its supporters.

Talented players engraved in the CSS’s history

Several great players have accompanied the CSS in its brilliant career and had left their mark on the club’s history. Indeed, no one can talk about the achievements of CSS without mentioning the big names such as Mohamed Ali Akid, Hamadi Agrebi, Mokhtar Dhouib and many other giants of Tunisian football.

In fact, legends of Tunisian football had played in the CSS namely: Hamadi Agrebi, the midfield magician who was known for his original intelligence and surprising technique. He was also known for his brilliant participation on the Tunisian national team at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

Mokhtar Dhouib was also a key player in the CSS team. He occupied the role of defender and helped the CSS team in winning the Tunisian championship in 1978. In that same year, Mokhtar Dhouib was elected among the best players of the Tunisian championship with 37 stars.

Not to mention the brilliant striker of the CSS, Mohamed Ali Akid who was distinguished by his excellent presence on the field and in particular by his honorable participation with the Tunisian national team at the 1978 World Cup. The talented players of the 90s also scored the story of the CSS. Among them were the great central defender Sami Trabelsi, the talented midfielder Skander Souayah and many others.

The list of players who left their mark in the CSS history is far from over. This unforgettable experience and this rich journey were marked by the presence of Blacks and Whites who, impregnated in the culture of the city of industry, oils and fish, have always been motivated, fearless and passionate!

CSS, a culture of victory passed down through generations

Former Berber Syphax and Roman Taparura, Sfax is honored today by the achievements of the CSS for nearly a century. The trophies that sparkle on the shelves of the Club Sportif Sfaxien since 1969 are the best proof.

In fact, the Club Sportif Sfaxien has shone in black and white in various competitions to win brilliant victories in football, volleyball, basketball and many other sports.

The Hedi Chaker football cup won in 1966 was the first triumph in the club's history. In 1969, the CSS also won its first national title of the Tunisian football championship. And that's not all! Blacks and Whites won twice the Tunisian football league in 1971 and 1995.

Always in football, the CSS has been 7 times champion of Tunisia, won 4 times the cup of Tunisia and once the cup of the Tunisian league in 2003. Since then, time has well revealed the perseverance of the team Bianconero and its desire to excel far beyond national borders.

Indeed, the CSS football team has won the CAF Cup (the African Football Confederation Cup) 3 times in its history. The first was in 1998 following two home and away games won against the Senegalese team ASC Jeanne d'Arc. In international football, the football team also managed to win the Arab Cup of Champions in Saudi Arabia in 2000.

The years 1977 and 1982 similarly have key dates in the club’s history where, the Volleyball Blacks and Whites respectively won their first Tunisia Cup and League double.

Having also won the national double in 1985, CSS volleyball players won the African championship title that same year, becoming the first Tunisians to win this African collective sport title.

The basketball players of the CSS have also honored the club with their successive victories throughout the last years where they were champions of Tunisia for 18 times. They have also won 7 times the cup of Tunisia and won twice the league of Arab champions.

This stature of the Club Sportif Sfaxien is certainly achieved thanks to the relentless efforts of tenacious leadership through decades, the commitment of a team of players and executives both physically, mentally and technically, but above all thanks to ardent supporters who has been always united behind their club.

1928, the first Tunisian Muslim sports club was born!

The story really began in 1912 when a sports club was born under the name of "Tunisian Club" (Club Tunisien) to represent the Tunisian Muslim sports community, for the first time in Tunisia, as sports clubs were organized, at the time, according to religious confessions.

Having emerged in Sfax, a French colony like other Tunisian cities at the time, the club played with the colors red and green thus making reference to Green Tunisia. Specialized only in football, the club was officially recognized by the French authorities only on May 28, 1928.

Founder of the Tunisian Club (Club Tunisien), Zouhaier Ayadi presided over the club until the year 1931. The first committee of the Tunisian Club (Club Tunisien) was then composed as follows:

President: Zouhaier Ayadi
Vice-Presidents: Michel Loffreda and Hédi Tabka
Treasurer: Ahmed Trabelsi
Deputy Treasurer: Mohamed Kharrat
Secretaries-General: Mohamed Kamoun (in Arabic language), Ali Chaghal (in French language)
Team manager: Béchir Charfi
Deputy team manager: Ali Bouhamed

In 1939, the Tunisian Club (Club Tunisien) managed to reach the Tunisian division of honor, then the division of excellence at the end of the 1946 – 1947’s season and it is so far. The division of excellence refers to the Tunisian Football National Division also called League 1 nowadays.

1962, the era of "Black and White" has arrived!

In 1962, the Tunisian Club (Club Tunisien) changed its name to become the Club Sportif Sfaxien (CSS). The colors also changed to black and white, according to the proposal of the coach of the club at the time: Milan Kristić. It was during the tenure of the club's president Abdesselem Kallel (1961-1964) when the Yugoslavian coach Milan held his position in the CSS between 1961 and 1966.

For the realization of the CSS jerseys, it was the large international textile company Kappa who was in charge at the time, until the year 2009. The German football equipment manufacturer Uhlsport took over the manufacturing in 2009. From 2012, the US Company Nike has taken over the mission until today.

2008, the birth of Socios CSS

Like any other sport club in the world, the CSS has had some difficulties in its life: victories and falls. Indeed, in 2007, the Club Sportif Sfaxien was withdrawn from the CAF Champions League and unfortunately suffered from a deterioration in its financial situation.

This deterioration was due to the growth of expenses from one season to another in the absence of stable revenues. Young executives then were mobilized to "save" the club and finally opted for a solution: the Socios CSS structure.

Officially launched on May 28, 2008, at the 80th anniversary of the club, the only purpose of Socios CSS is to finance the club and avoid the duplication of its expenses. This structure gathers all the CSS supporters who are ready to financially support their club regardless of their status.

Businessmen, engineers, accountants, lawyers, designers and many other members of Socios CSS have shown their willingness to support Blacks and Whites and have even put their skills and technical knowledge at the service of the club.

Thanks to their efforts, the CSS was able to breathe again and is today grateful to all its supporters who certainly played the role of the first player in the club.

Although the club's financial difficulties persist more or less until today, the list of achievements of the Socios CSS is far from over. In fact, the Socios have supported the club many times, such as the creation of weight room, viewing platform, massage and body-care room, etc.