Espérance Sportive de Tunis

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Espérance Sportive de Tunis (EST, French pronunciation: [ɛspeʁɑ̃s spɔʁtiv tynis]; Arabic: الترجي الرياضي التونسي, romanizedAttarajī ar-Riyāḍi Attūnisī), known as ES Tunis, and nicknamed “Mkashkha”, The Elder of Tunisian Clubs, The Blood and Gold Club and The Beast of Africa is a Tunisian professional sports club. It was founded on 15 January 1919 in the Bab Souika neighborhood in Tunis. Its best known football section has been active in the first Tunisian Professional League 1 since 1936, during which it played 63 seasons, except for the 1970–71 season.

Espérance Sportive de Tunis
Full nameEspérance Sportive de Tunis
Nickname(s)The Smiling One
The Red and Yellow
The Blood and Gold
The Beast of Africa
The Elder of Tunisan Clubs
Short nameES Tunis
Founded15 January 1919; 105 years ago (1919-01-15)
GroundStade Hammadi Agrebi
Capacity60,000
ChairmanHamdi Meddeb
Head coachLaurențiu Reghecampf
LeagueTunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1
2023–24Ligue 1, 1st of 14 (champions)
Websitee-s-tunis.com
Current season

It is the most successful Tunisian club nationally and internationally in all competitions, with 33 Tunisian Professional League 1 titles (record), the last of which was the 2023–24 season, 15 Tunisian Cup titles (record), the last of which was the 2015–16 season, and 5 Tunisian Super Cup titles (record), the most recent of which is the 2020–21 edition, the Hedi Shaker Cup in 1968 and the Hamda El Aouani tournament in 1978. At the African level, Esperance won the CAF Champions League title four times in 1994, 2011, 2018, 2018–19, the CAF Cup in 1997, the CAF Super Cup in 1995 and the African Cup Winners' Cup in 1998. At the Arab level, Esperance is the most Arab club to have won the Arab Club Champions Cup title three times (a record) in the 1993, 2008–09, 2017 editions and the Arab Super Cup in 1996. Globally, Esperance won the Afro-Asian Club Championship in 1995. It participated three times in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2011, 2018, and 2019, and was satisfied with fifth place as the best participation.

Esperance Sportive de Tunis ranked seventh in the ranking of the best African clubs of the twentieth century compiled by FIFA. The Confederation of African Football also chose it as the fifth best African club in the twentieth century, and it topped the ranking of African clubs several times, most recently in 2018. It also won the Best African Club Award in 2011 and the FIFA Fair Play Award in 2019. There is a certain rivalry with Club Africain, which it plays against in the Tunis derby every season of the Tunisian Professional League 1 and sometimes the Tunisian Cup, and another competition in the Tunisian Clásico with Étoile Sportive du Sahel and CS Sfaxien. Former Esperance player Tarak Dhiab is considered a legend and icon of the club, as he is the most participating player with 427 matches and the all-time top scorer, scoring 127 goals. Tunisian businessman Hamdi Meddeb has been president of the club since 2007, and it has been coached by Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso since January 2024. Espérance de Tunis will host its competitors on the field of the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, located in the city of Radès, in the southern suburb of the city Tunis. After his name, several clubs in the region were named after Esperance, such as Espérance Sportive de Zarzis, Esperance Wadi Al-Nis of Palestine, Esperance Club of Saudi Arabia and Esperance Mostaganem of algeria.

Espérance de Tunis has a wide fan base in Tunisia, not only in the capital but throughout the country. After winning the CAF Champions League title twice in a row, the club's popularity has also appeared in Africa, and fans abroad frame some of its beloved cells such as France, Germany, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, more than 15,000 supporters were transported to the United Arab Emirates to support the team.

History

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Founding and early years

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Mohamed Zouaoui, the co-founder of Espérance

The club was founded at the Café de L'Espérance (Arabic: مقهى الترجي) in the Bab Souika neighborhood of Tunis, by Mohamed Zouaoui (of Kabyle heritage)[1] and Hédi Kallel.[2] They appealed to Louis Montassier, a member of the French colonial administration, to obtain authorization, as according to the regulations of the time, all such clubs and societies had to be legally chaired by a French national. EST was officially registered on 15 January 1919, its first colours being green and white.[3][4]

Their first colours were green and white. In 1920, the club recruited a young high school student, Chedly Zouiten, who provided a set of jersey with vertical red and yellow bands, which became the club's new colors.[5] Zouiten became a member of the club's management committee in 1923 before becoming president in 1931. .,

Under Zouiten's tenure, which lasts more than three decades, Espérance was nearly on the verge of abandonment until promotion to the honorary division of the League of Tunisia in 1936. Espérance also managed to reach the final of the Tunisian Cup, but were beaten by Stade Gaulois. Three years after its failure against the Stade Gaulois, Espérance won the Tunisian Cup (1939) against the Etoile Sportive du Sahel (3–1), its first ever triumph and title. It was in 1955 that Espérance qualified to represent the Tunisian League in the North African championship. In the knockout match, two of the five teams were drawn at random to compete against each other and the winner immediately qualifies for the semi-finals. Wydad of the Moroccan League and the Espérance Sportive de Tunis faced each other; the meeting took place in Tunis on 15 May 1955, the Tunisian club losing on the score of 2 goals to 1. Between the start of the Second World War and independence (1956), the squad quality improved.

Post independence

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The titles (champion in 1958 and 1960 and winner of the cup in 1957) but also the style of play explain the popular enthusiasm. Attacking football was abandoned in 1963 following the passage of Ben Azzedine as coach. The latter opts for Italian-style defensive principles.

In 1971, violent riots occurred in Stade El Menzah by Espérance supporters following the final lost against the Club Sportive Sfaxien (historic goal of Abdelwahed Trabelsi in the first minute of the game). The authorities then sanctioned Espérance and withdrew the right to play in the first division. The football section of the Espérance was dissolved while the team was one day away from being crowned as champions.

Slim Chiboub era and national dominance (1989–2004)

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Slim Chiboub took charge of the club in 1989. Quickly, he kept one of his promises with a double in 1990–1991. In 1993, he won international and local titles. Espérance also won its first regional cup, the Arab Club Champions Cup, becoming the first Tunisian team to do so in 1993. The following year, the club won its first CAF Champions League at the expense of defending champion Zamalek. In 1995, EST won the CAF Super Cup as well as the Afro-Asian Cup, becoming the first Tunisian club to win all possible continental titles. Espérance Sportive de Tunis won ten Tunisian league titles, including seven successive titles between 1998 and 2004 and set a new national record.[6]

Hamdi Meddeb era and sustained success (2007–present)

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Espérance Sportive de Tunis, CAF Champions League Champions in 2011
 
Espérance Sportive de Tunis, CAF Champions League Champions in 2018

Between 2005 and 2007, Aziz Zouhir led the club, which won the double (championship and cup) in 2006. In 2007, Hamdi Meddeb took charge of the club. He focused on boosting Espérance financially and recruiting African and Tunisian talents.

The 2010–2011 season Espérance completed a historical treble by winning the League, National Cup and the African Champions League, under coach Nabil Maâloul.[7] Following this success, a new committee chaired by Hamdi Meddeb was elected on 25 September 2011 for a three-year term. However, Maâloul resigned after a sixth place in the FIFA Club World Cup. However, the team lost the 2012 CAF Champions League final to Al Ahly, and the team star Youssef Msakni was sold to Qatari club Lekhwiya for 23 million Tunisian dinars.[8]

On 6 August 2017, the club won their fourth Arab title and third Arab club championship by beating the Jordanian side Al Faisaly (3–2) after extra time.[9] After winning its 28 league title on 8 April, Espérance won its third CAF Champions League against Al Ahly despite a defeat (3–1) on the home soil of the eight-time African champions in the first leg. In the second match, the Tunisians won with a score of 3–0, in front of a crowd of 60,000 people, with goals from Saad Bguir and Anice Badri. With the help of the young coach Moïne Chaâbani the club clinched the third Champions League in its history, a few months before its centenary on 15 January 2019.[10] The club ended the 2018–2019 season as African champions for the fourth time after winning the CAF Champions League against Wydad (1–1 away and 1–0 at home), due to Wydad refusing to play in protest of VAR decision.[11][12]

Colors and symbols

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Logos throughout history

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Red & Yellow

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During the first year of its establishment, Espérance played in white and green, their uniform green with the elegance of the shirt and hands and black veil. Chadli Zouiten's share was the red and yellow sports uniforms, which were better than Esperance's uniforms. He gifted them to Esperance, and since then red and yellow become their official colors.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

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Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ref
1993-94   Uhlsport   Boga/Noumêm [13]
1994-95   Lotto   Coca-Cola
1995-96
1996-97   Coca-Cola/  Opel
1997-98   Coca-Cola/  Danone
1998-99   Uhlsport
1999-00   Esperance
2000-01   Lotto
2001-02
2002-03   Adidas
2003-04   Danone/  Boga
2004-05   Atletica   Danone/  Virgin
2005-06   Nike
2006-10   Groupe Délice [fr]/  Danone
2010-11   Groupe Délice [fr]/  Danone/  KIA
2011-16   Groupe Délice [fr]/  Danone
2016-17
2017-2022   Umbro
2022-   Kappa
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Support

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The club is supported throughout the country and in the Tunisian diaspora in Europe, Middle East and North America.

Supporters Groups

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Scene from a 2007 Tunis derby at the Radès Stadium

Officially, the club's fans and supporters are framed by the Espérance Sportive de Tunis, but many ultras groups have appeared alongside it that organize the club's income during major interviews. The oldest group of them is the Ultras L'Emkachkhines, which belong to the ultras movement but do not have any legal system as is the case for the European bands' lovers groups. We also find the Supras, which appeared in 2004, the Blood & Gold group appeared in 2005, Zapatista Esperanza in 2007 and Torcida in 2008, and in the same year the Matadors group appeared. In 2009 the Fedayn, Ayounos Algres and Strano Boys group appeared, and in 2010 the Los guerreros group, the Resista Armada group and others... All of these groups share the southern runways behind a guard the goal under the banner of Curva Sud. Among the acronics that some of these groups raise is A.C.A.B, which is also raised by other groups in Europe and even in Tunisia. The elderly Ultras made many incomes and carcasses and created more than 35 for them at the local level only, without counting the years of repression from 2009 to 2011 when Ultras in Tunisia were prevented from entering.

Ultras L'Emkachkhines

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Ultras L'Emkachkhines, and its symbol (ULE02), is an ultras group established in 2002 by a group of fans of Espérance Sportive de Tunis. Ultras was established in the summer of 2002, and it was the result of the idea of a group of Esperance fans who love the team and were influenced by the activity of long-standing ultras groups in Europe, such as Ultras Romani and Fossa Dei Leoni.

After many consultations and discussions via the Internet, they decided to organize Their first meeting was in the Tunisian capital, where it was agreed to establish the group under the name Ultras Giallorosso, but soon the name was changed through a proposal by one of the members to replace the word Galloroso with L'Emkachkhines for the symbolism of this word among the supporters of Esperance and to impart a spirit of belonging and identity More for the group, and the image of the warrior leader Geranimo was chosen as the group's emblem. Ultras L'Emkachkhines had the first match and the initiation of creativity in the Esperance match against the Egyptian Zamalek in 2002.

Ultras Zapatista Esperanza 2007

Zapatista Esperanza (ZE07), the ultras group supporting Esperance Sportive de Tunis, was founded on June 23, 2007. symbols are (siamo solo noi) and (no justice no peace). The name comes from the Zapatista National Liberation Army (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) which is an armed revolutionary group from the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. The movement takes the name of Emiliano Zapata - one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. It is considered the most mysterious group in Africa and one of the most dangerous, as it was classified as a criminal gang by the former Tunisian Ministry of Interior.

Accidents

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Tragedy of 13 June 1971

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The tragedy of 13 June 1971, when the red and yellow lost the Tunisian Cup final against CS Sfaxien at Stade El Menzah, and from it a spark of a conflict with the security erupted behind several human and material losses to order the Minister of Interior and Sports at that time to dissolve the team until President Habib Bourguiba returned to bring him back to the sports arena.

The events of 8 April 2010

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Espérance lived several stations that its sons considered as a struggle, such as the events of 8 April 2010 against the security, which witnessed several wounded and arrested as a result of unprecedented clashes with the security in a famous match in which the lights of El Menzah stadium went out in a match between Espérance and CS Hammam-Lif that ended in a 3–3 draw.

Infrastructure

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Stadiums

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Stade Hammadi Agrebi

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Stade Olympique Hamadi Agrebi, opened as Stade 7 November, is a multi-purpose stadium in Radès, Tunis, Tunisia about 10 kilometers south-east of downtown Tunis, in the center of the Olympic City. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it also has facilities for athletics. The stadium has a capacity of up to 60,000 spectators and was built in 2001 for the 2001 Mediterranean Games.

 
The exterior of Radès stadium

It was inaugurated in July 2001 for the final of the Tunisian Cup between CS Hammam-Lif and Étoile du Sahel (1–0).

Stade El Menzah

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Stade El Menzah is a multi-purpose stadium, located in the north of Tunis, Tunisia.

 
El Menzah Stadium

It is built to host the 1967 Mediterranean Games at the same time as the Olympic swimming pool and gymnasium. Since then, it is an integral part of Tunisia's main sports complex. Tunisia's three major football teams, Espérance de Tunis, Club Africain and Stade Tunisien played their games there.

The stadium was completely renovated for the 1994 African Cup of Nations. It has a capacity of 45,000 seats.[14] The VIP section consists of a grandstand and 2 salons that can accommodate 300 people in a "cocktail" configuration. The stadium hosted the matches of Tunisia national football team until the inauguration of the Stade 7 November in the south of Tunis in 2001.

Official Honours

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Type Competition Titles Winning Seasons
Domestic Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 33 1941–42, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
Tunisian Cup 15 1938–39, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1996–97, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2015–16
Tunisian Super Cup 6 1960, 1993, 2001, 2018, 2019, 2021
Continental CAF Champions League 4 1994, 2011, 2018, 2019
African Cup Winners' Cup 1 1998
CAF Cup 1 1997
CAF Super Cup 1 1995
Regional Arab Club Champions Cup 3S 1993, 2008–09, 2017
Arab Super Cup 1 1996
North African Cup Winners Cup 1 2008
Intercontinental Afro-Asian Club Championship 1 1995
  •   record
  • S shared record

Club prizes

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Individual awards

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Personnel

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Management

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Position Name
President   Hamdi Meddeb
Honorary President   Slim Chiboub
Financial Director   Rafik Mrabet
Law Director   Farouk Kattou
President of Football Operations   Riadh Bennour
Spokesman   Walid Guerfala

Coaching Staff

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Position Name
Head coach   Laurențiu Reghecampf[15]
Assistant coach   Skander Kasri
Assistant coach   Viorel Dinu
Goalkeeping coach   Dan Zdranca
Fitness coaches   Mohamed Sabri Bouazizi
Team doctor   Yassine Ben Ahmed

Players

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Current squad

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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 Amenallah Memmiche
2 DF   TUN Mohamed Ben Ali
4 MF   TUN Mohamed Wael Derbali
5 DF   TUN Yassine Meriah (captain)
6 DF   TUN Hamza Jelassi
7 FW   TUN Youssef Abdelli
8 MF   TUN Houssem Tka
9 FW   BRA Rodrigo Rodrigues
10 MF   BRA Yan Sasse
11 FW   ALG Youcef Belaïli
13 DF   TUN Raed Bouchniba
14 MF   NGA Onuche Ogbelu
15 DF   ALG Mohamed Amine Tougai (vice-captain)
17 MF   TUN Zakaria El Ayeb
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF   TOG Roger Aholou
19 MF   TUN Mootez Zaddem
20 DF   TUN Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida (3rd captain)
21 MF   CIV Abdramane Konaté
22 DF   TUN Ayman Ben Mohamed
23 MF   TUN Larry Azouni
24 FW   RSA Elias Mokwana
26 GK   TUN Mohamed Sedki Debchi
27 FW   GAM Kebba Sowe
28 FW   TUN Zinedine Kada
29 FW   TUN Oussama Bouguerra
30 FW   TUN Koussay Maacha
32 GK   TUN Bechir Ben Saïd

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
DF   TUN Aziz Knani (at Olympique Béja until 30 June 2025)
DF   TUN Amenallah Majhed (at AS Soliman until 30 June 2025)
MF   TUN Aziz Fellah (at AS Gabès until 30 June 2025)
MF   TUN Khalil Guenichi (at Espérance de Zarzis until 30 June 2025)
MF   TUN Khairi Meddaoui (at Stade Gabèsien until 30 June 2025)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   TUN Montassar Triki (at AS Soliman until 30 June 2025)
FW   TUN Rayen Hamrouni (at AS Soliman until 30 June 2025)
FW   TUN Achref Jebri (at Espérance de Zarzis until 30 June 2025)
FW   TUN Salmen Trabelsi (at AS Soliman until 30 June 2025)

Other players under contract

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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 Wassim Karoui
DF   TUN Raed Fedaa
DF   TUN Zinedine Sassi
MF   TUN Wael Chaieb
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   TUN Ghaith Ouahabi
FW   ALG Riad Benayad
FW   TUN Bilel Sahli

International participations

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IFFHS rankings

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FIFA Club World Cup

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Participation Record in the FIFA Club World Cup
Year Position Last opponent
2011 Sixth place   Monterrey
2018 Fifth place   Guadalajara
2019 Fifth place   Al-Sadd

African Cup of Champions Clubs and CAF Champions League

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Participation Record in the African Cup of Champions Clubs and CAF Champions League
Year Final position / round Last opponent
1971 Second round   Ismaily
1986 Quarter-Finals   Africa Sports
1989 Second round   MC Oran
1990 Quarter-Finals   Iwuanyanwu Nationale
1994 Winners   Zamalek
1995 Quarter-Finals   Ismaily
1999 Runners–up   Raja Casablanca
2000 Runners–up   Hearts of Oak
2001 Semi-finals   Al Ahly
2002 Group stage   Zamalek
  ASEC Mimosas
  Costa do Sol
2003 Semi-finals   Ismaily
2004 Semi-finals   Enyimba
2005 Group stage   Étoile du Sahel
  Zamalek
  ASEC Mimosas
2007 Group stage   Al Ahly
  Al Hilal
  ASEC Mimosas
2010 Runners-up   TP Mazembe
2011 Winners   Wydad AC
2012 Runners-up   Al Ahly
2013 Semi-finals   Orlando Pirates
2014 Group stage   Club Sfaxien
  ES Sétif
  Al Ahly Benghazi
2015 Second round   Al Merrikh
2017 Quarter-finals   Al Ahly
2018 Winners   Al Ahly
2019 Winners   Wydad AC
2020 Quarter-finals   Zamalek
2021 Semi-finals   Al Ahly
2022 Quarter-finals   ES Sétif
2023 Semi-finals   Al Ahly
2024 Runners-up   Al Ahly

CAF Confederation Cup

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Participation Record in the CAF Confederation Cup
Year Position Last opponent
2006 Group stage   Étoile du Sahel
  Saint-Éloi Lupopo
  Renacimiento
2008 Play-off round   Étoile du Sahel
2015 Group stage   Al Ahly
  Étoile du Sahel
  Stade Malien
2016 Play-off round   MO Béjaïa

CAF Cup

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Participation Record in the CAF Cup
Year Position Last opponent
1997 Winners   Petro de Luanda

African Cup Winners' Cup

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Participation Record in the African Cup Winners' Cup
Year Position Last opponent
1980 Second round   Kadiogo
1981 First round   Zoundourma
1987 Runners–up   Gor Mahia
1998 Winners   1º de Agosto

CAF Super Cup

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Participation Record in the CAF Super Cup
Year Position Last opponent
1995 Winners   Motema Pembe
1999 Runners–up   ASEC Mimosas
2012 Runners–up   Maghreb de Fès
2019 Runners–up   Raja Casablanca
2020 Runners–up   Zamalek

Afro-Asian Club Championship

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Participation Record in the Afro-Asian Club Championship
Year Position Last opponent
1995 Winners   Thai Farmers Bank

Twinning

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Rival clubs

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Presidents

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Source: www.est.org.tn

Managers

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Source: www.est.org.tn

References

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  1. ^ "Témoignages des descendants des Kabyles exilés en Tunisie en 1871 : «Des blessures qui ne cicatrisent jamais»". El watan. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  2. ^ "الترجي..من "مقهى" إلى "غول لإفريقيا"". 15 January 2019.
  3. ^ "L'Esperance Sportive de Tunis est éternelle". Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Jeune Afrique l'Intelligent". African Studies Companion Online. doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_687. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  5. ^ "En Vert et Blanc, l'Espérance de Tunis en 1919". 17 February 2019. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Esperance rewrite Tunisian football". 30 June 2004. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  7. ^ Football, CAF-Confedération Africaine du. "CAF CL - Head-to-head: Wydad vs Esperance in CAF matches | Total CAF Champions League 2022/23". CAFOnline.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Youssef Msakni dans un club qatari pour... 23 millions de dinars !". Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Coupe arabe des clubs : l'Espérance de Tunis sacrée". 6 August 2017. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Ligue des champions: l'Espérance Tunis sacrée face à al Ahly". 9 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Esperance win CAF Champions League after Wydad refuse to play in protest of VAR decision | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Esperance declared African Champions League winners – DW – 08/07/2019". dw.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Espérance de Tunis Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Stade Olympique El Menzah". Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  15. ^ https://e-s-tunis.com/en/news/2024/11/06/15369-lauren%C8%9Biu-reghecampf-takes-the-reins-at-esp%C3%A9rance
  16. ^ "Club World Ranking by footballdatabase". footballdatabase. 3 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
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