CS Constantine

Club Sportif Constantinois (Arabic: النادي الرياضي القسنطيني), also known as CS Constantine or simply CSC for short, is an Algerian football club based in Constantine, Algeria. The club was founded in 1898, and its colours are green and black. Their home stadium, Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium, has a capacity of 22,968 spectators. The club is currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

Club Sportif Constantinois

Full name	Club Sportif Constantinois
Nickname(s)	CSC, The Smurfs
Founded	1898; 127 years ago (1898)[1]
Ground	Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium Ramadane Ben Abdelmalek Stadium
Capacity	22,968 (Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium) 8,000 (Ramadane Ben Abdelmalek Stadium)
Owner	ENTP SPA
President	Tarek Arama[2]
Head Coach	Kheïreddine Madoui[3]
League	Ligue 1
2023–24	Ligue 1, 3rd of 16
Website	csconstantine.dz
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

History

CS Constantine was officially founded under the name of Iqbal Association in 1927.^[4] It was named Chabab Mécanique de Constantine from 1977 to 1987.

Tassili Airlines the airlines firm of the petroleum company Sonatrach sponsored the club from 2012 to 2016.^[5] And since 2016, the club was sponsored by the Entreprise Nationale des Travaux aux Puits (ENTP), another firm of Sonatrach.^[6]

The 1990s and the first title of the championship

For the second time in its history, the CSC succeeded in qualifying for the semi-final of the Algerian Cup in 1992, and lost to ASO Chlef (after shots on goal), at the Stade du 5 Juillet 1962. Two years later, the club snatched the title of league champion 2 for the 4th time. In this season the club dominated the D2 championship including the famous Constantine derby, the CSC beating the MO Constantine twice (3- 0 then 2–0). Promoted for the umpteenth time in 1994, the CSC won its first title in the history of Champion of Algeria during the 1996–97 season, with talented and experienced players at the national level (Isâad Bourahli, nicknamed the fox of the surfaces from the 1990s, Moudoud Kaoua, Réda Matem, Salim Laïb, Hassen Ghoula and Sid Ahmed Benamara). The same season, the CSC was a finalist in the international Black Stars tournament in Paris, after the semi-final victory over the Senegalese club ASC Diaraf. The following season (97–98), the club participated for the first time in the African Champions League. Exempted during the preliminary round of this edition the club, was eliminated against the Senegalese club AS Douanes in the first round, at the end of the season the CSC finishes 2nd in the championship of Algeria (Group A).

Colours and badge

Under all three names the club has had the same goals and values: (Popular, Islamic); the same colours: Green   (Hope) and black   (Grief); and the same motto: 'Hope in Grief' (L'esperance en Deuil).^{[citation needed]}

Kits

1926-1927

1933-1934

1938-1939

1946-1947

1952-1953

1964-1965

1968-1969

1969-1971

1974-1975

1988-1989

1990-1991

1996-1997

1997-1998

1999-2000

2000-2001

2003-2004

2008-2009

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2023-2024

Crests

• 
  1938
• 
  1936-1940
• 
  1946-1947
• 
  1969-1970
• 
  2013-2015

Honours

Domestic competitions

• Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1
  • Champion (2): 1996–97, 2017–18.
  • Runner-up : 1970–71, 2022–23.
• Ligue Professionnelle 2
  • Champion (6): 1969–70, 1976–77, 1985–86, 1993–94, 2003–04, 2010–11.
• Algerian Super Cup
  • Runner-up (1): 2018

Performance in CAF competitions

CS Constantine whose team has regularly taken part in Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions. Qualification for Algerian clubs is determined by a team's performance in its domestic league and cup competitions, CS Constantine have regularly qualified for the primary African competition, the African Cup, by winning the Ligue Professionnelle 1. CS Constantine have also achieved African qualification via the Algerian Cup and have played in the former African Cup Winners' Cup. The first continental participation was in 1998 in the CAF Champions League, and the first match was against AS Douanes and ended with a loss 2–1, As for the biggest defeat result was firstly in 2014 against ASN Nigelec, and the secondly in 2016 against Nasarawa United 4–1, and biggest loss in 2014 against ASEC Mimosas 6–0. so that CS Constantine was absent from the African competitions until 2014 Where did it participate in the CAF Confederation Cup, On 8 February 2014 witnessed a historic event when CS Constantine played two matches on the same day, the first in the Ligue Professionnelle 1 against MO Béjaïa and the second against ASN Nigelec in Niger and in both of them they were defeated by the same score 2–0.^[7][8] the Algerian Football Federation refused to postpone the matches of the championship for the Algerian clubs participating in African competitions because the FAF does not intend to end up with late matches that would disrupt the progress of a calendar allegedly tight because of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it is for this reason that it strongly encouraged the Algerian clubs engaged in African competitions 2014 to withdraw. After winning the Ligue Professionnelle 1 title CS Constantine returned to the CAF Champions League after 20 years of absence, Qualifying for the group stage was a bit easy after winning against GAMTEL and Vipers putting him in group C with Club Africain, TP Mazembe and Ismaily.^[9] where CS Constantine ranked second to face in the quarter-finals the defending champions Espérance de Tunis to defeat 3–6 on aggregate.^[10]

• CAF Champions League: 2 appearances

1998 – First round

2018–19 – Quarter-finals

• CAF Confederation Cup: 2 appearances

2014 – Second round

2016 – Second round

CAF competitions stats

As of 13 April 2019^[update]:

CAF competitions
Competition	Seasons	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Last season played
Champions League	2	14	6	3	5	16	14	2018–19
CAF Confederation Cup	2	10	6	0	4	14	14	2016
Total	4	24	12	3	9	30	28

Grounds

Main articles: Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium and Ramadane Ben Abdelmalek Stadium

CS Constantine's home stadium is Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium which has been their home since its opening in 1976. The previous name of the stadium was Stade 17 Juin, the change was made in memory of Hamlaoui's death, a freedom fighter that died during the Algerian War. It can currently hold up to 22,968 people. The stadium has been through some renovation in the last few years.

CS Constantine play also in Ramadane Ben Abdelmalek Stadium.

• 
  Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium

Players

Algerian teams are limited to two foreign players. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player;

Current squad

As of 26 August 2024^[update].^[11][12] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ALG Kheireddine Boussouf 4 DF  ALG Chahine Bellaouel 5 DF  SEN Mélo Ndiaye 6 MF  ALG Mohamed Benchaira 7 MF  ALG Abdennour Belhocini 8 DF  ALG Houari Baouche 9 FW  ALG Zakaria Benchaâ 10 MF  ALG Brahim Dib (captain) 11 FW  ALG Mounder Temine 12 DF  ALG Oussama Meddahi 13 FW  CMR Nkembe Enow 14 MF  BFA Salifou Tapsoba 15 MF  ALG Firaz Saibi 16 GK  ALG Zakaria Bouhalfaya

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  ALG Messala Merbah 19 DF  ALG Chamseddine Derradji 20 FW  ALG Dadi El Hocine Mouaki 21 FW  ALG Mohamed Amine Benmessabih 22 FW  NGA Tosin Omoyele 23 GK  ALG Abdelmalek Necir 24 DF  ALG Aimen Bouguerra 25 DF  ALG Miloud Rebiaï 26 FW  ALG Abdelkader Kaibou 27 FW  ALG Anwar Khemmar 29 DF  ALG Acheref Boudrama 30 MF  ALG Fethallah Tahar

Reserve Squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

No. Pos. Nation Player

Personnel

Current technical staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Abdelkader Amrani
Assistant coach	Azzedine Rahim
Goalkeeping coach	Lyes Benhaha
Fitness coach	Medjahed Belaïd

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented CS Constantine in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1926. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club or represented the national team for which the player is eligible during his stint with CS Constantine or following his departure.

For a complete list of CS Constantine players, see Category:CS Constantine players

Meghni Mourad

• Mohamed Amroune
• Fayçal Badji
• Ousmane Berthé
• Yacine Bezzaz
• Hamza Boulemdaïs
• Noureddine Bounaas
• Issaad Bourahli
• Efosa Eguakun
• Hocine Fenier
• Hassen Ghoula
• Réda Matem
• Mourad Meghni
• Kaoua Mouloud
• Gilles Ngomo
• Laïb Salim
• Cédric Si Mohamed
• Paulin Voavy
• Mounir Zeghdoud

Managers

List of managers

Information correct as of 14 June 2024. Only competitive matches are counted.

Key

*	Caretaker manager

Name	From	To	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win%
José Dutra dos Santos	11 July 2011[13]	14 September 2011[14]	1	0	1	0	0
Rachid Bouarrata	27 September 2011[15]	29 January 2012[16]	15	3	7	5	20
Rachid Belhout	10 February 2012[17]	19 May 2012	16	7	4	5	43.75
Roger Lemerre	14 July 2012[18]	21 May 2013	34	16	13	5	47.06
Diego Garzitto	30 June 2013[19]	5 December 2013[20]	13	5	6	2	38.46
Lounès Gaouaoui*	6 December 2013	4 January 2014	4	3	0	1	75
Bernard Simondi	5 January 2014[21]	24 May 2014	23	8	6	9	34.78
Diego Garzitto	7 July 2014[22]	11 November 2014[23]	10	4	3	3	40
Rachid Belhout	16 November 2014[24]	25 February 2015[25]	23	9	6	8	39.13
Hubert Velud	2 July 2015[26]	18 October 2015[27]	8	3	1	4	37.5
Didier Gomes Da Rosa	5 November 2015[28]	11 September 2016[29]	27	10	8	9	37.04
Miguel Ángel Portugal	2 November 2016[30]	10 December 2016	5	0	2	3	0
Abdelkader Amrani	1 January 2017	6 November 2018[31]	60	27	19	14	45
Denis Lavagne	17 December 2018[32]	24 December 2019[33]	47	20	10	17	42.55
Karim Khouda	30 December 2019[34]	15 March 2020	10	5	3	2	50
Abdelkader Amrani	24 June 2020[35]	21 January 2021[36]	7	1	4	2	14.29
Miloud Hamdi	4 February 2021[37]	11 August 2021	26	11	8	7	42.31
Chérif Hadjar	4 September 2021[38]	15 February 2022[39]	17	8	5	4	47.06
Kheïreddine Madoui	1 March 2022[40]	26 February 2023[41]	35	17	9	9	48.57
Lyamine Bougherara	27 March 2023[42]	3 October 2023[43]	16	6	2	8	37.5
Abdelkader Amrani	21 October 2023[44]	29 June 2024[45]	31	15	10	6	48.39

Statistics

Recent seasons

Below, the CS Constantine season-by-season record after independence of Algeria :

Season	League									Cup	Other	Africa		Top goalscorer(s)[note 1]		Ref.
	Division	Pos	Pts	P	W	D	L	GF	GA					Name	Goals
2014–15	Ligue 1	5th	42	30	11	9	10	32	31	R16				Hamza Boulemdaïs	15
2015–16	Ligue 1	8th	42	30	11	9	10	26	32	R64		Confederation Cup	R2	Yacine Bezzaz	7
2016–17	Ligue 1	9th	39	30	10	9	11	34	33	R32				Manucho	6
2017–18	Ligue 1	1st	57	30	16	9	5	36	26	R32				Lamine Abid	16
2018–19	Ligue 1	7th	40	30	10	10	10	30	24	SF	RU	Champions League	QF	Ismaïl Belkacemi	10
2019–20	Ligue 1[note 2]	5th	34	22	9	7	6	32	23	R16		Arab Club Champions Cup	R1	Lamine Abid	10
2020–21	Ligue 1	8th	57	38	15	12	11	43	31	NP	PR			Abdelhakim Amokrane	8
2021–22	Ligue 1	5th	55	34	15	10	9	46	29	NP				Marcellin Koukpo	11
2022–23	Ligue 1	2nd	50	30	14	8	8	39	26	R32				Brahim Dib	8
2023–24	Ligue 1	3rd	53	30	15	8	7	46	30	SF		Champions League	R1	Brahim Dib	13
2024–25	Ligue 1									R64		Confederation Cup	QF

Rival clubs

• MC Alger (Rivalry)
• JSM Skikda (Rivalry)
• MO Constantine (Derby)
• AS Khroub (Derby)
• ES Sétif (Derby)
• Club Africain (Rivalry)

Notes

1. Goals in all competitions (Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, Algerian Cup, League Cup, African and Super Cup) are counted.
2. On March 15, 2020, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) decided to halt the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria.^[46] On July 29, 2020, the LFP declared that season is over and CR Belouizdad to be the champion, the promotion of four teams from the League 2, and scrapping the relegation for the current season.^[47]