Originally built in 1919 as the home ground for l’Association Sportive Saint Eugénoise, the stadium was known as Stade Roger Lapergue for two years. It was later renamed Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, adopting the name of the city. It was one of the most beautiful stadiums of its time, featuring two side stands and a party hall.
The stadium became available to MC Alger, becoming a prominent venue in the Algiers League. In 1957, a third stand was constructed, an arched structure on the south side with two superimposed tiers connecting the original stands, giving the municipal stadium a modern and distinctive look. After Algeria gained independence in 1962, the city of Saint Eugène was renamed Bologhine. However, the upper gallery of the stadium was severely damaged during the 1980 El Asnam earthquake (now Chlef).
As a result, it was closed to the public and, after years of neglect and failed restoration efforts, was ultimately demolished in 2003. The stadium hosted the Algerian Cup final once, in 1970, featuring USM Alger and CR Belcourt, which ended in a 4-1 victory for CR Belcourt. In 1998, the stadium was renamed Omar Hamadi Stadium, in honor of Omar Hamadi, a former leader of USM Alger and a revolutionary figure. He was sentenced to death during the Algerian War of Independence and was later assassinated along with his two sons in Bouzareah (Algiers) by a terrorist group in 1995.
In 2000, a new stand was built to expand the capacity of USM Alger's home stadium, increasing it by 8,000 to 10,000 seats. As the club holds the concession for the stadium, it also invested in developing infrastructure to support player recovery and training, including a sauna, gym, and restaurant. While the stadium had a previous capacity of 12,000 spectators before the upper stands were demolished, it currently accommodates only 7,500 spectators. In 2023, a technical expert report concluded that it was necessary to demolish three stands - the northern, southern, and western - because they posed a serious safety risk to supporters.
The USM Alger administration renewed its rental contract with the Bologhine Municipality in 2021 at a rate of 80 million centimes per month. The stadium hosted the first leg of the CAF Champions League final between USM Alger and TP Mazembe in 2015, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the latter. On January 23, 2025, the APC of Bologhine stated that in anticipation of the imminent demolition of the Omar Hamadi Stadium, 17 residents were verbally informed to leave the building and hand over the keys to the commercial building within two weeks.
On August 5, 2024, USM Alger announced that the Omar Hamadi Stadium renovation project has officially been relaunched. This project involves the complete demolition of the current stadium and its reconstruction according to modern standards. The club's officials expressed relief regarding the decisions taken by the authorities. The delegation then inspected the stadium and recorded the necessary notes in order to implement the roadmap as quickly as possible, taking into account what would be best for the Club and its supporters.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Mutabor
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