Hammadi Agrebi Stadium (
Arabic: ملعب حمادي العقربي), opened as 7 November Stadium, is a
multi-purpose stadium located in the sports city of Radès, located in
Radès, in the southern suburb of the city
Tunis. The stadium was established in 2001 to host the
2001 Mediterranean Games.
It is a covered amphitheater that can accommodate 60,000 spectators and covers 13,000 square meters. It includes a main field, 3 sub-stadiums, two warm-up halls, two bright blackboards, an honorary platform that can accommodate 7,000 spectators, and a press stand with 300 offices. The stadium was inaugurated in July 2001 under the name Stade 7 November in the framework of the 2000–01
Tunisian Cup final between
CS Hammam-Lif and
Étoile du Sahel 1–0. The
CS Hammam-Lif player, Anis Ben Chouikha, scored the first goal in the history of the stadium.
In October 2015, the
government of Habib Essid sparked a great controversy and opposition reactions against the backdrop of announcing its intention to mortgage the stadium, before retracting under public pressure. The stadium obtained the first class certificate from the International Athletics Federation, as the stadium most conforms to the standards and specifications in its field. In May 2020, the stadium was ranked tenth in the world, according to a poll by the Spanish newspaper
Marca for the most beautiful stadiums in the world, with 14,000 votes.[5] The stadium recorded the largest number of audiences, estimated at sixty thousand spectators, on two occasions, the first in the
final match of the
2004 African Cup of Nations between
Tunisia and the
Morocco, and the second on 22 May 2008 in the match between
Club Africain and
Espérance Sportive de Zarzis within the framework of the
2007–08 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1.[6]
Name
When it was built, the stadium was called the 7 November Stadium but, following the
2011 revolution, it took the name of Radès Olympic stadium.[7] On 22 August 2020, following the death of
Hammadi Agrebi, the head of government
Elyes Fakhfakh announced that he would rename the stadium to his name.[8] This announcement surprises the mayor of
Radès who indicates that the municipal council is meeting on 24 August to make a decision.[9] In addition, a decree dated 12 July 2019 stipulates that it is not permitted to give the names of deceased persons to monuments until three years after the date of death.[10]
On 24 August, the Ministry of Local Affairs replied that the stadium was placed under the management of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (not that of the municipality of Radès)[11] and that it did not fall within the framework of the decree of the 12 July 2019,[12] so his name can be changed. A plaque was therefore installed on 1 September with the name of the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi,[13] before being removed. On 21 September, the municipality of Radès files an urgent complaint with the Administrative Court to annul the decision.[14] At the end of 2020, the
Tunisian Football Federation,[15] the
Confederation of African Football and
FIFA use this name,[16] even if the name "Olympic Stadium of Radès"[17] remains common in the media, both Tunisian and foreign.[18]
The Hammadi Agrebi Olympic Stadium obtains the Class 1 Certificate from the
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF),[20] which means that it reaches the best standards and specifications in its field.[21] It is one of the best stadiums in North Africa and one of the most beautiful stadiums on the African continent and in the Arab world.[22]