Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi

Stade Hammadi Agrebi
Mediterranean Pearl
Full name	Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi
Former names	Stade 7 November (2001–2011); Stade Olympique de Radès (2011–2020)
Location	Radès, Tunis, Tunisia
Coordinates	36°44′52″N 10°16′22″E / 36.74778°N 10.27278°ECoordinates: 36°44′52″N 10°16′22″E / 36.74778°N 10.27278°E
Owner	Government of Tunisia
Capacity	60,000
Field size	Athletics track: 400 m
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	1998–2001
Opened	6 July 2001
Renovated	2015
Construction cost	170 million Dinar
Architect	Rob Schuurman
Tenants
	Tunisia national football team; Espérance sportive de Tunis; Club Africain
Website
	Official Website

Stade Olympique Hammadi 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 and is considered to be one of the best stadiums in Africa.

History[]

Stade Hammadi Agrebi exterior

Built for the 2001 Mediterranean Games, the 60,000-seat covered area covers 13,000 m2 and consists of a central area, 3 adjoining grounds, 2 warm-up rooms, 2 paintings and an official stand of 7,000 seats. The press gallery is equipped with 300 desks.

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

Club Africain and ES Tunis play their major league matches here. Before the construction of this stadium, the Tunis derby used to be played in the 45,000 seat-capacity Stade El Menzah. It is also the stadium of Tunisia national football team since 2001.

This stadium has hosted matches of the 2004 African Cup of Nations which was won by the Tunisian team.

Ligue de Football Professionnel, which wants to relocate the Trophée des Champions opposing the Olympique de Marseille (OM) to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), announces that the 2010 edition takes place at the stadium on 28 July 2010; It ended in a draw (0-0) in the presence of 57,000 spectators.

Interior[]

It's composed of lower stand which has a capacity of 32,000 seats and an upper tier of 28,000 seats.

Certificate[]

The stadium has the IAAF Class 1 Certificate, which means that the stadium meets the best standards and qualities in its field.

Name[]

Stade Hammadi Agrebi by night

At the time of its creation, the stadium was named 7 November Stadium, the date that Zine El Abidine Ben Ali assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba. But, following his ousting, it took the name of Olympic Stadium of Radès (Stade Olympique de Radès).

On August 22, 2020, following the death of Hamadi Agrebi, the prime minister Elyes Fakhfakh announced that he will be renamed to his name. This announcement provokes the surprise of the mayor of Radès who indicates that the municipal council meets on August 24 to make a decision. In addition, a decree dated July 12, 2019 stipulates that it is only allowed to give the names of deceased persons to monuments three years after the date of death. On August 24, the Ministry of Local Affairs replied that the stadium was placed under the direction of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (not under the direction of the municipality of Radès) and that it did not fall within the framework of the decree of July 12, 2019, so his name was officially changed.^[2]