19 May Stadium
May 19th 1956 Stadium (Arabic: ملعب 19 ماي 1956), or simply May 19th Stadium is a football stadium located in Annaba, Algeria.
Picture before Algeria-Moro match | |
Full name | 19 May 1956 Stadium |
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Location | Annaba, Algeria |
Coordinates | |
Capacity | 75,000[1] |
Surface | Grass |
Scoreboard | Yes |
Construction | |
Built | 1987 |
Opened | July 10, 1987 |
The stadium has a capacity of 70,000 and is all-seated. It is currently used on a regular basis by football club USM Annaba who play in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 2. It is also occasionally used by the Algeria national football team.
History
On June 10, 1987, the stadium was inaugurated with a match between the Algerian national football team and Sudan.[2] Sudanese international Kamel Mohammed was the first person to score in the stadium, scoring in the 15th minute of the game.[3] The first Algerian to score in the stadium was Djamel Menad, who scored in the 85th minute of the same game. Algeria won the game 3–1. The stadium hosted several matches during the 1990 African Cup of Nations.
The most recent game played there was Algeria's 1–0 win over Morocco during the 2012 African Cup of Nations Qualification, with the only goal being scored by Hassan Yebda from the penalty spot. It was the only victory during Benchika's reign as the Algerian manager, and it was done before a sell-out crowd.
On March 5, 2012, Mohamed Raouraoua, the president of the FAF in Algeria, stated that the stadium might become the official stadium for the CAF U-20 tournament which will be played in Algeria.
References
- "Le stade olympique d'Ebimpé intègre le top 10 des grands stades en Afrique". pressecotedivoire.ci.
- "Annaba, le jardin préféré des Verts". Archived from the original on March 26, 2011.
- "Algérie 3-1 Soudan". Archived from the original on September 22, 2012.