Team History
Introduction
Union Sportive Musulmane Oujda, also known as USMO, is one of the oldest Moroccan clubs. It was founded in 1958 in the heart of the city of Oujda, Morocco. The club’s colors are black and white, and the team is nicknamed “The Stork of the East” by its supporters. USMO currently plays in the Moroccan second division, BOTOLA PRO 2.
Club Foundation
The story began when three friends — Abderrahmane Belâouchi, Benyounes Mezouari, and Boumediene Betmouchent — came up with the idea of creating a football club after witnessing the unlimited energy of the youth in their neighborhood, “Rue de Casablanca”. At that time, the club’s headquarters was located in the Ouled Mimoun café.
At the beginning, they appointed El Hajj Mimoun Moumen as honorary president after convincing him, Mekki Bouchâib as a talent scout, and El Hajj Larbi Ben Lakhdar Derfoufi, known as “Ba Aroub” as the coach, who is considered the first coach in the club’s history.
بدايات النادي
During the 1962/63 season, Union Sportive Musulmane d'Oujda (USMO) achieved promotion to the second division for the first time in its history after winning their final match against Khouribga. However, in the following season, the team was relegated back to the third division. Despite this setback, the players showed great determination and unity. They worked hard and delivered an exceptional season in which they remained unbeaten, earning promotion once again to the second division in the 1965/66 season. Two years later, in the 1968/69 season, the club came very close to securing promotion to the top national division. They finished second in the Northern Second Division with 51 points, just three points behind AS Salé, who claimed the promotion spot. In the same season, the youth team of Union Sportive Musulmane d'Oujda achieved a remarkable accomplishment by winning the Moroccan national championship, defeating Union Casablanca.
The Golden Generation
In the 1974/75 season, Union Sportive Musulmane d'Oujda was relegated to the third division, where the club spent six full seasons before returning to the second division in the 1980/81 season. Many long-time supporters consider the 1980s to be the golden era of Union Sportive Musulmane d'Oujda. In the 1981/82 season, the club played a historic playoff for promotion to the top national division against Union Touarga. The team also reached the semi-finals of the Throne Cup in 1987, where they were defeated 2–1 by their local rivals RS Berkane in a match held at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Standing from the right: Ibrahim Zahwani, Mohamed Idrissi, Ali Sadiq, Mostafa Al-Moubarki, Kouider Al-Bahri, Kouider Belhouane.
Sitting from the right: Mohamed Chnouf, Mohamed Mousaïd, Samir Ramdani, Abdelmaoula Bentaaher, Idriss Azaoui.
The 1990s
The dream of the Oujda supporters was finally realized when Union Sportive Musulmane d'Oujda achieved promotion to the top national division for the first time in the 1990/91 season. However, their stay in the top flight was short-lived, as they were relegated in the same season. What followed was a period of decline for the club, which eventually led to their relegation into the amateur divisions in the mid-1990s.
Sitting from the right: Mala, Abkhar, As-Soufi, Idriss, Abdelmaoula.
Team coach: Coach Si Mohamed Tijini (رحمه الله). Club president at the time: Jamaleddine.