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Olympique Akbou

Olympique Akbou
Ulembi Aqbu
ⵓⵍⴰⵎⵒⵉⴽ ⴰⵇⵠⵓ
Image
NicknamesL'OA (The OA)
Les Lions de la Soummam (Izmawen n Sumam/The Soummam Lions)
Les Bleus et Blancs (The Blues and Whites)
Short nameOA
Founded1 January 1936 (90 years ago) (1936-01-01)
GroundMartyrs Stadium
Capacity11,500
Coordinates36°27′06″N 4°32′29″E / 36.45172°N 4.54126°E / 36.45172; 4.54126
OwnerSoummam
PresidentKarim Takka
Head coachAbdelkader Amrani[1]
CoachAbdelkader Amrani
LeagueLigue 1
2025–26Ligue 1, 6th of 16
Websitehttps://www.oakbou.com/
Image Current season

Olympique Akbou (Kabyle: Ulembi Aqbu; Tamazight: ⵓⵍⴰⵎⵒⵉⴽ ⴰⵇⵠⵓ ;Arabic: أولمبي أقبو), known as O Akbou or OA for short, is an Algerian professional football club located in Akbou, Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. The club was founded in 1936 and its colours are blue and white. The club currently plays in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

History

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In summer 2018, a year after being relegated to the Division d'Honneur of Béjaïa (then 7th tier),[2] Olympique Akbou was acquired by local businessman Karim Takka.[3] The club immediately gained promotion to the Régional II the following season. Following 2 successive promotions (the 2020–21 having not been held due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the club found itself in the 3rd tier (the removal of the professional Ligue 2 meant all below tiers would gain one step).

The 2022–23 season saw the club achieve historic success. Bolstered by the arrivals of Mourad Karouf in November 2022 at the helm and Zidane Mebarakou during the winter transfer window at the back, the club achieved a run to the 2022–23 Algerian Cup quarter-finals.[4] On 5 May 2023, Olympique Akbou were promoted to the Algerian Ligue 2 for the first time in their history.[5][6] It was their 4th consecutive promotion.

The 2023–24 season began with an away loss at CA Batna. Nevertheless, the club bounced back and went on a 23-game unbeaten run in the league, which started on 7 October with a 5–0 home win against USM Annaba and ended on 7 May with a 1–0 away loss at AS Aïn M'lila. On 11 May 2024, Olympique Akbou were promoted to the Ligue 1 for the first time in their history after beating NRB Teleghma.[7] It was their 5th consecutive promotion, and thus becoming one of the very few clubs around the world to have done so.

Grounds

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Olympique Akbou typically play at 1 November Guendouza Stadium in Akbou.[8]

However, the past years, they also played their home games in neighboring cities, such as Sidi Aïch and Ighzer Amokrane.[9][10]

Olympique Akbou also hosted games in the Maghrebi Unity Stadium of Béjaïa.[11]

The Martyrs Stadium, Akbou's municipal stadium, will host the team's games in the future, after the completion of renovation works.

Players

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The Algerian teams are limited to four foreign players. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player.

Current squad

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As of 31 August 2026[12] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Image ALG Rayane Yesli
2 DF Image MTN Khadim Diaw
3 DF Image ALG Nassim Mekidèche
4 MF Image ALG Ali Amriche
5 MF Image ALG Abdelkader Boutiche
6 MF Image ALG Louanes Zidi
7 FW Image ALG Ramdane Hitala
8 MF Image ALG Ibrahim Farhi Benhalima
9 FW Image NIG Ibrahim Harouna
10 FW Image ALG Walid Zamoum
11 FW Image ALG Khaled Bousseliou
12 FW Image ALG M'hend Sediri
14 DF Image ALG Hamza Mouali
16 GK Image ALG Benaouda Klileche
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF Image ALG Abdelkader Belharrane
18 MF Image ALG Hicham Messiad
19 MF Image ALG Fethallah Tahar
20 MF Image ALG Toufik Addadi
21 DF Image ALG Walid Bencherifa (captain)
22 DF Image SEN Moussa Sogué
23 DF Image ALG Nasreddine Zaalani
24 DF Image ALG Riad Boutiba
25 FW Image ALG Mehdi Ouamri
26 FW Image ALG Ghilas Belgacem
27 DF Image ALG Abdelkader Essahli
28 MF Image SEN Bonaventure Fonseca
29 FW Image ALG Seyfeddine Bitam
30 GK Image ALG Ahmed Alili

Personnel

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Current technical staff

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Position Staff
Head coachAlgeria Abdelkader Amrani
Assistant coachAlgeria Abdellatif Bouazza
Goalkeeping coachAlgeria Hichem Mezaïr
Fitness coachAlgeria Nadir Hedroug

Management

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Position Staff
PresidentAlgeria Karim Takka
Director General
Sporting Director
Sporting Manager
Financial Director
Internal Audit Manager

Honours

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Senior team

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Reserve team

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  • Ligue 2 U21 (Level 2)
    • Winners (1): 2023–24[17]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Level 6 from 2010 to 2020
  2. ↑ Level 7 from 2010 to 2020

References

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  1. ↑ "Olympique Akbou: Amrani officiellement nommé entraîneur". competition.dz. 13 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "L'Olympique Akbou retrouve la Régionale 2". La Dépêche de Kabylie. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "L'Olympique Akbou, une équipe modèle". La Dépêche de Kabylie. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Coupe d'Algérie: qualification historique d'Akbou en quarts de finale". Le Score. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Les nouveaux clubs de la Ligue 2". lnfa.dz. 28 May 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ligue 3 : l'Olympique d'Akbou accède en Ligue 2". mediafootdz.dz. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ligue deux : Accession historique de l'Olympique Akbou en Ligue 1". lnfa.dz. 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "L'Olympique Akbou célèbre sa promotion en Ligue II Amateur !". Beur FM. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "Djazairess : Olympique Akbou (Régionale 1) : L'équipe domiciliée à Sidi Aïch". djazairess.com. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Olympique Akbou - SS Sidi Aïch, les retrouvailles ! - La Dépêche de Kabylie". La Dépêche de Kabylie. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Coupe d'Algérie: qualification historique d'Akbou en quarts de finale". Le Score. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  12. ↑ "Players". lfp.dz. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Accession en Ligue 2 : Historique pour Akbou, le MSPB et le WAM reviennent". - El Watan. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "Régionale 1 : L'Olympique Akbou accède en Interrégions - El watan.dz". - El Watan. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Note aux clubs" (PDF). Ligue Régionale d'Alger. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "L'Olympique Akbou retrouve la Régionale 2". La Dépêche de Kabylie. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "L'Olympique Akbou champion du Groupe Centre-Est de la catégorie réserve". LNFA.DZ. 18 May 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
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