RC Kouba
| Company type | Football club |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Founded | February 28, 1945 |
| Founder | Mustapha Benouenniche, Abdennour Sator, Oudahmane Boussad, et al. |
| Headquarters | Kouba, Algiers , Algeria |
Area served | Algeria |
Key people | Mustapha Benouenniche (Honorary President for life) |
| Products | Football team |
Raed Chabab Kouba (), commonly referred to as RC Kouba or RCK, is a football club from Algeria situated in the Kouba district of Algiers. The club was established in 1945 and sports green and white as its official colors. Their matches are held at Mohamed Benhaddad Stadium, which accommodates around 10,000 spectators. At present, RC Kouba competes in the Algerian Ligue 2.
On August 5, 2020, RC Kouba secured promotion to the Algerian Ligue 2.
Foundation and early period
The club came into existence on February 28, 1945, registered under number 3449. Founding members included Mustapha Benouenniche (who later became Honorary President for life), Abdennour Sator, Oudahmane Boussad, among others. The original squad featured players such as Djilali Tahir, Mohamed Bag, Mohamed Guerinzi, Mohamed Abid, and Mohamed Benhaddad.
1987 Bus accident and consequences
On February 12, 1987, while en route to a Division 2 fixture in Touggourt, the RC Kouba team bus was involved in a tragic accident that resulted in six fatalities: Kab Mohamed, Chakir Saïd, Saâdi Abdelkader, Boualdja Hocine, Guezou Saâdi, and Rouibi Abderrazak. Several team members sustained injuries. In response to this tragedy, the Algerian Football Federation excused the club from completing its remaining fixtures that season. This incident led to the return of former players—including Salah Assad (retired at that time), Saïd Mebarki (then with ASO Chlef), Sebar and Kabul (both from MC Alger), Mehdi Cerbah, and Mohamed Chaib—who rejoined the club. Their comeback was instrumental in RC Kouba's promotion back to the top division in the subsequent season.
Dispute between RCK and FAF
On August 20, 2008, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) based in Lausanne ordered RC Kouba’s inclusion in the Algerian top flight for the 2008-09 campaign following a conflict with the Algerian Football Federation (FAF). The controversy stemmed from FAF imposing sanctions on RCK without conclusive proof. These sanctions involved an automatic defeat against USM El Harrach and a deduction of three points due to fielding a player under a false identity during their 37th match of the 2007–08 season, which originally ended goalless. As a result, RC Kouba dropped to fifth place while USM El Harrach rose to third place, thereby earning promotion to the first division.
Despite attempts to overturn this ruling through Algerian sports authorities, the verdict remained unchanged. Consequently, RC Kouba appealed to CAS after the first division season had already started. CAS ultimately invalidated FAF's penalty and mandated RC Kouba’s participation in the first division for 2008–09, officially confirming their promotion on September 29, 2008. The FAF accepted this decision on October 26, 2008, leading to a league format featuring 17 clubs that season.
National achievements
- Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1
- Algerian Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1965–66
- Algerian Super Cup
- Winners (1): 1981
CAF Competition Record
- African Cup of Champions Clubs: Single participation
- Reached the Quarter-finals in 1982
Distinguished Players
Players who have made a notable impact at RC Kouba are those with more than 100 official appearances or who have been capped by their national teams during or following their time at the club.
For an exhaustive roster, refer to Category:RC Kouba players.
- Algerian Players
- Salah Assad
- Said Chakir
- Said Rouibi
- Abdelaziz Benhamlat
- Yacine Bentalaa
- Youcef Kaboul
- Hadj Bouguèche
- Mehdi Cerbah
- Abdelaziz Safsafi
- Mohamed Chaib
- Mounir Dob
- Algerian Players (continued)
- Mohamed Kaci-Said
- Sid Ahmed Khedis
- Mohamed Talis
- Mohamed Ousserir
- Kheireddine Zarabi
- Mustapha Zitouni
- Rachid Sebbar
- Burkinabé Player