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Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (Football club, Algeria)

JSK

Flag of JSK - Image by Ivan Sache, 4 May 2012

Presentation of JSK
Flag of JSK
- Supporter's flags

See also:

Presentation of JSK

Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (Kabylia Sports Youth - JSK), based in Tizi-Ouzou, the capital of Kabylia, is one of the most famous and successful football clubs in Africa.
In 1928, the lawyer Sidi Saïd Hanafi (1889-1944) founded the Rapide Club de Tizi-Ouzou as a Muslim club expected to coexist with the Olympique de Tizi-Ozou, the colonist's club; however, the statutes of the new club were not approved by the French colonial authorities. In 1943, Hanafi applied again for the creation of a club named Association Sportive de Kabylie, which was stopped again by the death of Hanafi.

The Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie was eventually registered on 2 August 1946. In 1969, the JSK won the Second League and joined the First League, where it has been playing since then. The club won its first national title in 1973, being renamed the same year Jamiat Sari' Kawkabi upon order of President of the Republic Houari Bouemediene. In 1977, the club's name was changed to Jeunesse Électronique de Tizi-Ouzou (Tizi-Ouzou Electronic Youth - JET), winning in 1982 both the national championship and the African Cup of Champions Clubs (undefeated). The club readopted its original name in 1989.

With 14 wins in the Algerian League (the last one in 2008) and five wins in the Algerian Cup (the last one in 2011), as well as two wins in the Africa Champion's League (1981-1990), one win in the African Cup Winner's Cup (1995), and three wins in the CAF Cup (200-2002), the JSK is the most successful club in Algeria. Moussa Saïb (b. 1969), who played for the JSK in 1989-1992 and 2003-2004 (and also for AJ Auxerre, 153 matches in 1992-1997, 25 goals) was awarded the Algerian Ballon d'Or in 2004. Other famous players of the JSK are Naçer Bouiche (b. 1963; played 1983-1990, 109 goals), Tarek Hadj Adlane (b. 1965, played 1991-1996, 112 goals), Hamid Berguiga (b. 1974, played 2001-2006, 50 goals) and Farouk Belkaïd (b. 1977, played 1998-2005, 23 goals). Mahieddine Khalef (b. 1944) played for the JSK in 1968-1970 and 1971-1974 and coached the club in 1976-1990, together with the Polish coach Stefan Zywotko (b. 1920). Khalef also coached the Algerian national team in 1979-1984; in the 1982 World Cup, Algeria defeated Germany but was eliminated following an infamous arrangement between Austria and Germany.
The JSK is a main element of the Kabyle identity in Algeria, and, more broadly, of the Berber identity in North Africa and worldwide.

Ivan Sache, 4 May 2012

Flag of JSK

The flag of the JSK is horizontally divided green-yellow-green (1:2:1).

The colours of the JSK (presentation) are yellow and green, therefore the two nicknames of the club, "The Canaris" and "The Yellow and Green".
The first colours of the club, however, were red and green. When the JSK was created in 1946, the French colonial authorities preferred supporting the OIympique de Tizi-Ouzou; the JSK was helped by the two main Muslim clubs of Algiers, USM Algiers and MC Algiers, which offered cloth sports to their own colours.
Yellow and green jerseys were used for the first time by the JSK in the final of the African League 1981, won against AS Vita Club. The two colors recall the etymology of the name of Tizi-Ouzou, in Berber thizi n'wezzu, meaning "The Brooms' Pass"; therefore, yellow represents the broom's flowers while green represents the broom's stems.

Ivan Sache, 4 May 2012

Supporter's flag of JSK

JSK supporter's flags - Images by Ivan Sache, 4 May 2012

The club's supporters also use flags vertically divided yellow-green (photo, 19 April 2011), horizontally divided yellow-green (photo, 5 August 2010).
A photo taken in Tizi-Ouzou shows supporters of the JSK celebrating the 13th win of the club un the Algerian League (2006) by holding, from a car, a flag vertically divided yellow-green-yellow with a letter ezza roughly painted in red.

Ivan Sache, 4 May 2012