Tunisia's largest stadium raises a crisis after it was named after the late Hammadi Al-Aqrabi
The late Tunisian star Hammad Al-Aqrabi.
The mayor of Rades, in the southern suburbs of the capital, Tunis, Jawhar Smari, said today that the municipality council decided to resort to the administrative judiciary to challenge the prime minister's decision, which stipulates naming the late football star Hammadi Al-Aqrabi on the Rades stadium. And the current caretaker prime minister, Ilyas Fakhfakh, announced in a procession to pay tribute to the late player last Saturday that he would name al-Aqrabi at Rades Stadium, the largest stadium in Tunisia, in memory of his memory and in recognition of his contributions to Tunisian sports.
Al-Aqrabi, who died at the age of 69 after a bitter struggle with an incurable disease during his last years, is considered one of the best midfielders that Tunisia has produced and is called the magician of the generations. Africa, by beating Mexico 3/1.
But the move announced by Fakhfakh sparked a crisis with the authorities in the municipality of Rades, who adhered to the current designation of the stadium. This led to widespread controversy among the sports fans on social media, between supporters and opponents of the naming decision. "Al-Aqrabi is among the people that we create, alive and dead. The current debate has nothing to do with the name. But there is a feeling that the whereabouts of the citizens of Brads have been underestimated," said Al-Samari, the mayor of the municipality, in statements to the private Mosaic radio.
The municipality, which is inhabited by 70 thousand people, issued a statement accusing the prime minister of "riding on events and causing the spread of hatred and hatred among the authorities."
The stadium was known, upon its construction on the occasion of the 2001 Mediterranean Games, as "November 7 Stadium", but the name was removed after the fall of the rule of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali following popular protests in 2011, and it became the Olympic Stadium, Brads.
The Ministry of Local Affairs stated, in an explanatory statement to it earlier, that the football stadium and the rest of the sports facilities included in the Berdas Sports City are not administratively subject to the municipal authorities, and that the Sports City is among the facilities that bear a national character and are subject to the Ministry in charge of sports.
An order issued by the Tunisian government specifies the mechanism for naming "geographical features" after the names of famous people, as it is required that this take place after the death of people for a period of not less than three years, with the exception of the martyrs of the military and security forces. The dispute revolves around the classification of the stadium, whether it is considered among "geographical features" or not, and whether it is subject to the authority of the municipality or the authority of the government, which must be decided by the administrative court. The stadium, which has a capacity of up to 60,000 spectators, hosts the matches of the Esperance and African teams, in addition to the matches of the Tunisian national team.