Talk:Espérance Sportive de Tunis
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Does not make sense, yet it does, considering the contemporary and post-colonial context and history
editThe club was founded in Bab Souika which is one of the historic neighborhoods of the capital Tunis by Mohamed Zouaoui and Hédi Kallel as an act of resistance against the French colonization. The club was named 'Espérance' after the name of the coffeehouse where the founders used to meet each other often, the café named Café de L'Espérance (Arabic: مقهى الترجي).They appealed to Louis Montassier, a member of the French administration, to obtain authorization from the colonial authorities, given the regulations of the time which required that all foundations and clubs must be chaired by a Frenchman. EST is officially registered on 15 January 1919.
This explanation does not make any sense.
They resisted French colonization by cooperationg with an official representative of the French colonial system in Tunisia? This sounds more like collaboration than anything else. But it is indeed very interesting to see how they contradict themselves to gloss over the fact that the first president was a Frenchman, thus, legally, Espérance was a Franco-Tunisian club. Not an anti-colonial club. Unlike their historical rivals Club Africain, Étoile Sportive Sahel or Club Sportif Sfaxien, whose first presidents were indeed Tunisians.
Back then, there were different categories during the French protectorate of Tunisia.
Franco-Tunisian clubs, clubs whose founding president was a Frenchman. Italian-Tunisian clubs, founded by Italians in Tunisia. Maltese clubs. And Jewish clubs, such as Union Sportive Tunisienne. Teams founded by Tunisian Jews. Like I said earlier, legally, Espérance was a Franco-Tunisian club.
But I understand why the fans do not want to describe the facts as such.
A lot has happened since decolonization of Tunisia. After the independence, Espérance added the word Tunis to their name. Prior to 1956, they were simply called Espérance Sportive. Not E.S. Tunis. DerKarthager (talk) 17:24, 14 March 2023 (UTC)