1938–39 USM Alger season

Following the strong performance displayed by USM Alger in the previous season, the club officially entered the competitive scene within Group B of the Third Division Championship of the Algiers League. The team approached this new challenge with high morale and great determination to continue its upward trajectory in Algerian football. Group B consisted of the following six teams: SC Miliana, RC Koléa, ECS Cherchell, ALB Olympique, JS Rovigo and USM Alger. In preparation for the upcoming season’s championship, several meetings were held by the club’s board of directors and the football committee. These meetings aimed to renew various management structures and address any shortcomings observed in the previous season. Additionally, sessions were held with both new and returning players to complete the signing of annual licenses and to organize the necessary physical and technical preparations. A series of friendly matches was also scheduled as part of the pre-season training program.^[2]

It is worth noting that the match against ECS Cherchell, originally scheduled to be played at the Blida Stadium, was marked by incidents that reflected the hostile intentions of the colonial authorities toward the club. The match was canceled the first time despite the presence of both teams, after the match commissioner invoked a regulation from French colonial law, claiming that the USM Alger did not include three European players, as allegedly required. Following a formal complaint filed by USM Alger and a review of the commissioner’s report, the league was compelled to postpone the match and reschedule it multiple times. It was finally played in Algiers, at the Le bon Stadium.^[3]