// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Paradou AC say to the ball? You're kicked out.
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| Full name | Paradou Athletic Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 16 August 1994 | |||
| Ground | Omar Benrabah Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 14,150 | |||
| President | Hacène Zetchi | |||
| Head Coach | Amar Guerbi | |||
| League | League 2 | |||
| 2025–26 | Ligue 1, 14th of 16 (relegated) | |||
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Paradou Athletic Club (Arabic: نادي أتليتيك بارادو), known as Paradou AC or simply PAC for short, is an Algerian football club based in Algiers. The club was founded in 1994 by members of the Hydra AC junior team, the club colours are blue and yellow. Their home stadium, Ahmed Fellak Stadium, has a capacity of some 5,000 spectators but the club receives its opponents in Omar Benrabah Stadium. The club is currently playing in the Algerian League 2.
In May 2017, Paradou AC returned to the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 after a 10 years absence.
History
[edit]The idea of establishing the Paradou Athletic Club (PAC) emerged from a group of friends who wanted to create a space where young people could meet and participate in recreational activities, particularly after their school studies. After several discussions and proposals, the group decided to establish a football club and chose the name Paradou Athletic Club, commonly abbreviated as PAC. The club's colours, yellow and blue, were reportedly chosen in an anecdotal manner. Several colour combinations had been proposed without reaching consensus. During one of the discussions, the founders noticed the Swedish ambassador passing by in a vehicle displaying the Swedish flag, which inspired them to adopt its colours.[1]
A first meeting of the founding members was held at the Colomba restaurant. Those present included Mahi Ali, Mahi Mohamed, Kabla Kamel, Kabla Rezki, Kheiredine Zetchi, Oudghiri Ahmed, Mahi Abdelfettah, Zetchi Hassen, Kabla Toufik, Hammouche Abdennour, Chitour Omar, Oudghiri Rafik, Guecem Kamel and Bouhellal Kamel. Several other individuals who contributed to the creation of the club also participated in the meeting. The club's first sporting campaign began in September 1994 with a Wilaya Cup match at the Ben Aknoun Stadium, where Paradou AC recorded a 3–2 victory. The club subsequently completed the administrative procedures required for official recognition. Its approval document was issued on 16 August 1994 under number 359. Following its approval, the club's management established senior and youth teams and made player development one of its principal objectives.[1]
From its first competitive season in 1994–95, Paradou AC progressed through the Algerian football pyramid. The club eventually reached the top division, Ligue 1, in 2005. After three seasons in the Division Nationale Amateur (DNA), Paradou AC returned to the professional ranks in Ligue 2, before establishing itself among Algeria's leading clubs. The club's youth-development programme also produced several players who went on to play for other prominent Algerian clubs, including Lamouri Djediat, Mokhtar Benmoussa, Hocine El Orfi, Saad Tedjar, Billel Ouali and Hichem Nekkache.[2]
On 21 May 2026, Paradou AC were relegated to Algerian League 2 after 9 years in the top division.[3]
Honours
[edit]Domestic competitions
[edit]- Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 2
- Champion (1): 2016–17
Players
[edit]Algerian teams are limited to four foreign players. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player;
Current squad
[edit]As of 14 September 2026[update][4] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel
[edit]Current technical staff
[edit]| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Amar Guerbi |
| Assistant coach | Anis Zoubar |
| Goalkeeping coach | Kouçaï Benmakhlouf |
| Fitness coach |
Paradou AC/JMG "El Ankaoui" Academy
[edit]In 2007, Paradou AC launched their academy in a partnership with JMG Academy, run by Frenchman Jean-Marc Guillou.[5] The cost of the academy is estimated to be about €600 000 over 7 years, including the purchase of land at a site in Tessala El Merdja (in the outskirts of Alger), and construction of housing and facilities for the players and staff. The current team is made up of players aged 13 to 15 years old, and they have regularly beaten much older teams, while playing without shoes or a goalie.[6] The team is coached by Olivier Guillou and Djamel Aïch.[7][8]
Players from Paradou AC to Europe
[edit]| Player | Pos | Club | League | Transfer fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hicham Boudaoui | MF | Nice |  Ligue 1 | €4,000,000 | [9] |
| Youcef Atal | DF | KV Kortrijk |  Belgian First Division A | €550,000 | [10] |
| Farid El Mellali | FW | Angers | Ligue 1 | Free transfer | [11][12] |
| Ramy Bensebaini | DF | Rennes | Ligue 1 | €2,000,000 | [13] |
| Adem Zorgane | MF | Charleroi | Belgian First Division A | €1,000,000 | [14] |
| Abdelkahar Kadri | MF | Kortrijk | Belgian First Division A | €500,000 | [15][16] |
| Ahmed Nadhir Benbouali | FW | Charleroi | Belgian First Division A | €750,000 | [17] |
| Yassine Titraoui | MF | Charleroi | Belgian First Division A | €1,200,000 | [18] |
Players from Paradou AC to other countries
[edit]| Player | Pos | Club | League | Transfer fee | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raouf Benguit | MF | Espérance ST |  Ligue Professionnelle 1 | 742,000 $ | [19] |
List of Paradou AC international footballers
[edit]Players
[edit]| † | Players participated in the African Cup of Nations | ||
| GK | Goalkeeper | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Defender | ||
| MF | Midfielder | ||
| FW | Forward | ||
| Bold | Still playing competitive football | ||
| Paradou AC international footballers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Date of first cap | Debut against | Date of last cap | Final match against |
Caps | Ref |
| Youcef Atal | DF | 6 Jun 2017 |  Guinea | 11 Jun 2017 |  Togo | 2 | [20] |
| Hicham Boudaoui | MF | 27 Dec 2018 |  Qatar | 7 Jul 2019 | Guinea | 5 | [21] |
| Farid El Melali | FW | 22 Mar 2018 |  Tanzania | 27 Mar 2018 |  Iran | 2 | [22] |
 Allan Okello | FW | 16 Nov 2020 |  South Sudan | 14 Nov 2021 |  Mali | 6 | [23] |
| Haithem Loucif | DF | 27 Dec 2018 | Qatar | 22 Mar 2019 |  Gambia | 2 | [24] |
| Zakaria Naidji | FW | 22 Mar 2019 | Gambia | 22 Mar 2019 | Gambia | 1 | [25] |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Tout savoir du Paradou AC". paradouac.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ↑ "Paradou AC : Un modèle de réussite pour le football algérien". dzfoot.com. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ↑ "Après neuf saisons parmi l'élite : Le Paradou AC relégué officiellement en Ligue 2". lecourrier-dalgerie.com. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ "Players". Retrieved 14 September 2026.
- ↑ "Paradou AC : Lancement de l'academie J-M Guillou | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ↑ "Académie JM Guillou / Paradou AC | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ↑ "Loto foot : le destin incroyable de l'équipe Paradou AC !". www.paradouac.com (in French). Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ↑ "Interview de Djamel Aïch | Football algérien". Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ "Officiel : Hichem Boudaoui 4 ans à Nice". dzfoot.com. 2 September 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ↑ "Transfert : Courtrai lève l'option d'achat de Youcef Atal". footalgerien.com. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ↑ "Farid El Mellali rejoint officiellement le SCO d'Angers". alg24.net. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ↑ "Officiel : El Mellali pour 4 ans au SCO Angers". dzfoot.com. 9 August 2018. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ↑ M-A D (5 July 2016). "Bensebaini pour 4 ans au Stade rennais" (in French). DZFoot. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ↑ "Mercato : Zorgane signe au Sporting de Charleroi". DZFoot.com. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ↑ "Mercato : Kadri se dirige vers le KV Courtrai". DZFoot.com. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ↑ "Mercato : Kadri s'engage avec le KV Courtrai". DZFoot.com. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ↑ Juba Touabi (July 23, 2022). "Mercato : Benbouali signe à Charleroi jusqu'en juin 2025 (Officiel)" (in French). DZfoot. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
- ↑ "Yacine Titraoui rejoint officiellement Charleroi pour 3 ans". Shoot Africa. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ↑ "Raouf Benguit, nouvelle recrue algérienne de l'EST". mosaiquefm.net. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ↑ "Youcef Atal". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Hicham Boudaoui". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Farid El Melali". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Allan Okello". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Haithem Loucif". national-football-teams.com.
- ↑ "Zakaria Naidji". national-football-teams.com.
External links
[edit]- Paradou AC on Facebook
- Paradou AC on Instagram
- Paradou AC on X
