[FM22] West Afri-Can we bring newfound glory to the club? Yes, we can! [Complete]

[corinthiano]

December 2059 / January 2060

We were two minutes away from a perfect month as Salitas FC equalized in the 88th minute, where a win would have seen us just 3 points off top spot. We are still within distance of the top 3 though which is encouraging at this stage.

Transfers

In

Out

Some big moves in the mid-season transfer window. Cheick Thiam was making a lot of noise about leaving, so when I spotted Moussa Koné was available on a free I decided to cash in on Thiam before the dressing room morale decline. Kiabou was getting on and not a first teamer anymore so it was a good chance to free up a foreign spot, which I used on Tekpetey, who comes in to challenge at DLP. The third signing was Ouédraogo number 4 at the club, this one a good young prospect at the back.

Next Fixtures

Let's see until when we can keep this unbeaten run going, the game at ASFA-Yennenga will certainly be a challenge.

[corinthiano]

February 2060

We didnt stay close to the top for long as we are now 10 points adrift due to 2 away losses. The annoying thing was that we actually played better in both games but were not clinical enough.

Next Fixtures

Hoping for a strong month so we can at least consolidate 4th spot.

[corinthiano]

March 2060

A good month with Koné on fire. Once again we come up short against a top side though, we scored first and dominated early on but they came back in the second half.

Next Fixtures

We should be winning most games in the Fasofoot D1, but with not much to play there I really want to do well in the Coupe du Faso.

[corinthiano]

April 2060

A decent month in the Fasofoot D1 but we are not any closer to the top 3, who are relentless. A couple of easy ties in the Coupe Du Faso mean we are through to the Quarter Final for a second successive season.

Milestones

Next Fixtures

With things in the Fasofoot D1 pretty much wrapped up the focus will be on the Coupe du Faso again. This year we have a more winnable Quarter Final tie so hopefully we can make it into the Final 4.

[corinthiano]

May 2060

A really strong finish to the Fasofoot D1 sees us finish pretty much level with ASFA-Yennenga and Salitas FC. I am however starting to believe the Coupe du Faso is not kind to us. We played a weakened side at US Forces Armées in the league and beat them comfortably, then a few days later show up with our strongest XI and get completely outplayed to exit at the Quarter-Final stage again...

[corinthiano]

2059/60 Season Review

Another 4th finish and 9 points off the top, but we did add another 5 points to last seasons tally. If we start having better results against the top 3 I think we stand a chance of winning the title. I am not even going to talk about the Coupe du Faso...

Squad by Appearances

We had quite a few injuries and rotated the squad a fair bit this season.

Best XI

Awards

Abdoul Aziz was beaten to the Young Player of the Year Award this year but we had Aimé step in to the top 3 too.

Top Performers

What an addition he has been, really influential as a BBM for us, here is to hoping the top sides release more players like him.

Has been a goal machine again and we will miss him a lot seeing as he is not interested in signing a new contract.

Good first season as a permanent player for us as he alternated the DLF and AP roles.

Finances

In the black as the board continue to inject cash into the club, although they have slightly reduced wage budgets again for next season...

Progress

4th for a third year in a row. There is progress but it is small, we really need to step up our game against the big boys to take the next step.

 

[corinthiano]

2059/60 West African Review

CAF Champions League

The number of teams at this stage was down with only 5 sides from West Africa, but 4 of them made it to the Quarter Final with only Accra Lions eliminated.

West African dominance continues at this stage and amazingly it is CNEPS Excellence who knock beat the two Ghanaian giants to become the first ever side from Senegal to win the Champions League!

CAF Confederation Cup

Half the teams at this stage are from West Africa, with 5 making it past this stage.

The dominance continues here too as ASEC Mimosas beat Ghana's Berekum Chelsea to win their 3rd Confederation Cup trophy.

West African League Rankings

Two big movements here as the Vitalor Ligue 1 overtakes the Togo and Guinea leagues and The Gambia tumble down the rankings to get close to our bottom 3 divisions.

League Champions

No new champions again as the top sides continue to dominate in most countries. Special note to Olympic FC in Niger who are now 1 title of equaling AS Douanes de Niamey.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: A strong showing in their first campaign in the top flight for 7 years as they finish 5th and get to the Quarter Finals of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Slipped down further and finished 6th in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Won the Liga Brava again and finished runners-up in the Cap Verdean Competition, but were poor in the Taça Brava again, losing in the Semi-Final.

AFC Nhacra: Better than last year as they finish 7th, but another early exit in the cup.

Ayéma FC: The worst performance since Kojo left a long time ago as they finish 12th in the Championship Group.

CNEPS Excellence: They didnt manage to retain their league title or win any domestic trophies but they wont really care as they won the most important of them all!

Banjul Utd: Suffered from second season syndrome as they finished bottom of the First Division and are relegated back down to the second tier.

ASN NIGELEC: A bit better this year as they finish 8th and get to the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Niger.

Unisport: 5th in the Championship Group as they are now off the pace in Togo and not competing for top spot anymore.

 

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2060/61 Season Preview

Predicted 4th once again, but odds are down slightly from 13-1 last season.

Transfers

In

Out

A few significant moves this season. On the outgoing front Abdul Aziz Koné will be a huge miss and he unfortunately joined ASFA-Yennenga after leaving us. On the incoming front we have signed 3 players that should hopefully make a strong impact in the first team and tapped into the loan market again for squad depth.

Very excited about this one, signed for $2k and already worth at least $90k. Probably wont be able to keep him around for long so going to enjoy him whilst he is here and hopefully make some money when he leaves.

A solid signing and will be our starting Mezzala.

I went back to my former club to get a replacement for Koné. Moctar is not as good as him but should still be able to lead our attack effectively in the Fasofoot D1.

Best XI

Some of these are not my first choice, particularly at RB and Diémé in midfield, but I think it highlights we have good depth.

Initial Fixtures

We start by facing the two promoted sides so I would like to get the full 6 points.

[corinthiano]

September 2060

We expected two wins and got two wins, got to be happy with that.

Next Fixtures

It's a busy October but with a lot of winnable games, hopefully we can make the most of it.

[corinthiano]

October 2060

Unbeaten and second with a game in hand so in theory we should be happy, but the two goalless draws at home really feel like a missed opportunity to put some distance to our rivals.

Next Fixtures

A big game against Salitas FC coming up, we need to at least avoid defeat.

[corinthiano]

November 2060

We do well to hold Salitas FC at their place but another disappointing home performance sees the top teams create some distance at the front.

Next Fixtures

A very busy December will determine if we are going to drop off the top again.

[corinthiano]

December 2060

What an amazing month, I never imagine we would go through a busy month with a 100% record, beating CF Rahimo with a last minute winner on the way. We are right up there with Salitas FC and CF Rahimo as we go into the mid-season break.

Transfers

In

Out

We were certainly a lot busier on the outgoing front as we sold a few fringe players. Ismael Zongo dropped down the pecking order a bit and started complaining so I decided to sell him before it affected the rest of the squad. That left us a bit short so Seydou Gnanou comes in to provide depth at centre back.

Next Fixtures

We come back from the mid-season break to a tough couple of fixtures.

[corinthiano]

This could seriously derail our title ambitions...this happened after our transfer window closed which means we dont have a suitable back-up at left-back. I tried protesting the transfer but the board would not listen or let me re-negotiate the transfer.

[corinthiano]

Biggest job interview offer so far. Kojo has been approached by Ghanaian clubs occasionally but it is the first time that Asante Kotoko made a move.

[corinthiano]

February 2061

Its not quite derailed but one bad result means there is a 4 point gap to CF Rahimo. We did well to get a draw at ASFA -Yennenga but did not show up at AS Douanes and it cost us in the race for the title. We at least resumed normal service to notch up two wins after that.

Next Fixtures

Must win game against Salitas FC before a couple of tricky fixtures against mid table sides.

[corinthiano]

March 2061

Our title aspirations are over after the defeat against Salitas FC. We managed to come back once against them but in the end they were more clinical up front and took the game. We won the next two matches but 7 points in 6 games is too wide of a gap for us to close and instead we will focus on finishing 3rd ahead of ASFA-Yennenga.

Next Fixtures

We start our campaign in the Coupe du Faso next month and I really would like us to get to the last 4 this year.

[corinthiano]

April 2061

An excellent month with an unexpected win at CF Rahimo which puts their title bid at jeopardy and us firmly in 3rd place. In the Coupe de Faso we struggled too much for my  liking but made it in the end.

Next Fixtures

3 fixtures to clinch 3rd place and an unlucky draw means we have to beat CF Rahimo once again of we want to make the Semi Final of the Coupe du Faso.

Edited April 9, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

May/June 2061

We stumbled to a 3rd place in the Fasofoot D1 with a couple of uninspiring draws but the story of the end of the season was our great run to win the Coupe du Faso, earning Kojo his first trophy in Burkina Faso and CFFEB's second ever win!

[corinthiano]

2060/61 Season Review

Only slight progress in the Fasofoot D1 as we finish with 2 points less, but one place ahead and one point closer to 1st place. The big achievement of the year was the Coupe du Faso, not only for the title but also because it means we will play Confederation Cup football next season which could make us significant money if we progress to the Group Stage.

Squad by Appearances

There was a fair bit of rotation this year and I felt we were well covered in most positions.

Best XI

One positive from being forced to sell Moussa Koné was that it meant I gave youth product Youssouf Sanfo a chance and he played so well in the second half of the season that he made the Best XI.

Awards

Just like last season we didnt have an award winner but we did have 2nd and 3rd place in the Young Player of the Season Award.

Top Performers

What a signing he has been, a real midfield maestro for us.

Never expected him to be as good as Koné was but his inconsistency was a little disappointment. Nevertheless, 23 goals from 32 games is not bad at all.

Still very influential as BBM for us.

Special mention to youth product Youssouf who went from a 2-star to a 3.5-star right back for us in the space of 5 months, putting in some great performances along the way.

Finances

We made a profit this season largely due to the sale of Moussa Koné and winning the Coupe du Faso, but the board still reduced our wage budget for next season...luckily we are releasing a few players and have some room to improve the squad, but I expect loans to fill the gaps for squad depth again to save wage costs.

Progress

Winning the Coupe du Faso was huge, hopefully it sets a platform for us to close the gap further to the top sides.

[corinthiano]

2060/61 West African Review

CAF Champions League

A really strong West African presence with 9 sides, including an all-West Africa group which had a shock exit for the recent dominant force Hearts of Oak.

We have another West African Final, with ASEC Mimosas winning their third ever Champions League.

CAF Confederation Cup

With so many teams in the Champions League it was natural for West Africa to be light here, with only 1 side per group and 3 making it to the Quarter Finals.

Nigeria's Adamawa Utd do well to get to the final but are unable to beat Kaizer Chiefs who claim their second Confederation Cup.

West African League Rankings

No big movement among the West African Leagues, with the only notable one being Guinea's Ligue 1 overtaking the Togolese Championnat National.

League Champions

A couple of teams hit big numbers as ASEC Mimosas win their 60th and Stade Malien 50th league title. We also have a new winner in Guinea-Bissau as FC Cupelum claim the title and in Niger Olympic now share the honor of most wins with AS Douanes de Niamey.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Amazing year and a return to better times as they finish runners-up in the league and make the Quarter Final of the LFA Cup again.

Kamboi Eagles: Stronger showing again as they finish in 3rd in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Terrible year as they finish runners-up in the Liga Brava and get knocked out early in the Taça Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Improvements from last season as they finish 4th and win the Bissau-Guinean Cup.

Ayéma FC: Their recent decline continues as they fail to qualify for the Championship Group for the first time since Kojo left, but safely navigate the Relegation Group.

CNEPS Excellence: A very good season which was close to being unforgettable as they won the league and league cup and were runners-up in the Champions League.

Banjul Utd: Bounce straight back up to the First Division with a win in the second tier.

ASN NIGELEC: A huge disappointment this year as they finish 13th in the Superligue and are relegated into the unplayable second tier.

Unisport: The whipping boys of the Championship Group with only 1 win and a 6th place finish.

Edited April 24, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

Couldnt think of a better way to open the season than to absolutely dominate CF Rahimo in the Super Cup.

[corinthiano]

2061/62 Season Preview

Again predicted to finish 4th, with slightly shorter odds than last year, but we are now a 1.5 reputation star to match the top 3 clubs and have 2 players in the Media Dream Eleven, which are leaving me cautiously optimistic for the season ahead.

Transfers

In

Out

Some very good business as sign two excellent foreign players for the first team. The only gaps we have is at left back where I still havent found a great player and and the fact we are a little light at centre back. We have also successfully fended off interest from Ghanaian clubs for our best players. We have 3 additions to the first team:

Will fight for the left-back spot with Aziz Coulibaly. He isnt great but came in for free and low wages and has Burkinabe second nationality.

Excellent young player that will play either as Mezzala or AP for us.

Another great young signing that slots straight into the Media Dream Eleven. Will play at DLF for now but with Moctar Sirima's long term future at the club in doubt I can see him making the move to AF.

Best XI

We have significantly improved the First XI with our foreign signings.

Initial Fixtures

We play against Nimba FC from Liberia in a winnable tie in the Confederation Cup Preliminary Round before a tricky start to the Fasofoot D1 campaign at AS Douanes.

[corinthiano]

September 2061

We easily dispatch Nimba FC before a good start in the Fasofoot D1.

Next Fixtures

We get a tough first round draw and will have to be at our best to beat Cape Town City in the Confederation Cup First Round. Big game at the end of the month at CF Rahimo and the aim will be to not be beaten.

[corinthiano]

October 2061

An epic tie in the Confederation Cup, in the home game we went ahead three times but Cape Town City knocked one back each time. With the away goals rule it didnt leave me very confident for the second leg but we took control early on and swept them away in South Africa. In the league we almost beat CF Rahimo at their place but they equalized with 10 minutes remaining. I would have taken a point before the game so suppose I cant be too disappointed.

Next Fixtures

We are looking to continue our good form in the league and in the Confederation Cup Africa Sports stands between us and the Group Stages. It should be an even game so I am looking to get away with at least a draw in Ivory Coast.

[corinthiano]

November 2061

100% record in the league to keep up the pressure on the top teams. Against Africa Sports we played out a very even match but they were more clinical with their chances and have an edge going into the second leg.

Next Fixtures

A busy and important December could determine our fortunes this season. First up the return leg against Africa Sports where we will aim to get to the group stage of the Confederation Cup and then a marathon of league games where a home win against ASFA-Yennenga could put us in a strong position in the Fasofoot D1.

[corinthiano]

December 2061

Another great month as we start it by easily overturning the first leg deficit against Africa Sports to make it to the Group Stage of the Confederation Cup, where we have been drawn in a tricky group with Nigerian heavyweights Kano Pillars and a strong Ismaily side. In the league the only slip up was at home to ASEC-K, but we compensated that by beating ASFA-Yennenga. It is incredibly tight at the top but we are still in the mix for title contention.

Transfers

In

Out

We almost do a swap deal with Royal FC as we sign an excellent young central defender that goes straight into the first team.

Next Fixtures

Some tricky away games and another title decider against Salitas FC this month.

Edited April 19, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

January 2062

Another unbeaten month in the Fasofoot D1 as we sit 4 points clear in 1st, but with an extra game. It could have been more if we had beaten Salitas FC but a draw was a fair result in what was an even game.

Next Fixtures

We start having to juggle continental and domestic football next month. The domestic fixtures dont look too tricky but we'll have to manage it carefully.

[gowerNCFC]

Nicely done there mate!! Looking good for completing Burkina Faso finally!

[corinthiano]

5 hours ago, gowerNCFC said:

Nicely done there mate!! Looking good for completing Burkina Faso finally!

Thanks! Definitely feels like we have the squad to compete now, key is going to be how we handle Confederation Cup and League simultaneously. Cant really afford to drop many points because the other 3 teams are hot on our tails!

[corinthiano]

February 2062

In the Fasofoot D1 we won both our games comfortably to keep leading the charge. In the Confederation Cup we got hammered at Kano Pillars and fell to Ismaily at home, both of those sides are clearly the strongest in the Group and we dont have a lot of chances here.

Next Fixtures

March is going to be such a tough month in the league. Considering the little chance of progress we have in the Confederation Cup I may well rest a few players for the Kano Pillars match.

[corinthiano]

March 2062

We didnt get the needed results in the Fasofoot this month against the big guns and are now trailing the leader by a point. In the Confederation Cup we are tied with points with Kano Pillars but considering we will visit Ismaily in the last game qualification is not likely to happen.

Next Fixtures

We wrap up our Confederation Cup campaign in Egypt and get a favorable draw in the Coupe du Faso. After that we have to be 100% focused on the Fasofoot as we have a key game at ASFA-Yennenga at the end of the month.

[corinthiano]

April 2062

What a month! It started with what we thought was a late equalizer at Ismaily but they then went and scored 6 minutes into added time. Nonetheless a decent campaign in the Confederation cup and I will take the $275k prize money. Then after that we were relentless, beating everyone that was in front of us, including a solid display at ASFA-Yennenga that puts us in pole position for the title!

Next Fixtures

3 Fasofoot D1 games left to seal the deal, the first two very winnable against bottom sides, AS Douanes could be tricky but at least it is at home. Seriously considering playing a rotated side in the Coupe du Faso.

[corinthiano]

May/June 2062

We carried out our great form and comfortably won our last 3 games to win the Fasofoot D1! We also did well to get to the final of the Coupe du Faso, where we played better but Salitas FC had the lucky break and sealed the win in the second half.

[corinthiano]

2061/62 Season Review

A great season where we managed to balance an excellent league campaign with very good African and Cup campaigns. The team just clicked and walked over most opponents, which allowed us to have the odd bad results against the other top teams.

Squad by Appearances

We had the most games by far in a season with CFFEB, which meant 29 of the 30 registered players got some game time. Having depth proved to be crucial as we managed to navigate a busy schedule and even got through a couple of Coupe du Faso rounds with a rotated team.

Best XI

A lethal triangle up front supported by an excellent team.

Awards

   

As expected we sweep all the awards, with 6 out of the 11 in the Team of the Season and Kojo collects another Manager of the Year in a different country.

Top Performers

Signing of the season and one of the main reasons we did so well this year, the DLF in my tactic doesnt usually score that many goals but Mamadou was ruthless.

Player of the Year and central to everything we did, another great season for Guychel and I am surprised there still isnt interest in him.

Moctar the goal machine! Unfortunately it does look like he will leave CFFEB though.

Finances

This is why it is so important to get to the Group Stages in Africa, $275k prize money wins we turn a very decent profit for the season.

Progress

8 seasons in Burkina Faso, with 5 of them at CFFEB. Kojo was 60 days from the longest spell at a club and the time here was great with steady development and in the end a really solid team. Now onto a country whose league has been sliding in recent years, Guinea!

 

 

[corinthiano]

Chapter 11 - Guinea

Guinea is a country in West Africa that borders Guinea-Bissau to the Northwest, Senegal to the North, Mali to the Northeast, Ivory Coast to the Southeast and Liberia and Sierra Leone to the South. It was formerly known as French Guinea before independence in 1958 and is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry in reference to the name of its capital and to distinguish itself from the other Guineas in the region. French is the official language, but there are 24 native languages spoken in the country, with Susu, Pular and Maninka the most popular ones. There are around 13 million inhabitants in the country, most of which live in the capital Conakry, with a population of 1.6 million.

What is now Guinea was at the fringe of various West African empires before colonization, such as Sosso, Mali and Songhai Empires. European traders started using the cape for slave trade in the 17th century, with French colonization of the area beginning in the middle of the 19th century and made official in 1898. In 1958 the French Republic gave its colonies the option of independence or autonomy in a new French Community and unlike most colonies Guinea chose independence. In reaction and to make Guinea an example to other colonies the French took everything they could from Guinea, going as far as unscrewing lightbulbs and burning medicine.

As a result Guinea aligned itself to the Soviet Union and China and created a socialist government, that ruled under one party for 24 years under the leadership of Sékou Touré. After his death in 1984 there was a bloodless coup, with colonel Lansana Conté taking leadership of the country. Despite announcing a return to civilian rule in 1993, several maneuvers to undermine elections and extend his terms had him viewed as a dictator in the country. He did remain in power until his death in 2008, after which another coup followed and Moussa Dadis Camara declared himself leader of the state and head of the military junta. Violent protests followed, which led the army to kill 157 people. After an aide shot Camara in 2009 as result of the violent actions there was an attempt to re-establish civilian rule, with elections in 2010 electing Alpha Condé as the new president. Despite the attempted return to democracy violent protests became the norm in protest of transparency with regards to elections. In 2021 Colonel Mamadou Doumbouya seized control of state television and declared that the government of Alpha Condé had been dissolved. Despite protests from the UN, EU, AU and ECOWAS he was sworn in as interim president.

Due to all instability the economy of Guinea is mainly reliant on export of prime materials. It holds up to half of the world bauxite reserves and has large deposits of iron ore. diamonds, gold and uranium, however widespread corruption makes it difficult for widespread investment to extract these resources. Tourism is also limited in the country, despite the numerous beaches and waterfalls with natural beauty. The Labé falls are one of the moust famous attractions in the country.

Football in Guinea

Football is the most popular sport in Guinea. The national team, known as the Syli Nationale (National Elephants), have never reach a World Cup pre-save, with their best African Nations campaign a runner-up spot in 1976, In-game they reached another Africa Nations Cup Final in 2033, but finished runners-up again. They have also reached their 4th World Cup in 2062, although they never progressed past the Group Stage.

The Guinée Championnat National was established in 1965, with Horoya AC, Hafia FC and AS Kaloum Star being the dominant forces from Conakry pre-save. The seventies was also a golden era for club football as Hafia FC won three African titles and Horoya AC won a African Cup Winners Cup. In-game Horoya AC also won a Confederation Cup in 2028 and was a dominant force in the country until the 2040s, since then they have declined and over the last decade the new dominant team in the country is Fello Star, winning the title in 6 of the last 7 seasons.

Guinea is going to be a lot trickier in terms of getting a job. There is only one playable league in the game and out of the 14 teams in Ligue 1 only 4 have not won the title before, and one of them just got relegated. We'll have to see who becomes eligible once two new teams get promoted but the 3 ones we need to look out for are Soumba FC, Milo FC and Wakriya AC.

[corinthiano]

Flamme Olympique de Guinée

Flamme Olympique de Guinée is a club from the Guinean capital Conakry. Founded in 2009 there is, as usual in this save, not a lot of information about the club, other than a Facebook page that seems quite entertaining. Fomr the little information I found it seems to be a bit of a yoyo club between the top two tiers, something that continued throughout the save, despite a recent 3rd place finish in 2059 the club was relegated two seasons later and is back in the big time again. They got promoted with Santoba FC, who also offered Kojo a job but had a small wage budget compared to what Flamme Olympique put on the table.

Flamme Olympique play their games at the Stade du 28 Septembre, which is where the national team plays, as well as Horoya AC and 3 more Ligue 1 teams. It definitely has more than the capacity needed for Flamme Olympique.

Top Rate Players

With no staff whatsoever and few players I am just going to show the 3 with the highest market value.

Looks like a good left back but already signaled he may leave at the end of the season.

Looks to be a decent striker.

Versatile player, which will be important this first season.

Finances

The club has a little bit of money and a very big wage budget, but I am not sure how sustainable that will be.

Initial Fixtures

Good thing there are over 3 months before the first game as there are few players and zero staff at the club. Lots of work between here and November.

[corinthiano]

2061/62 West African Review

CAF Champions League

It was always going to be difficult to follow up from 9 teams at this stage last season, but a drop to 5 is significant, with the biggest absence the Ghanaian sides.

3 teams made it to this stage, all three on the same side of the draw. CNEPS Excellence knocked out the other two before being edged out by ES Tunis, who win their 10th Champions League and first since 2046.

CAF Confederation Cup

Some of the sides dropped down here as we had 7 West African sides, however only the Ghanaian gigantic duo and Kano Pillars made it past this stage.

At least here we have West African success as Asante Kotoko beat their arch rivals in the Semi Final before dispatching Orlando Pirates to win their second Confederation Cup.

West African League Rankings

No movements between leagues but Nigeria climbs into the African top 3 whilst Burkina Faso closes the gap on Mali.

League Champions

The only new champion is CFFEB's Kojo as in the top leagues the successful sides hold more of a grip.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Another good year with a 3rd place finish and a Quarter Final LFA Cup campaign.

Kamboi Eagles: Another step up from last season as they finish second, only 4 points off top spot.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Failed to win the Liga Brava again, but at least claimed the Taça Brava this season.

AFC Nhacra: Back at the top as they win their 6th title, but get knocked out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Fail to qualify for the Championship Group for a second successive year and this year dont even do that well in the Relegation Group, although they were 8 points ahead of the drop.

CNEPS Excellence: An amazing season where they were one game from a perfect quadruple. In the end ES Tunis edged them out in the Champions League Final but they claimed the domestic treble!

Banjul Utd: Manage to stay up comfortably this time as they finish 9th.

ASN NIGELEC: Spent a year in the unplayable leagues, TBD on them coming back up.

Unisport: At least they finished a place better than last season, claiming 5th place.

 

Edited May 5, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2062/63 Season Preview

We were predicted 7th when Kojo took over and after signings made are predicted 4th, with the board also expecting a top half finish. This all seems like a lot for a promoted side but we did make some good signings. With only a 14 team league to play and no cups, seasons will be short here.

The dynamic in the league also feels weird and is probably why it has slid down the rankings in the last few years. You are allowed 10 foreigners in the squad, way more than any other league so far, which is great but has resulted in a lot of overage foreign players around the league and a lack of good Guineans. It was really hard to find them and you had to pay a bit of money to get them in. Some of the also get paid a lot, there is one midfielder in Fello Star that earns $17.25k per month, which is insane for West Africa. Anyway, I feel we made some good signings in the first window and hopefully can get that mid-table finish.

Transfers

In

With a small squad we only brought players in. First we focused on filling the biggest gaps in the First XI with the unallocated foreign slots we had, bringing in some familiar faces in the process. Then towards the end of the transfer window we focused on bringing in some Guinean talent, which was hard to find. We had to pay for two signings but I think they will be worth it. Here is who make our First XI.

My scouts rated him highly, turns out he is not that great, but does make starting spot at right back.

Signed him as a youngster back at Unisport, he has developed into a great player and will be our Mezzala.

Great young and versatile Guinean. Have him as our BBM right now but can slot him as DLP or at the back if needed.

When I saw he was still available I had to bring him in, so happy to have our Burkinabe goal machine.

Another great young Guinean, will slot next to Sirima at DLF, but can also play AP if needed.

Best XI

Me and the assistant are not on the same page on where to play Barry, with me having him in midfield and pushing Zangré up to AP.

Initial Fixtures

Not sure what to expect, we should in theory have a good side, lets see how that plays out.

[corinthiano]

November 2062

Gotta be happy with 9 out of 12 points, especially considering that against Horoya AC we were the better team, but just werent as clinical.

Next Fixtures

West African leagues love cramming games into December and Guinea is no different. Our squad is thin so lets hope all key players stay fit.

[corinthiano]

December 2062

A decent month for us which keeps us in a decent position. The draw against Milo FC was a bit frustrating as a goal in literally the last kick of the game denied us what would have been a great result.

Milestones

Next Fixtures

Just a couple of games before the mid-season break.

[corinthiano]

January 2063

Two comfortable wins means we are keeping pace with Horoya AC and Fello Star.

Transfers

In

Again only incoming transfers as we desperately needed some depth which I got through loans. Two foreign signings come in for the first team on a free.

Isaac Kanu becoma a Guinean national in December and whilst we had other priorities to fill the squad Tchato was too good a talent to pass up on.

Adebowale got an injury which would see him out for 8 weeks 2 days before transfer deadline, with no decent back-ups available and key games coming up I signed up Marcos to fill the gap at least until the end of the season.

Next Fixtures

A busy February will decide if we are going to be in the title mix towards the end of the season, especially if we can beat Horoya AC.

[corinthiano]

February 2063

The month started a bit rocky as we let a 3 goal lead slip against Horoya AC in a crucial game and then were beat late on at FC Séquence. But we rallied on from there and with our rivals inconsistent now sit a point clear at the top with 8 games to go.

Next Fixtures

We go back to one game a week in March and have a crucial game at Fello Star we need to get at least a point from.

[corinthiano]

March 2063

Another excellent month as we dont concede any goals, win 3 and get a great point at Fello Star. Between that and Fello Star losing to Horoya AC we are now 5 points ahead with 4 games to go and in prime position to win the league at the first time of asking.

Next Fixtures

We have 3 away games to finish the season, but all games are against teams in the lower half, so we do have to fancy our chances here.

[corinthiano]

April/May 2063

 

Absolutely walked the last 4 games and ended up with a surprisingly comfortable 9 point lead at the top to complete Guinea in the first season!

Edited May 4, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2062/63 Season Review

Somewhat surprisingly we finish first as a newly promoted side. We did have a few strong players in the initial squad and did make good improvements to the first team, but didnt have any sort of depth. The short season and the fact that the Guinean league is relatively balanced right now helped push us through comfortably in the end.

Squad by Appearances

With a short season we didnt use that many players very often, which was a good thing.

Best XI

Two big names on the bench, Tchato I dont understand as he was sublime when he joined halfway through the season, but Sirima was dropped at around the same point as he was our biggest underperformer disappointingly.

Awards

Not that many awards for Flamme Olympique as Pedro Sano from Horoya AC wins both Best Player and Best Young Player of the Year. We do have 6 of the Best XI though and Kojo collects another Manager of the Year award for his collection.

Top Performers

I debated whether to put him on here as he only played 11 games due to injury, but he played so well in those that I think he deserves a mention.

We brought in two strikers but it was the one here already that consistently delivered as Faouly scored some decisive goals.

I didnt rate him but the Mozambican international played really well throughout the season.

Finances

Looks nice and rosy now at the end of the season but that is only because the board put in close to $500k into the club.

Progress

After long spells in the previous two countries it is nice to get one done so quickly, especially as I think the last 4 remaining ones are going to take a long time considering the big dominant teams we will have to de-throne. Up next we move inland to Mali!

[corinthiano]

Chapter 12 - Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in West African that borders Algeria to the Northeast, Niger and Burkina Faso to the East, Ivory Coast to the Southeast, Guinea and Senegal to the West and Mauritania to the Northwest. It is the 8th largest country in Africa by landmass and has close to 22 million inhabitants. French is the official language of Mali, but there are 13 other native languages recognized officially, with Bambara the most widely spoken one.

The name Mali derives from the Mali Empire, who along with the Ghana Empire and Songhai Empire was part of the three empires that controlled the Trans-Saharan trade. At its peak in 1300 Mali was the wealthiest empire in not just Africa, but the entire world, with its leader Mansa Musa believed to be one of the wealthiest individuals at that time. At the time Mali was not just an economic powerhouse, but also a cultural center, with the university in Timbuktu one of the oldest still active. The Mali empire gradually lost power in late 14th century until being overtaken by the Songhai Empire.

In the late 19th century Mali began to fall under control of France and by 1905 most of its area was recognized as French Sudan, by 1960 Mali and Senegal joined to form the Mali Federation to seek independence from France. After independence was granted the countries separated, leaving the Republic of Mali to be led by Modibo Keita, who established a socialist one party stated focused on extensive nationalization. Moussa Traoré took over in a bloodless coup in 1968 and led the country from there until 1991. During that time there were several coup attempts and protests, which were retaliated violently by him. At the end of his reign he was sentenced to death for the mass killings which happened in the 1991 protests. In 1992 the first democratic election in Mali happened after which an almost 30 year period of stable democracy followed.

In 2012 there were attempts by the Tuareg and later islamists linked to al-qaeda to take control over Northern Mali, but with the help of French intervention the Mali government took back control of Timbuktu. Since then there has been constant unrest in Norther and Central Mali. This spread to national unrest in the 2018 elections, with claims of irregularities there was a coupe d'etats in 2020 and 2021, with Mali's military leader Assimi Goita sworn in as president. Due to international protests that followed Mali closed its borders in 2022 and recalled several of their ambassadors from ECOWAS countries. There have been numerous reports of executions in Mali, including the presence of Russia mercenary Wagner Group. There are also close links between Russia now with a recent visit of the foreign minister to Mali and Mali being one of only 7 countries to vote against the motion from the UN for Russia to withdraw troops from the Ukraine.

Mali's economy is vastly dependent on agriculture and is one of the poorest nations in the world. It's biggest export by a distance is gold, accounting for over 90% of everything that is exported. Due to the recent conflicts Mali's tourism has declined, however it is a cultural hotbed due to the histoy of the Mali empire. Timbuktu was a world centre of Islamic learning between the 13th and 17th centuries.

Football in Mali

Football is the most popular sport in Mali, with the popularity peaking in 2002 when Mali hosted the African Cup of Nations. Pre-save their best performance was a runners-up spot in 1972 with no World Cup appearances, but since then they have won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2055 and made 5 appearances at the World Cup, which includes a last 16 appearance in 2046.

The domestic league was quickly established after independence and has been completely dominated by the teams from the capital Bamako and in particular Stade Malien and Djoliba who had 23 titles each pre-save, with the only other winning team being Real Bamako with 6. That dominance has continued, particularly for Stade Malien who have now won the last 14 national titles and are walking towards the 15th in a row. The only clubs to break that dominance have been Yeelen Olympique, who are the first team outside of Bamako to lift a title, and Onze Créateurs.

Mali also only has one active league in the game, but with so few teams having won the title and it being an 18 team league there should be more options to pick from. It certainly will be a lot harder to get a job though. With the season still ongoing Kojo will wait for the end of season movements to see if any opportunities arise.

 

 

[corinthiano]

2062/63 West African Review

CAF Champions League

We have 6 teams from West Africa at this stage and oddly they were separated into 2 groups, with 3 of them making it through. The gigantic duo of Ghana are missing here again...

All three West Africans make it to the Semi Finals and CNEPS Excellence get past Kano Pillars and ASEC Mimosas to win their second Champions League!

CAF Confederation Cup

5 West Africans here, with 3 of them from Ghana, with Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak making it out of here along Enyimba Aba.

Hearts of Oak avenged last seasons Semi Final defeat to Asante Kotoko to make it to the final and claim their record breaking 8th Confederation Cup.

West African League Rankings

Impressive movement as the top as the top two leagues in Africa are from West Africa and 3 out of the top 5 are from the region too.

League Champions

Kojo again is the only one to claim a new champion as the big sides keep being big.

Former Champions

 

MC Breweries: A set back from last season as they drop to 6th and are knocked out in the First Round of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Average season from them as they finish 9th in the SLPL.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Terrible in the Liga Brava, finishing 4th from 7 and out early in the Taça Brava too.

AFC Nhacra: Were not able to defend their title, finishing 4th and went out early in the cup too.

Ayéma FC: Fail to qualify for the Championship Group for a second successive year and this year dont even do that well in the Relegation Group, although they were 8 points ahead of the drop.

CNEPS Excellence: Another excellent season as they claim a treble of Ligue 1, Coupe du Senegal and Champions League!

Banjul Utd: Great season as they finish 4th in the First Division.

ASN NIGELEC: Back in the top flight and managed to avoid relegation by finishing 11th.

Unisport: A better performance as they finish 3rd.

CFFEB: A slow start meant they couldnt defend their title and finished second. They were disappointing in the Champions League, losing in the Preliminary Round but had a good Coupe du Faso, losing in the final on penalties to ASFA-Yennenga.

[corinthiano]

Avenir A.C. de Tombouctou

Avenir AC de Tombouctou is a club from the historic city of Timbuktu on the edge of the Sahara Desert. As usual not much is known about them other than them being founded in 1975 and being nicknamed Les Verts in allusion to the clubs colors. They are the biggest club in Timbuktu but never made much of a mark in Malian Ligue 1, pre-save with 10th placed finishes in 2015/16 and 2019/20 their best campaigns. Since the save began fortunes are not better as they only managed to avoid relegation once when they got promoted, finishing 14th in 2036/37 before being relegated in the next season.

Avenir AC play their games at the Stade Municipal de Tombouctou, a small council owned stadium which is shared by the cities teams.

Top Rated Players

Again with not staff I am going by the highest market values.

Decent midfielder with good physicals for this level.

Versatile, could play at the back or as DLP for us.

Young attacking midfielder, doesnt look too exciting.

Finances

Plenty of room left in the wage budget which is great.

Initial Fixtures

We have 2 months until our first game at home against the might Stade Malien, plenty of work to do until then!

[corinthiano]

2063/64 Season Preview

The league in Mali has 18 teams and we also have a cup to contend with so there will be a few more games than in Guinea. The Media have us down as a mid-table team but I think our squad is not the greatest and with 4 teams going and the board just wanting to avoid relegation that will exactly be our aim this season.

Transfers

In

Out

This feels like the worst transfer window of the save for Kojo. With it taking some time to hire staff and a transfer deadline fast approaching we took a lot of shots in the dark and overpaid for a lot of players. The squad still feels fragile at best so lets hope it is enough for us to keep to our goals and build something from. These players make the First XI:

The best right back I could find. Not great but considering we had no one in the position at the club I cant really complain.

I can't believe I paid money for him, but again no one in the position when we joined the club so it is what it is.

Our most expensive signing and whilst we probably overpaid he is actually a decent AP.

Best XI

Dont match much of what my Assistant thinks but what this highlights is that whilst we are good up front and with centre backs, the rest of the positions lack quality.

Initial Fixtures

Nothing like hosting the best club in the country followed by a December marathon to get us started. We'll have a good idea of where we are by the end of December.

[corinthiano]

November/December 2063

We started with a heavy loss against Stade Malien as expected, but actually had a very decent December after that, grinding out some good results and remaining unbeaten to finish the month in a lofty 6th place.

Transfers

In

Out

Musa Joof is a Gambian international with Malian citizenship so when I spotted him I decided to make a move despite the transfer window only opening in 2 weeks time. On the outgoing front Claude was on a non-contract and nowhere near good enough, so when he complained about playing time releasing him made sense.

Next Fixtures

Some tough fixtures before we head into the mid-season break.