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

[corinthiano]

March 2051

We have had a lot of injuries at the wrong time, Mutasa, Dago, Hunléde all got injured this month and we had to rotate the team a lot, so when we lost to Dyto FC in the first game I feared the most, but then amazingly I beat ASC Kara for the first time and edged ASKO away from home to put is in top spot almost halfway into the Championship Group!

Next Fixtures

Crunch time next month. We have to win the first two home games before the two crucial games against ASK Kara and ASKO.

[corinthiano]

April 2051

Heartbreak as we fail both of the big tests of the season and are out of contention for the title. What makes it worst is that on the 60 minute mark of the games we were tied with ASC Kara and 3-1 up against ASKO, only to collapse on both occasions.

Next Fixtures

ASC Kara and ASKO still play each other so there is a small chance of us finishing second if we win both of our last 2 games.

[corinthiano]

May 2051

After we beat Gbohloé-su we entered the last game ahead of ASKO, but what I failed to realize was that AS Togo-Port were also just behind us and would overtake us if they won. This resulted in a crazy match in which the lead was exchanged a few times, but we just about held on to claim second place and qualify for the Confederation Cup.

[corinthiano]

2050/51 Season Review

A much better campaign where we finally beat ASC Kara in a match and were in a fight for the title with 4 games to go before the double loss to ASC Kara and ASKO. In the end ASC Kara pulled away but a 2nd place finish and Confederation Cup place is great progress.

Squad by Appearances

I think this is the year we had most injuries and it exposed the lack of depth we have, which is difficult to fix as decent players are just not available. On the plus side Olávio Seidi should hopefully gain Togolese citizenship in the offseason which will free up a foreign slot, with RB and DM the priorities right now.

Awards

Marc Koné wins both the Player and Young Player of the Season awards as him Mutasa and very surprisingly Hunlédé make the team of the season.

Top Performers

Really excelled this year, even managing to outshine Mutasa with his goal contributions.

Our top scorer again, his pace is just too much for defenders at this level.

By far the best Togolese player in the team, great season and still improving.

Finances

A new board came in this season and quickly took out a loan, will be interesting to see what that does to our budgets.

Progress

Finally feels like we are getting closer to the title, although I still feel like it will take an off-season from ASC Kara for us to do so. Looking forward to another crack at Africa too, hoping for some kind draws.

[corinthiano]

2050/51 West African Review

CAF Champions League

Better this year as we have 7 teams at this stage, with 4 of them making it to the Quarter Final. Noteworthy mention to Fello Star who make their first appearance at this stage but were way out of their league.

Excellent campaign for Hearts of Oak who defeated their arch rivals in the Semi Final before dispatching Zamalek to win their 3rd CL and first one since 2035.

Confederation Cup

Very light representation as only 4 West African teams make it, with a rare appearance from a Beninese side in Buffles FC. They were the only ones not to make it to the Quarter Finals though.

An all West African Final and African Double as Enyimba Aba beat CNEPS on penalties to win their first ever Confederation Cup.

West African League Rankings

Ghana now have the best league in Africa after Hearts of Oak win the Champions League! We also have a couple of movements between West African Nations as Mali goes past Burkina Faso and Benin overtakes Niger.

League Champions

No new champions as the big teams dominated in most countries. ASEC Mimosas is the first team to reach 50 domestic titles in this save.

Former Champions

 

MC Breweries: Better again in the league this season as they finish 4th and get to the Quarter Final of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Shock as Kamboi Eagles finish in 15th and are relegated into an unplayable league...

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Still doing terribly as they finish a very low 4th in the Liga Brava, at least they retained the Taça Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Almost a repeat of last season as they finish 4th in the league again, but are knocked out earlier in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Another 3rd place finish in the Championship Group, some way from the top.

CNEPS Excellence: First season in a while without a trophy as they finish third in the league, are knocked out relatively early in the domestic cups and suffer the heartbreak of losing the Confederation Cup final on penalties to Enyimba Aba.

Banjul Utd: Finally came back up from the unplayable leagues and will play in the Second Division next season.

ASN NIGELEC: Dropped off a bit as they finish 6th in the Superligue and are knocked out in the Last 16 of the Coupe du Niger for a second successive season.

[corinthiano]

September/October 2051

We played a couple of Confederation Cup ties as part of our pre-season and went through both ties comfortably. Atlabara from South Sudan were just nowhere near our level and Benin's Béké threatened a couple of comebacks but never really threatened.

No Group Stage for us as we get a very tough draw in the Second Round. This will be played just before our domestic season so will report on it after the Season Preview.

[corinthiano]

2051/52 Season Preview

Oddly we are predicted first this season, despite losing two key players and not replacing them up to the same standard. Looking at it looks like ASC Kara have a really thin squad now so this could be due to them weakening more than us strengthening - will be intriguing to see though! We could challenge for the title if we play well this season.

Transfers

In

Out

We were busy, real busy, this off-season. There was interest from Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and Ivory Coast for all of our key players and even some squad players. We managed to hold off on most but the board went over my head for Nwaiwu and Dago who both left on $20k+ deals. Sirakatou and Amouzou I didnt want to leave also, but they were making too much noise so ended up letting them go too.

We did not manage to find players up to Nwaiwu and Dago's level, especially at LB where we didnt find anyone. For AMC we will go with a combination of either youngster Ousmane Sarr at AMC or play Mutasa at AMC and play Dieng, who the first striker I signed for Sara FC, who was recently released by ASC Kara and is now a Togolese national. On the rest of it we were able to bring decent options at RB and DM and I signed every good Togolese youngster I could find to give us more depth and to ensure we had the best national players with us. There are a few new faces in the First XI:

Used up a foreign spot on him. He is not outstanding yet, but he is young and looks like he will be very good. Looked to have a great personality too but is already causing trouble. At first he wanted to leave to improve his chances of making the national team, 2 months after joining...then gets a call-up literally a week after he complained . Now he says he is unsettled, so I gave him a leave of absence, so he may not be with us for very long after all...

We paid actual money for him seeing as there are no good DMs in the country and he is already First XI material at 18 years. He'll probably rotate this season with the foreign option I signed before finding him.

Was the best DM I found before spotting Laba-Boro. Might end up moving him on after the end of this season.

ASC Kara released him despite being their first team player for years, but I am not complaining can play at DM too, but will probably be our BBM for now.

Again, not outstanding like Dabo, but young and has potential, will play at AP and up front for us. Unfortunately Olavio Seidi's paperwork to become a Togolese national has not gone through yet, so I have not been able to register him yet, but the window will open up again in a month and that should be enough time to get that done.

Originally signed as a back-up as he has just become a Togolese national and for the sentimental value as he payed with me at Sara FC, but with Dago going and Sarr not registered yet he could figure more often. Was a squad player at ASC Kara for 4 season so he has the ability to play in this league.

Best XI

Yeah the midfield is not in line with what I would do, Garba is actually another loanee I signed but didnt register .  Laba-Boro, Alassani-Nukafu and Sarr would replace the current options we have in midfield other than Bode-Tchadjobo.

Initial Fixtures

The Confederation Cup will make December very busy, but it is only the initial phase so I am not too concerned if we drop some points.

 

 

[corinthiano]

December 2051

We started the month by almost pulling off an amazing shock against Zamalek. We beat them convincingly at home but were no match for them in Egypt and they sneaked a place in the Group Stage on penalties. In the league we have done well to defeat ASKO at their place, whilst the defeats to ASC Kara were disappointing, but not too disheartening. We had a player sent off within 3 minutes of the home game which set us up for defeat and at their place we were even until the 70th minute and close to getting a result.

Next Fixtures

Packed schedule until the mid-season break, at which point we should have hopefully secured a place in the Championship Group.

[corinthiano]

January 2052

We didnt play outstanding football this month but won every game comfortably, including a dominant vitory against ASKO despite the goals coming late. I think we have more or less cemented our place as second best team in the country now (watch us lose against ASKO in the Championship Group now ).

Transfers

In

Out

Not a lot on the incoming front as the only signing was a 16 year old with decent potential from AS OTR. On the outgoing front a lot more activity as we either sold or loaned out youngsters and fringe players. Ashanti Gold came in for Marc Koné and after I rejected their initial advances he become really unsettled and caused quite a stir in the squad, so when the Ghanaians came back I negotiated a loan back for 12 months which will give me time to find a replacement and keeps everyone happy.

Next Fixtures

We wrap up the Northern Zone with three straight forward games.

[corinthiano]

February/March 2052

NIce and easy end to this stage, onto the Championship Group we go.

Next Fixtures

A bit of a shock in the Southern Zone as AS Togo-Port did not make it through, and it is nice to see Sara FC back here again after a while. The game at the end of the month against ASC Kara will be key to our title aspirations.

[corinthiano]

March 2052

Two good away wins but then ASC Kara beat us our place, playing with 10 men for the last 30 mins...as early as it is it pretty much is title challenge over.

Next Fixtures

We have to win the next 4 games if we want to keep in contention for the title.

[corinthiano]

April 2052

100% month to stay within 3 points of ASC Kara, who have been relentless.

Next Fixtures

To put it quite simple we have to win all our next 3 games to win the title, including away at ASC Kara. To add to that, if we beat them by one goal we also have to make sure we have a better goal difference. Easy peasy 

 

[corinthiano]

May 2052

A draw at ASC Kara would be a good result in any other circumstances, but here it means we miss out on the title. We were perfect against everyone else, but results against the dominant side cost us the title in the end.

[corinthiano]

2051/52 Season Review

We are getting really close. We won all our domestic games this season bar the ones against ASC Kara, once we crack them we should hopefully be able to take their crown. In the Confederation Cup we had a fun little run and almost made the Group Stage against top side Zamalek.

Squad by Appearances

We had a deeper squad this season and we used it to good effect. We have not made best use of the foreign spots as Mamadou Diaw and Sekou Tarley have not been big hits. Diaw will move and I will sell Tarley if we can find better players as this could be key to closing the gap to ASC Kara.

Awards

Disappointingly only one player in the Best XI, at least Sarr won Young Player of the Year. In the Confederation Cup Mutasi was second place despite only playing two games!

Top Performers

What a revelation, such a good flamboyant player. Wants me to play him in Mutasi's position to renew his contract and I may well do so to keep him around.

Our top scorer again, even with a mini drought at the beginning of the Championship Group.

The best Togolese in the squad continues performing year in and year out.

Finances

Looking a lot better due to some magic money we got after the Zamalek tie that I still dont understand and some player sales. We are paying for players now which is a good sign too.

Progress

8th season now, which equals the time we spent in Senegal and means Togo will be Kojo's longest stay in a country. Getting close, "just" need to start beating ASC Kara.

[corinthiano]

2051/52 West African Review

CAF Champions League

Very good participation as half the teams in the Group Stage are West African. Even better that 6 teams made it to the Quarter Final, with only Enyimba Aba and Génération Foot missing out on qualification to the knockouts.

The West African dominance was threatened as Kano Pillars and Stade Malien lost out to North African opposition, but the Ghanaian rivals Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko breezed past them to set up a final full of rivalry, which was edged by Hearts of Oak, who win their second successive title and 4th overall.

CAF Confederation Cup

Whilst West African performance in the Champions League was good the same cannot be said in the Confederation Cup, where only 4 teams were present. Worst of all is that only Diambars FC went through to the Quarters, although not surprising considering that the other teams were an unfancied Burkina Faso duo and Medeama SC who are not a top side in Ghana.

The final West African was knocked out early as Diambars FC lost to Raja Casablanca, who would go on to win their 3rd trophy and first since 2023.

West African League Rankings

Virtually no movement this year as Ghana hold on to top spot. The Ligue 1 in Mali has pulled away a little from Burkina Faso but thats about it.

League Champions

No new champions again as the big sides dominate. Cavalos Brancos de Cuntum are now outright record winners in Guinea-Bissau.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Up one place from last season as they finish 3rd, but are knocked out in the first round of the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Back from the unplayable league and straight into second, what a turnaround!

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Coroa da Brava seem to be the new force in the island as Nô Pintcha finish 2nd behind them. They retained the Taça da Brava at least.

AFC Nhacra: A productive season as they finish 3rd and win the Bissau-Guinean Cup for the 7th time.

Ayéma FC: Comfortably finish top ahead of Buffles FC to win their 4th title and 3rd since Kojo won the maiden one 20 seasons ago.

CNEPS Excellence: Sadly looks like they are dropping off as they only finish 4th in the League and dont even make it to the Group Stage of the Confederation Cup. Only consolation is a League Cup win.

Banjul Utd: First season back in the Second Division and an unspectacular 11th out of 18, safely away from the relegation zone.

ASN NIGELEC: Agonizingly close to the title as they are beaten by Tagour PC on goal difference. To add insult to injury it was the same side that knocked them out in the Semi Final of the Coupe du Niger.

Edited January 19, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

September/October 2052

Two straightforward ties as we beat opposition from the Seychelles and Tanzania.

Another tough draw against Egyptian opposition, lets see if we can give them a run for their money like we did with Zamalek.

[corinthiano]

2052/53 Season Preview

We are apparently overwhelming favorites now although I havent seen ASC Kara weakening too much.

Transfers

In

Out

The theme of the transfer window has been young Togolese players. We managed to sign some pretty good young players that are on the verge of the first team and will get there soon enough. Surprisingly I was not able to find any good foreign players so we still have one slot remaining, two when Koné leaves in January.

Only 16 but will try to give him plenty of game time this season.

Another good 16 year old I will try to give plenty of minutes

The best one of them all, physicals are lacking but hopefully that manages to improve but looks like an absolute gem for this level.

Best XI

Not sure what the assistant is thinking with Seide at AP as both Mutasa and Sarr can play there and Dieng and Hounkpati-Eklu are better choices up fronto. Fullbacks continue to be a problem, dont find anything decent, even abroad.

Initial Fixtures

Busy first month as last season with continental games.

[corinthiano]

November/December 2052

What a great month, it started with another strong performance in the Confederation Cup at home, repeating the 2-0 result in the first leg. When Pyramids scored within 5 minutes of the second leg I got the feeling of deja vu but the team rallied strongly and convincingly beat them at their place to secure a first ever Group Stage for the club. It is a very tough draw and I am not expecting much. Highlight is the opportunity to go back to Senegal and face CNEPS Excellence.

In the league a very straightforward start, which included a 5-0 mauling of ASKO, who have fallen way behind us.

Next Fixtures

We have had a couple of games pulled in to January to make up for the Confederation Cup games starting in February. There is a mid-season break due to the African Cup of Nations, with Mutasa our only representative. It will be a good rest for the squad as we will have a packed fixture list after the tournament.

Edited January 15, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

January 2053

An amazing month which included an impressive 3-0 win against ASC Kara, we didnt just beat them, we completely outplayed them!

Transfers

In

Out

A busier mid-season window than usual. The big story is Ousmane Sarr leaving, he was unwilling to sign a new deal which expired at the end of the season and I had a bunch of US teams after him. DC United agreed to loan him back for the season and we also got a friendly out if that made us an additional $20k, which is probably the best deal I could have gotten for him. Marc Koné's loan also expired and since he has been playing in midfield for us predominantly I wanted some reinforcements there. I was lucky to find Rakotonandrasana, a Malagasy international that should do the job for us. We also signed a promising young goalkeeper from AS OTR and a couple of back-up loan options. I feel like the squad is strong for the second half of the season.

Next Fixtures

Avoid defeat in the first two games and we pretty much seal the Northern Zone. At the end of the month our Confederation Cup campaign also starts, which will mean a marathon of games once the Championship Group starts.

Edited January 16, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

February 2053

In the Northern Zone we started the month with a disappointing loss to ASKO but then beat ASC Kara at their place easily. They really dont look like the same team as in the last season, they even dropped points at home to AC Semassi. We win the Northern Zone, ending ASC Kara's run of 13 consecutive titles, although weirdly the game hasnt credited us with the title yet. Now we have to make sure we keep up the same form in the Championship Group.

In the Confederation Cup it looks like we could be in a very even group. Both our games were close and whilst we were unfortunate to lose to Hasaacas we were also somewhat fortunate to beat CNEPS Excellence.

Next Fixtures

Only Confederation Cup games scheduled so far, but we will be playing twice a week sometimes in the last half of the month once the Championship Group games are scheduled.

[corinthiano]

March 2053

A month of contrasting fortunes. In Africa we have been amazing, winning 3 games and securing 1st place in the group with a game to go. Domestically we have been awful though and look to be out of the title race again...

Next Fixtures

Nothing other than 4 wins domestically will keep us in the race. Also expecting Quarter Finals of the Confederation Cup to happen this month.

Edited January 16, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

April 2053

I dont really understand how a team that goes to South Africa and out plays Orlando Pirates at their place gets absolutely demolished by Dyto FC...but it is what it is. I think we will not qualify for African football next season and ironically I now think we have a chance of winning the Confederation Cup, such are the contrasting fortunes for us in the last couple of months.

A busy final month as expected and at this point I think I will prioritize the Confederation Cup.

[corinthiano]

May 2053

No fairy tale ending in the Confederation Cup as we are knocked out against Al-Merreikh. In the first leg we did well to come back from a goal down but they scored in the last 5 minutes to win the game. In the second game we started with an early goal, but they equalized in the first half. Despite dominating the second half it was not to be as we missed a penalty and struck the bar with virtually the last kick of the game,. We made some great money out of the run though which I used to improve training facilities.

In the league we at least managed to climb up to 3rd place. One slightly annoying bug is that in the Northern Zone the "champion" is decided by whoever finishes first in the Championship Group, so despite us winning the Northern Zone, ASC Kara is listed as champions of that. At least we'll win a double when (or if) we ever win the Championship Group.

Milestones

[corinthiano]

2052/53 Season Review

A fun season despite the domestic disappointment. We were firing on all cylinders in the first half of the season as we got to the Confederation Cup Group Phase and won almost every game in the Northern Zone, but the heavy schedule weighed on us as we entered the Championship Group and we faltered. Still amazing results as this is the first time a Togolese club gets to the Semi-Final of a Continental competition.

Squad by Appearances

With more games came more rotation and more injuries so it was good we signed a lot of young talent over the last couple of years as they filled in OK and developed a bit this season. Next season we really need to find some decent full backs as I am relatively happy with the rest of the team.

Awards

On the domestic front we dominated the Young Player of the Season award, but none of them made it to the Best XI, instead Bode-Tchadjobo was the only non-ASC Kara player in there. Continentally Ousmane Sarr grabbed best player and Hounkpati-Eklu was third top goalscorer.

Top Performers

Will be a huge miss as he is quickly developing into a top player. We do have 50% of his next sale so hopefully something in his value range happens soon enough.

Great first season, I can already see us struggling to hold on to him for too long.

Not always a starter but when he played he just dictated midfield for us.

Finances

All the money made this year is being spent on training facilities, it might hurt our budgets but its nice to be able to bring long term benefits to the club.

Progress

We will now go into our 10th season in Togo and by the end of it I think Unisport will be officially where Kojo has spent most time. Shame we didnt qualify for Africa, but it might help us focus on the league title next season.

[corinthiano]

2052/53 West African Review

CAF Champions League

We go from 8 to 6 teams this season, which is still a decent showing. 5 teams make it through, only Yeelen Olympique who are inexperienced at this level are knocked out.

West African dominance as 3 of 4 teams in the Semi-Finals are from West Africa and we have an all West African Final. Hearts of Oak eliminated arch rivals Asante Kotoko in the Semi-Finals to reach their third straight final, but ASEC Mimosas pulled off an upset to win their second ever Champions League and first one since 1998.

CAF Confederation Cup

6 teams in the Confederation Cup Group Stage also with 4 making it through, CI Kamsar and Hasaacas are knocked out.

Kojo's Unisport do amazingly to reach the Semi-Finals, but they and CNEPS Excellence lose at this stage and there is no West African representation in the final. Kaizer Chiefs beat Al-Merreikh Omdurman on penalties to win their first Confederation Cup.

West African League Rankings

Strong performance in continental competitions see Togo leapfrog Burkina Faso. No other swaps between West African leagues, but Ivory Coast moves to top 10 with Asec Mimosas' Champions League win.

League Champions

No first time winners but we have a couple of teams that won a title for the first time in the save like Olympic FC in Niger and Académica do Boa Vista in Cape Verde.

Former Champions

 

MC Breweries: Shock as MC Breweries are relegated to the second tier for the first time in this save. In the LFA Cup they reach the Quarter Final.

Kamboi Eagles: Not as good as last season but still decent, drop from 2nd to 6th.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Back on track as they win the Liga Brava and get to the Semi-Final of the Cape Verdean Competition. No such luck in the cup as they lose in the Semi-Final to Coroa da Brava.

AFC Nhacra: Great season as they win their 4th title comfortably, but are knocked out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: No back to back titles as they finish 3rd, five points off the top.

CNEPS Excellence: For the first time in a while no titles in the season as they finish 2nd in the league, are knocked out early in the domestic cups and make it to the Semi-Final of the Confederation Cup.

Banjul Utd: One place better than last season in the second tier as they finish 10th.

ASN NIGELEC: Unspectacular season as they finish 4th in the Superligue and are knocked out in the last 16 of the Coupe du Niger.

[corinthiano]

2053/54 Season Preview

We are favorites once again and have 4 players in the Dream Team again, but I think ASC Kara have strengthened well and just made the Champions League Group Stage so it will be as tough as usual to topple them.

Transfers

In

Out

We went in relatively aggressively in the transfer market for Togolese players, spending close to $40k. Kokou Diallo is a midfielder for the future and Yannick Gbényo is already good enough to be back-up RB at 16 years old. I ended up overpaying for Maurice Alassani as he is good, but not that good. We did manage to get slightly better fullbacks in ex-ASC Kara Komlan Tchabi and Nigerian Lukman Nwachukwu, whilst Ahmeye Adamou is a good Nigerien who just won the Superligue over there.

On the outgoing front only Tarley is a a bit of a loss as he had potential, we cleared out some players that hadnt played much over the last couple of seasons and it is always encouraging when your rivals sign players that are surplus to requirements.

Here are the new players that will be in and around the first XI:

Best XI

Other than RB I actually think this should be our first XI.

Initial Fixtures

December is typically busy but this feels even more so as we will play more than half the Northern Zone fixtures by end of the year.

 

[corinthiano]

November/December 2053

Lots of wins and goals but I cant classify it as a good month if we lose to ASC Kara at home, makes me worried for the Championship Group...

Next Fixtures

Three straightforward games before the mid-season break.

 

[corinthiano]

January 2054

Two strong away performances, including the biggest win in league history, but there was a disappointing draw at home. We have qualified for the Championship Group.

Transfers

No transfers in and out as we miss out on a couple of good young signings to ASC Kara...

Next Fixtures

We'll wrap up the Northern Zone with a couple of tough fixtures.

[corinthiano]

February/March 2054

A weird end of Northern Zone, as we let a two goal lead slip against ASKO and follow that up with the best performance of the season as we beat ASC Kara at their place. I really dont know what to expect in the Championship Group. We also beat the record of goals in the Northern Zone as we get a massive 61 goals in 14 games, an impressive 4.4 goals per game.

Next Fixtures

Two away games to start us off in the Championship Group and both are tricky fixtures.

 

[corinthiano]

March 2054

Solid start with two good away wins, ASC Kara also started strongly as usual, beating ASKO at their place.

Next Fixtures

Two huge games at the beginning of the month before a few winnable home games.

[corinthiano]

April 2054

The game against ASC Kara was extremely frustrating as we thought we were edging the game before they equalized in the 90th minute...in the next round however we did really well to beat ASKO at their place and surprisingly ASC Kara dropped points at home to AS OTR. We had some very comfortable wins in the next games and have a small lead at the top with 3 games to go.

Next Fixtures

The next game is the big one. If we can avoid defeat against ASC Kara then 4 points in the last two games should be enough to seal the title as our goal difference is significantly higher than ASC Kara.

[corinthiano]

May 2054

It was our time to score a late equalizer as we earned a hard fought draw at ASC Kara. From there we were on cruise control and for the first time in 15 years someone other than ASC Kara has won the title! I do love how every time I win a title they bring back a cup defeat that has now happened 14 years ago 

[Number seven]

Congrats! Well deserved!

[corinthiano]

3 minutes ago, Number seven said:

Congrats! Well deserved!

Thanks! This is definitely the most rewarding one yet, we had to be virtually perfect to finally get one over ASC Kara!

[ElCuriosoJr]

Congratulations. Am following this till the beginning, and ever year continuously seeing Kara wining the title was unbearable

Well deserved.

 

[corinthiano]

17 hours ago, ElCuriosoJr said:

Congratulations. Am following this till the beginning, and ever year continuously seeing Kara wining the title was unbearable

Well deserved.

 

Thank you! Yes Kara were so dominant it was unreal...unfortunately it might be similar in most countries we are yet to go, if I look at the 32 seasons so far (not including this one):

 

Burkina Faso: CF Rahimo won 24 of them, including the last 22 in a row!

Ghana: More of a split, Asante Kotoko won 13, Hearts of Oak won 13, WAFA SC 5 and Accra Lions 1. 

Guinea: Horoya AC won 23 of them

Ivory Coast: ASEC Mimosas won 25 of them, including the last 12 in a row

Mali: Stade Malien won 21 of them, including the last 5 in a row

Nigeria: Kano Pillars won 18 of them, Enyimba Aba 8

 

Those are some pretty dominant teams...

[corinthiano]

2053/54 Season Review

Finally top, with no African football to distract us we were in excellent form, especially in attack as we scored a ridiculous amount of goals.

Squad by Appearances

Less games and less injuries meant we rotated the squad a lot less this season and had a pretty established first XI bar RB and CD where we had players share the position.

Awards

Player of the Season

Young Player of the Season

Plenty of them this season with 7 of the Best XI, and Mouhamed Hounkpati-Eklu swooping a triple of Best Player, Best Young Player and Top Goalscorer. For the first time Kojo leaves a country without winning Manager of the Season, which bizarrely went to the AS Togo-Port coach who didnt even make it to the Championship Group.

Top Performers

Unreal this season with 27 goals in 21 games and still just 19. Has made a lot of noise about leaving so I dont think the club will be able to hold on to him for long.

With Sarr leaving he transitioned over to the AP role, which suited him so much more than playing up front, was a real driving force this season.

Signed him as a 16 year old last season and he was good in the few appearances he had. This season he improved so much and made the Mezzala spot his own.

Finances

We went big and with no African football finances took a nose dive. Hopefully playing in the Champions League can help, a tie against a big team can wipe out some of the debt quite easily.

Progress

Finally after 10 seasons Kojo's time in Togo is done. Unisport and Sara FC were the two longest stints he had, funnily he spent a day more at Sara FC than Unisport. Despite the league being a bit buggy I enjoyed my time here, especially the last years when we built a really good young team at Unisport. I am very glad to see the back of ASC Kara though . The next country is not too far, Burkina Faso!

[corinthiano]

Chapter 10 - Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa bordered by Mali to the Northwest, Niger to the Northeast, Benin to the Southeast, Togo and Ghana to the South and Ivory Coast to the Southwest. It was named Republic of Upper Volta until 1984 before then president Thomas Sankara renamed it Burkina Faso, which means the land of honest men in Mossi, which is the most widely spoken language in the country alongside French. The country has a population of just over 20 million, with the capital Ouagadougou by far the largest city with just under 2.5 million inhabitants.

The largest ethnic group in Brukina Faso are the Mossi, who settled in the area between the 11th and 13th centuries, forming strong kingdoms such as Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo and Yatenga. In 1896 the territory of Burkina Faso was invaded by France, who made it a French protectorate. The colonial period in the region was marked by constant revolts, with France only gaining full control of the country 8 years after the first invasion. There were several threats of uprisings during the colonial period, with independence arriving in 1960. The first three decades as a republic were marked by multiple coups, including one in 1983 by Thomas Sankara, who other than changing the countries name also launched an ambitious socioeconomic programme focused on anti-imperialism and self-sufficiency, which included rejecting all foreign aid and nationalizing most major services. He was murdered in a coupe d'etat in 1987 organized by Blaise Campaoré, who claimed the policies jeopardized important foreign relations. He stayed in power for 27 years until another coupe d'etat forced him out in 2014. There were two democratic elections in 2015 and 2020 which were won by Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, but in 2022 the military took control of the country and is enforcing a 3 year transitional period to democracy. ECOWAS and the African Union suspended Burkina Faso following this. Since 2010 Brukina Faso has also suffered with the rise of the IS in the Sahel region, with the group operating in the north of the country.

All of this instability means Burkina Faso has a poor economy. Despite having an abundance of gold and other minerals, which is its main export, it does rely heavily on foreign aid. Tourism is almost non-existent in the country due to safety concerns, with most governments advising against any travel to the country. It does have some historic buildings though, with the Grande Mosque of Bobo-Dioulassou, which was built in 1812 during the Kingdom of Sia, one of them.

Football in Burkina Faso

Football was introduced in Burkina Faso in the 1930s, with the first team, Togo-Daho - today's Racing Club Bobo-Dioulassou, being created in 1935. The sport was not practiced by many until the 1950s and the football federation was founded in 1960. It is the most popular sport in the country today and it has achieved modest success pre-save, with 12 Africa Cup of Nations appearances and a runners-up campaign in 2013. They have not been able to better that result in-game with Quarter Finals being the best they could do, but they did make the 2034 World Cup where they finished last in their group.

The top league in Brukina Faso is the Fasofoot D1, which has been running since 1961. Pre-Game the title has been won by primarily teams from the capital Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasssou, which the exception of RC Kadiogo from Kadiogo, who has 3 titles. It was a league without a dominant force as Étoile Filante and ASFA Yennenga shared the most titles, with 13 each. Since the save began however it has all been about CF Rahimo. They won their first and only title pre-save in 2019, but have now won and additional 24 titles and are record holders at 25. Interestingly ASFA Yennenga have just ended their 22 year winning streak this season, so it will be interesting to see if it is a blip or a sign of things to come.

In terms of eligible clubs, there are some options. Out of the 1+ star rep clubs ASEC-K, CFFEB, US Comoé, Royal FC and Majestic SC have never won the title. Majestic SC have just fired their manager due to them being relegated to the second tier, so I am debating whether it is the right move to make or not.

 

[corinthiano]

Majestic Sporting Club

Majestic Sporting Club is a club from...who knows? In FM they are based in Saponé, a town of 20 thousand people south of Ouagadougou  according to Wikipedia, but that doesnt show up in Google Maps. Wikipedia also tells me there is a Majestic FC that play in Ouagadougou, with a different badge and colors...the stadium in FM alludes to a field in a school so I found a school with Saponé in the name and that is where we will play 

The club have no history pre-save, but they have done OK in-game. They have been ever present in the top tier, finishing runners-up 3 times, the last one time in 2029. They also won the Coupe du Faso once in 2027. They have been relegated to the second tier for the first time, which got the previous manager sacked.

Assistant XI

Looks like a team with decent players up front but weak at the back, but there are a lot of players that will leave in a couple of days time so I will only show the best ones sticking around

Top Rated Players

Not great finishing, but at least physicals are decent.

Good young prospect but has a couple of bids for him, hope I can persuade him to stay.

A winger really but could do a job at DLF. That finishing of 2 is atrocious though.

Finances

Massively in debt and over budget, with a season in the second tier to come, great 

Initial Fixtures

We join right after the season ends so plenty of time to sort out a new squad.

 

[corinthiano]

 

Frustratingly due to a bug Majestic SC was stuck in no man's land after being relegated as they didnt appear in the second division...I have therefore resigned and will wait for an opening, hopefully at a club that isnt doomed for relegation. Looks like we will be without a job for a few months though...

[corinthiano]

2053/54 West African Review

CAF Champions League

8 West Africans at this stage is great, but only 4 of them make it through to the Quarter Finals. Special mention to ASC Kara who are the first Togolese club to make it this far. Not West African, but a great campaign for unfancied side Young Africans from Tanzania who top a tough group.

Hearts of Oak continue their recent dominance in this compeition as they win their 3rd title in 4 years and 5th in total.

CAF Confederation Cup

A poor performance this year as only 5 teams make it to this stage and only Dakkada and Asante Kotoko making it to the Quarter Final.

Raja Casablanca were the downfall of the two remaining teams as they beat Dakkada in the Quarter Final and edged Asante Kotoko in the final on penalties to win their 2nd Confederation Cup in 3 years and 4th overall.

West African League Rankings

The only movement between West African leagues in Mali taking over Guinea. Burkina Faso also slip further behind Togo.

League Champions

Amazingly 3 new champions this season as Unisport are joined by Académie SOAR in Guinea and Bo Rangers in Sierra Leone!

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Almost back to back relegations to them as they were bottom in the second tier at some point, but managed to climb up to 11th, one place and 3 points off the relegation zone. Early first round exit in the LFA Cup.

Kamboi Eagles: Another drop as they go from 6th to 10th this season.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Terrible season as they finish 3rd in the Liga Brava and are runners-up in the island cup.

AFC Nhacra: Bottled it massively as they were 6 points ahead with 2 games to go but somehow managed to lose those and concede the title on the last day...also knocked out early in the cup.

Ayéma FC: Go from 3rd to 4th this season, quite a distance from 1st.

CNEPS Excellence: Runners-up in the league again, but at least they win the League Cup this season. Disappointingly knocked out in the First Round of the Champions League by Club Africain and then by Ismaily as they dropped to the Confederation Cup.

Banjul Utd: The slump continues as they finish 15th and are relegated to an unplayable league again.

ASN NIGELEC: Unspectacular season again as they finish 7th in the Superligue and are knocked out in the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Niger.

Edited January 29, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

Santos Football Club de Ouagadougou

Santos Football Club de Ouagadougou are a club from Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou. They were founded in 1977 but have had limited success, with their best finish a runners-up place in the top flight in 2013. Since the save began they have been primarily a second tier side, but have yo-yo'd between the top two tiers in the last 3 years. They were sitting in bottom place with 2 points from 10 games when their manager was sacked, but have since improved that and are just a couple of points off safety with just over half the season to go.

They play their games at the decently sized Stade Issoufou Conombo, which is shared with a few other Ouagadougou clubs such as RC Kadiogo, CFFEB and rivals US Ouagadougou.

Assistant XI

First team looks to be well balanced although I imagine quite weak for Fasofoot D1 standards.

Top Rated Players

Decent young striker, should be OK at this level.

Too defensive to be a wing-back for us, but makes a good centre back.

Doesnt really play in the roles we us but should do a decent job for us.

Finances

In Debt as usual but not too much of a hole. We are close to the wage budget so might need to sell in order to improve the squad.

Current Standings / Next Fixtures

There is a lot of work to be done but we have time to save ourselves. Hosting the current league leader in your first game isnt ideal but it is what it is.

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

December 2054 / January 2055

I played ahead a bit as there was only one game in January before a mid-season break and the transfer window closed on the 10th. 1 win in 4 isnt great and this team is pretty bad and deserves to be where it is. On the positive side we are still within touching distance of the teams ahead of us, had a pretty depleted squad full of injuries and have made some good improvements to the squad in the transfer window, so I am optimistic for the second half of the season.

Transfers

In

Out

With not a lot of wage budget left we resorted to letting youngsters on high wages go and signed a lot of loan players for squad depth. We signed a couple of experienced Burkinabes as well as some good foreign youngsters to bulk up the squad. Here are the ones that will be starting for us.

Great young Cape Verdean, adds much needed firepower to the midfield.

Love a good attacking left back and he is exactly what we need.

Good experienced player, will be our BBM.

Another one to overhaul our midfield, will be our AP.

Next Fixtures

Returning from the break to play CF Rahimo away is not great, but the other two games we can certainly get results from.

[corinthiano]

February 2055

Getting battered at CF Rahimo and not giving the best of ourselves against US Comoé was disappointing, but we won the six-pointer against Djawaba-Djawaba FC and are out of the relegation zone with 9 games to go.

 

Next Fixtures

Would be great to pick up some points to a couple mid table teams at home and fully expect another big loss at ASFA-Yennenga.

Edited January 27, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

March 2055

Awful month. We are getting better defensively as evidenced by only losing by a single goal to ASFA-Yennenga, but our strikers dont have any confidence right now. The only silver lining is that the teams around us are awful too, the only reason we are back in the relegation places is that Bouloumpoukou Sport beat Royal FC.

Next Fixtures

The game against Royal FC will be huge, I will probably field a weaker side in the Coupe du Faso to make sure we are refreshed for the clash.

[corinthiano]

April 2055

We have started playing better but it just hasnt been good enough and we are still in the relegation places with 3 games to go. The game against CFFEB was particularly gutting as we were leading until the 85th minute when we missed a penalty and they scored and equalizer 2 minutes later. In the Coupe du Faso we did well reaching the last 16 and despite leading for most of the game we couldnt quite keep Salitas FC at bay.

Next Fixtures

We simply have to beat Bouloumpoukou Sport if we want to have any chance of staying up.

[corinthiano]

May 2055

Key performances at the right time ensure we stay in the Fasofoot D1!

[corinthiano]

2054/55 Season Review

It was tough and we were outplayed most of the time, but we did what we came to do and managed to stay in the top flight.

Squad by Appearances

We chopped and changed a lot during the season, so there was not much of an established first XI, especially in defense. You also know you had a tough season when your top scorer only has 5 goals.

Best XI

Top Performers

Things could have been worse if it wasnt for his saves. Was a solid experienced head at the back and saved a couple penalties too.

Doesnt really fit with our style of play, despite that did reasonably well as our DLP.

Great prospect and had some good games, a bit inconsistent though. Lots of clubs sniffing around so lets see if we can keep him.

Finances

Havent lost that much money since I took over. Wage budget is pretty much the same for next season, but we are releasing a bunch of players so there will be opportunity to improve the squad.

Progress

Objectives achieved in our first year in Burkina Faso. We are very far away from a title challenge though and I would be open to moving to a stronger team.

[corinthiano]

2054/55 West African Review

CAF Champions League

Not as strong of a presence as last season as 6 teams make it to the group stage, including a first time appearances for CS Duguwolofila. Only three teams however make it past this stage into the Quarter Final.

Those three do really well though as they all get to the Semi Final and we have an all West Africa final, with Hearts of Oak winning their 4th title in 5 years and 6th in total.

CAF Confederation Cup

Only 5 teams at this stage for a second year in a row, but this time all but one make it past this stage. Académie SOAR the only eliminated on their debut at this stage.

Stade Malien the only team to make it past the Quarters, but they went all the way and smashed AS Vita Club to win their second title and first since 2009.

West African League Rankings

One change of places near the top as Nigeria overtake Senegal into second place.

League Champions

Guinea has a first time winner for a second successive year. We could be in for interesting times there as Horoya AC has been poor in the last couple of seasons, only finishing 9th this time around.

Former Champions

MC Breweries: Very close to promotion as they finished 3rd in the second tier, but lost the promotion playoff to 4th placed Small Town.

Kamboi Eagles: Continue the slip as they only finish 12th this year.

Nô Pintcha da Brava: Convincingly won the Liga Brava title back but couldnt get out of the group in the Cape Verdean Competition. Runners-up in the Taça Brava again.

AFC Nhacra: This time there was no bottling as they finished 7 points ahead of second and comfortably won their 5th title. Knocked out early in the cup though.

Ayéma FC: Slip further down as they finish 5th.

CNEPS Excellence: Win their first league in a few years and claim a double with the League Cup. Disappointingly knocked out in the Champions League preliminary round by Young Africans from Tanzania.

Banjul Utd: Still unplayable as they fail to get back up to the second tier.

ASN NIGELEC: Unspectacular season again as they finish 6th in the Superligue and are knocked out in the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Niger.

Unisport: Great season as they comfortably retain the title, finishing 4 points ahead of ASC Kara. Knocked out by ES Sètif in the First Round of the Champions League and Al-Hilal Omdurman in the Second Round of the Confederation Cup.

Edited February 5, 2023 by corinthiano

[corinthiano]

2055/56 Season Preview

We are predicted last, even behind the promoted sides. The board are going in the other direction and want us not to only attempt, but avoid relegation completely. The first XI has been improved, but the squad morale is still not great so hopefully we can get some good early results to turn that around.

Transfers

In

Out

It was clear we needed to overhaul the squad so I released a bunch of fringe players and youngsters that were not good enough to free up wage budget to improve the squad. Overall I am happy with the signings, apart from up front where I ran out of foreign slots and couldnt find good strikers. Soumaila Kgambega and Josué Bélem were making noises about leaving and seeing as they were only squad players I let them leave and signed them back on loan. Here are the players that will most likely feature in the First XI:

Young, an upgrade on what we had and signed from a relegation rival, all round good business.

CF Rahimo youth product, didnt make it there but hopefully can perform well for us at RB.

Good experienced defender, already kicking up a fuss though because I sold Josué Bélem.

Another youth product from a big club, ASFA-Yennenga released him and we are happy to have him at the back.

Had to go abroad for a DLP as there was little talent in Burkina Faso.

Decent midfielder, will be playing Mezzala for us.

The new BBM in our all new look midfield.

Youngster from Guinea-Bissau to spearhead our midfield as our AP.

Best XI

Pretty aligned with out Assistant other the LB where we should be playing the Gambian youngster Diallo.

Initial Fixtures

Royal FC at home to get us started is a good opportunity to begin the season well.