Marked for Brahim Ndoram
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match12 Mar 2029
Galactik are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 45 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
The terraces12 Mar 2029
Something is building at Galactik
Position 2 with 45 on the board, and the queues outside the ticket office are the part of a promotion push that never shows up in a table. The town has decided this one is real.
Market12 Mar 2029
Brahim Ndoram has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Galactik they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Words exchanged at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match10 Mar 2029
Whatever happens, Galactik do not lose
6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Match10 Mar 2029
The run at home goes on for Galactik
9 matches unbeaten here. Every visiting manager is asked about it in the week before, which is precisely why it keeps going.
Match10 Mar 2029
It finished 3‑1, and it was Joël Djingar’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Galactik.
Squad12 Mar 2029
A row about effort at Galactik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joël Djingar was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout12 Mar 2029
This is not rotation. Samba Dembele has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Galactik is pretending otherwise.
In brief
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Looking ahead
The big one: Renaissance come into view
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Player ratings
Ninety minutes of Joël Djingar at his very best
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Match
Galactik hit back inside 2 minutes
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad12 Feb 2029
Benjamin Ngakoutou damages knee ligaments — 24 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 24 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match12 Feb 2029
Galactik refuse to drop out of the race
Position 2, 35 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
The dugout12 Feb 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Galactik may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market12 Feb 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Galactik is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Words exchanged at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Ali Diakité falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match10 Feb 2029
US Moursal made Galactik work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Transfer targets12 Feb 2029
The clock did what AS Etat Major would not, and ended it. Supporters who watched the countdown will spend the next window doing it again.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad22 Jan 2029
45 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Galactik lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market22 Jan 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Galactik can pretend not to have heard.
Market22 Jan 2029
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Galactik have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Match20 Jan 2029
Whatever happens, Galactik do not lose
10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad22 Jan 2029
A falling-out at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets22 Jan 2029
Galactik asked and CotonTchad said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad22 Jan 2029
A row about effort at Galactik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ali Diakité was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The terraces22 Jan 2029
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 23-year-old it feels ownership of. Abdramane Youssouf has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Sep 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad11 Sep 2028
A falling-out at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Ali Diakité falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets11 Sep 2028
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Galactik will try again when the window opens; AS Algoy may not be selling by then.
The dugout11 Sep 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Market11 Sep 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Mohamed El Ouardi signs something — a contract at Galactik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Match11 Sep 2028
Galactik have something to play for
Position 5 on 38 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
Market11 Sep 2028
The shop window has Kwame Bukari in it
Galactik have let the market know Kwame Bukari can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Market11 Sep 2028
Galactik opened the door and nobody walked through it. So Ezechiel Ngaradoumbe stays — listed, trained, and available — while both sides mark the days to January on the same calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market28 Aug 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market28 Aug 2028
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. AS Algoy have lost him in all but the paperwork.
The dugout28 Aug 2028
This is not rotation. Adam Djimet has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Market28 Aug 2028
The name of Brahim Abakar has come up in conversations AS Algoy were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Transfer targets28 Aug 2028
AS Algoy asked and Galactik said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad28 Aug 2028
A falling-out at AS Algoy
Florent Warna and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout28 Aug 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout28 Aug 2028
Brahim Abakar knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Brahim Abakar trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Aug 2028
Issa Hissein hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Galactik can pretend not to have heard.
Market14 Aug 2028
Galactik say no — this time
The offer from AS Algoy for Brahim Ndoram was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad14 Aug 2028
A falling-out at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Aug 2028
Words at Galactik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Joël Djingar is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Aug 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout14 Aug 2028
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Market14 Aug 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Mohamed El Ouardi signs something — a contract at Galactik or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market14 Aug 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout14 Aug 2028
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Jul 2028
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and US Moursal waiting with a shirt. Nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market10 Jul 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout10 Jul 2028
This is not rotation. Oumar Doungous has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets10 Jul 2028
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Words exchanged at AS Algoy
Florent Warna and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout10 Jul 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Brahim Abakar, and the manager let it.
The dugout10 Jul 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Ezechiel Ngaradoumbe is on it.
Market10 Jul 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Abdoulaye Abba signs something — a contract at AS Algoy or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market10 Jul 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 May 2028
31 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Galactik lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad15 May 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Galactik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 May 2028
Words at Galactik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ali Diakité is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout15 May 2028
Issa Hissein gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout15 May 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mohamed El Ouardi is on it.
The dugout15 May 2028
Dhayfallah Kadri asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Adam Abakar in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AS Algoy this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets24 Jan 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Galactik have kept their man, and AS Algoy go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Nicolas Fai
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market24 Jan 2028
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Oumar Tokindang has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at AS Algoy.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
The manager has not finished forgetting Oumar Tokindang's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
Brahim Abakar gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Brahim Abakar is on it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Dec 2027
The knee: Issa Hissein out for 24 days
24 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Galactik lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad20 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Galactik this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Dec 2027
Ousmane Hissein falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad20 Dec 2027
No place for Ali Diakité in the new shape
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Galactik are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Mohamed El Ouardi has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Galactik will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Galactik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
The manager makes an example of Brahim Ndoram
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Looking ahead20 Dec 2027
AS Algoy next, and one man in the Galactik dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
Market20 Dec 2027
The name of Mohamed El Ouardi keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Galactik say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match30 Oct 2027
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.96, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Mohamed El Ouardi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
Youssouf Abdraman was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.61. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Player ratings1 Nov 2027
A performance of 8.26 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Mahamat Bechir kept it short after the 3‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Dhayfallah Kadri trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Oct 2027
Words exchanged at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Galactik will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Marius Djimet and Galactik agree another 3 years.
The dugout11 Oct 2027
Joël Djingar has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Galactik will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Looking ahead11 Oct 2027
A test against the best for Galactik
The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Elect Sport.
Market11 Oct 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Mohamed El Ouardi’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
This is not rotation. Ezechiel Mbainaissem has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Words exchanged at AS Algoy
Adam Abakar and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
AS Algoy asked and Galactik said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market16 Aug 2027
Brahim Ndoram has left for Galactik in a $14.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A row about effort at AS Algoy
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ezechiel Mbainaissem was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
Nobody at AS Algoy will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marius Moustapha, and the manager let it.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Somebody else’s transfer, somebody else’s headline. What it left at AS Algoy is a friend gone and a player who keeps looking at the space.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market16 Aug 2027
Galactik say no — this time
The offer from AS Police for Ousmane Biani was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market16 Aug 2027
The paperwork is done: Brahim Ndoram joins from AS Algoy in a deal worth $14.0K. Now comes the harder part.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Words exchanged at Galactik
Mohamed El Ouardi and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The terraces16 Aug 2027
The town asked, and Galactik paid $14.0K
Brahim Ndoram was the name on every phone-in, and the club has gone and signed him for $14.0K. For one week the board can do no wrong, which is a week most boards never get.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Stars Jeunes Talents have kept their man, and Galactik go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad16 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Galactik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ousmane Hissein was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
Joël Djingar has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Galactik will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Market16 Aug 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Abanga Mahamat Youssouf’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad16 Aug 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Galactik will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
In brief
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Match
Galactik have something to play for
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Squad
The penny has dropped for Issa Abba
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Boardroom
Galactik board back the manager
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market9 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what AS Algoy can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
This is not rotation. Brahim Ndoram has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Squad9 Aug 2027
A row about effort at AS Algoy
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ezechiel Mbainaissem was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
Squad9 Aug 2027
AS Algoy are still strangers to each other
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout9 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Adam Ndoram
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market9 Aug 2027
The name of Issa Mbainaissem keeps appearing in other people's back pages. AS Algoy say nothing, which says plenty.
Market9 Aug 2027
AS Algoy have let the market know Ezechiel Mbainaissem can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Transfer targets9 Aug 2027
The clubs have shaken hands with AS Algoy; the player has not yet. Personal terms are next, and personal terms are where more deals die than anybody prints.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Abanga Mahamat Youssouf and Galactik agree another 3 years.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Mohamed El Ouardi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets9 Aug 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Foullah Edifice have kept their man, and Galactik go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad9 Aug 2027
A row about effort at Galactik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ousmane Hissein was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Galactik are still strangers to each other
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market2 Aug 2027
The bid was some way short and AS Algoy did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
This is not rotation. Adam Djimet has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets2 Aug 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. AS PSI have kept their man, and AS Algoy go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad2 Aug 2027
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Brahim Abakar
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market19 Jul 2027
Brahim Ndoram has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around AS Algoy they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market19 Jul 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Aiglons waiting with a shirt. Nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
This is not rotation. Ezechiel Mbainaissem has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Stars Jeunes Talents have kept their man, and AS Algoy go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Ezechiel Mbainaissem falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad19 Jul 2027
A falling-out at AS Algoy
Hassan Doungous and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
Nobody at AS Algoy will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jul 2027
Gazelle come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and AS Algoy did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
This is not rotation. Brahim Ndoram has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Adam Djimet commits to AS Algoy for another 3 years.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Adam Abakar was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
AS Algoy asked and Galactik said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market12 Jul 2027
Brahim Ndoram is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at AS Algoy has been clear about where Brahim Ndoram stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Adam Djimet
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market12 Jul 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. AS Algoy have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
Abdoulaye Abba is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad28 Jun 2027
A falling-out at AS Algoy
Adam Abakar and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Ezechiel Mbainaissem falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout28 Jun 2027
This is not rotation. Abdramane Abakar has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Market28 Jun 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Brahim Ndoram may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Market28 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. AS Algoy know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market21 Jun 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and AS Etat Major waiting with a shirt. Nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
This is not rotation. Ezechiel Mbainaissem has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets21 Jun 2027
AS Algoy asked and Stars Jeunes Talents said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market21 Jun 2027
The name of Hassan Doungous has come up in conversations AS Algoy were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
Nobody at AS Algoy will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout21 Jun 2027
The manager makes an example of Hassan Doungous
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market21 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. AS Algoy know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Loan watch21 Jun 2027
23 appearances away from home and 5 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
Loan watch21 Jun 2027
22 appearances away from home and 4 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Jun 2027
Issa Abba sold, and an era ends
$16.0K from Galactik for Issa Abba. Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Market14 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market14 Jun 2027
AS Algoy say no — this time
The offer from Gazelle for Brahim Ndoram was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The terraces14 Jun 2027
AS Algoy sell a favourite for $16.0K
The accountants will call it good business and they will be right, which is not the point anybody outside the boardroom is making. Issa Abba was one of the reasons people came, and $16.0K does not replace that by itself.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
This is not rotation. Brahim Ndoram has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
AS Algoy asked and Galactik said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market14 Jun 2027
AS DGSSIE paid $2.0K and AS Algoy took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Words at AS Algoy training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ezechiel Mbainaissem is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout24 May 2027
This is not rotation. Ezechiel Mbainaissem has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Squad24 May 2027
Words exchanged at AS Algoy
Adam Abakar and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad24 May 2027
Ezechiel Mbainaissem falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout24 May 2027
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
The dugout24 May 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout24 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Oumar Tokindang
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market24 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. AS Algoy know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Loan watch24 May 2027
23 appearances at US Moursal and the goals keep coming. AS Algoy are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Market24 May 2027
AS Algoy have let the market know Brahim Ndoram can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Apr 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 51 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market26 Apr 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at AS Algoy, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
This is not rotation. Ezechiel Mbainaissem has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at AS Algoy is pretending otherwise.
Squad26 Apr 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Issa Mbainaissem and AS Algoy agree another 3 years.
Squad26 Apr 2027
A row about effort at AS Algoy
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ezechiel Mbainaissem was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad26 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at AS Algoy this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Ezechiel Ngaradoumbe is on it.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market26 Apr 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. AS Algoy know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.