Marked for Djibrine Ndoram
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Dec 2026
“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 The request is on a desk at US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Oumar Moustapha and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I watch every US Moursal game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Galactik runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Oumar Youssouf
“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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Somebody has moved past him. It is not a dropping and it is worse than one, because a dropping is about a Saturday and this is about where he stands.
Squad7 Dec 2026
He is 27, he is from here, and the shirt he was raised to wear has gone to somebody bought for it. The academy staff have noticed, and so has the town.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at US Moursal than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
Looking ahead7 Dec 2026
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against AS Algoy in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Market7 Dec 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Saleh Hissein signs something — a contract at US Moursal or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Nov 2026
Beaten 0‑3 by Renaissance, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match28 Nov 2026
No end in sight to US Moursal's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at US Moursal has to find a result from somewhere.
Match28 Nov 2026
6 matches without a goal for US Moursal
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Ali 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A row about effort at US Moursal
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moussa Moustapha was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Saleh Hissein
“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.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Narcisse Hissein after 0‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market12 Oct 2026
Ali Abakar 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Ali 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
A row about effort at US Moursal
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Moussa Moustapha was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I did not go to AS DGSSIE to sit and watch. I want to come back to US Moursal and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Ahmat Mbaiguedem is the weekend's best young player
At 19 he is being measured against the rest of the division's kids and coming out in front. The senior version of this award is where the club would like this to lead.
Market12 Oct 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Oumar Moustapha signs something — a contract at US Moursal or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.