Marked for Saleh Souleymane
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Oct 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings25 Oct 2027
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.80, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Market25 Oct 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at US Moursal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad25 Oct 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match23 Oct 2027
Three points for US Moursal, 2‑1 the final word against Galactik in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Loan watch25 Oct 2027
“I did not go to AS DGSSIE to sit and watch. I want to come back to US Moursal and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Issa Mbaiguedem commits to US Moursal for another 3 years.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“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.
Market25 Oct 2027
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what US Moursal could get for him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Sep 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 The request is on a desk at US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market20 Sep 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ezechiel Tokindang will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad20 Sep 2027
At 24 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 4 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Squad20 Sep 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marius Mbainaissem, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Sep 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Saleh Ndoram is 23, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Market6 Sep 2027
Only the photograph left for Hassan Mahamat
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Hassan Mahamat will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad6 Sep 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Sep 2027
At 34 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Saleh Souleymane commits to US Moursal for another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market23 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.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 20 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad23 Aug 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Brahim Souleymane has improved at 24, which nobody expected
Careers are supposed to plateau and then decline, and the players who ignore that are always the ones who were listening on the training ground. 3 points of it, over months, at an age where the direction normally only goes one way.
Squad23 Aug 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 US Moursal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 May 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Market31 May 2027
Brahim Haroun has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around US Moursal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad31 May 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad31 May 2027
Words at US Moursal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Idriss Souleymane 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.
Loan watch31 May 2027
“I did not go to Aiglons to sit and watch. I want to come back to US Moursal and fight for my place.” 14 appearances in 42 matches say the rest.
Squad31 May 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 US Moursal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 May 2027
Only the photograph left for Ali Doungous
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ali Doungous will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad17 May 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch17 May 2027
“I did not go to AS DGSSIE to sit and watch. I want to come back to US Moursal and fight for my place.” 12 appearances in 40 matches say the rest.
Market17 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. US Moursal know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad17 May 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 US Moursal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 May 2027
US Moursal have let the market know Moussa Ngaradoumbe 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. 14 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market26 Apr 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Market26 Apr 2027
Only the photograph left for Hassan Mahamat
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Hassan Mahamat will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Idriss Souleymane 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.
Loan watch26 Apr 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at US Moursal, and 7 appearances in 37 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 21 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market19 Apr 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 Apr 2027
Ali Doungous has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around US Moursal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
Loan watch19 Apr 2027
“I did not go to AS DGSSIE to sit and watch. I want to come back to US Moursal and fight for my place.” 12 appearances in 36 matches say the rest.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Saleh Ndoram 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
Squad12 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 28 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market12 Apr 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Brahim Souleymane will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad12 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
“I watch every US Moursal game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at AS DGSSIE runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Idriss Souleymane trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Apr 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 35 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market5 Apr 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.
Market5 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at US Moursal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Idriss Souleymane 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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The young player of the month award goes to a 17-year-old at US Moursal who has looked like the finished article for four weekends running. The next four are the ones that decide whether he is.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 42 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market29 Mar 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.
Market29 Mar 2027
Only the photograph left for Hassan Mahamat
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Hassan Mahamat will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad29 Mar 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words at US Moursal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Idriss Souleymane 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.
Match27 Mar 2027
0‑2 to Elect Sport, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saleh Tokindang, and the manager let it.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
An afternoon Saleh Ndoram will want back
Marked 5.47. Nothing he attempted worked and by the hour mark he had stopped attempting much, which is the part a manager notices rather than the mistakes.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad22 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 49 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market22 Mar 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
No sign of nerves from Idriss Souleymane at 19 — 8.54
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Idriss Souleymane did not need any: 8.54, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market22 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at US Moursal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match20 Mar 2027
Nobody wants to play US Moursal right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
The terraces22 Mar 2027
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Marked 8.07 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad15 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 56 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match13 Mar 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation US Moursal did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Marius Mbainaissem did not need any: 8.58, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market15 Mar 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.
Market15 Mar 2027
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around US Moursal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad15 Mar 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Mar 2027
US Moursal make home a hard place to visit
9 without defeat on their own grass. The pitch has not changed; the crowd has — louder earlier, and quicker to sense when the opposition would rather be somewhere else.
Match13 Mar 2027
It finished 2‑1, and it was Saleh Tokindang’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to US Moursal.
The terraces15 Mar 2027
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 63 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match6 Mar 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation US Moursal did not have in the autumn.
Market8 Mar 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market8 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at US Moursal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Youssouf Haroun and US Moursal agree another 3 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
15 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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 ratings8 Mar 2027
21 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.56 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Mar 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 70 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market1 Mar 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Match27 Feb 2027
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation US Moursal did not have in the autumn.
Market1 Mar 2027
Only the photograph left for Hassan Mahamat
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Hassan Mahamat will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad1 Mar 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Getting past Abdoulaye Abakar has become the hardest job in the division
14 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Match27 Feb 2027
8 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saleh Tokindang, and the manager let it.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. 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
Steady
Squad22 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 77 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market22 Feb 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Market22 Feb 2027
Only the photograph left for Ali Doungous
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ali Doungous will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
“I watch every US Moursal game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at AS DGSSIE runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad22 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Ezechiel 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.
Squad22 Feb 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.
Market22 Feb 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Abdoulaye Abakar signs something — a contract at US Moursal or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Loan watch22 Feb 2027
20 appearances at AS DGSSIE and the goals keep coming. US Moursal are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 84 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match13 Feb 2027
Whatever happens, US Moursal do not lose
11 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market15 Feb 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market15 Feb 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Brahim Souleymane will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around US Moursal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market15 Feb 2027
The Aiglons deal is off
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Ali Bechir reports back to US Moursal with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Squad15 Feb 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Getting past Abdoulaye Abakar has become the hardest job in the division
13 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
Loan watch15 Feb 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at US Moursal, and 5 appearances in 27 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 91 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market8 Feb 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match6 Feb 2027
Still nobody has beaten US Moursal
The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Boardroom8 Feb 2027
The US Moursal board want somebody sold
The instruction has come from upstairs rather than from the dugout, which is the version of this conversation no manager enjoys. Somebody in that squad is now available whether the man who picks the team thinks so or not.
Market8 Feb 2027
Aiglons come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and US Moursal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market8 Feb 2027
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Brahim Haroun reports back to US Moursal with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Idriss Mbainaissem 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.
The terraces8 Feb 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 17-year-old it feels ownership of. Moussa Ngaradoumbe 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.
Match6 Feb 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Saleh Tokindang. 1‑0 against AS DGSSIE, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Feb 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 98 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market1 Feb 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 US Moursal can pretend not to have heard.
Match30 Jan 2027
Still nobody has beaten US Moursal
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market1 Feb 2027
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Moussa Ngaradoumbe reports back to US Moursal with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Youssouf Haroun 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.
Market1 Feb 2027
Idriss Bechir has left for AS Etat Major in a $6.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Market1 Feb 2027
The name of Idriss Souleymane has come up in conversations US Moursal were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Saleh Tokindang, and the manager let it.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Getting past Abdoulaye Abakar has become the hardest job in the division
11 clean sheets and counting. Forwards used to back themselves here; now they shoot early, shoot wide, and look for somebody to blame.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad25 Jan 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 105 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market25 Jan 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
No sign of nerves from Idriss Souleymane at 19 — 8.60
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Idriss Souleymane did not need any: 8.60, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market25 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match23 Jan 2027
Whatever happens, US Moursal do not lose
8 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
Ali Doungous has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around US Moursal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad25 Jan 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Idriss Souleymane 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 terraces25 Jan 2027
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 112 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market18 Jan 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.
Market18 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Idriss Souleymane, 19, plays like he has been here for years — 7.78
A mark of 7.78 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 19-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Match16 Jan 2027
Still nobody has beaten US Moursal
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Abdramane Oumar 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Words at US Moursal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Idriss Souleymane 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad11 Jan 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 119 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market11 Jan 2027
The bid was some way short and US Moursal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Djibrine Oumar, 18, plays like he has been here for years — 7.72
A mark of 7.72 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 18-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Market11 Jan 2027
Ahmat Mahamat 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.
Squad11 Jan 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 US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Jan 2027
Whatever happens, US Moursal 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
39 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match9 Jan 2027
A 1‑0 win over CotonTchad, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Jan 2027
Abdramane Oumar damages knee ligaments — 17 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 17 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.
Squad4 Jan 2027
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 126 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad4 Jan 2027
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Djibrine Oumar, 18, plays like he has been here for years — 7.79
A mark of 7.79 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 18-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
Market4 Jan 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 US Moursal, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market4 Jan 2027
Add another name to the list: Gazelle have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Idriss Souleymane. The answer from US Moursal has not changed — yet.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Abdramane Oumar 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.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I watch every US Moursal game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at AS DGSSIE runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The terraces4 Jan 2027
At 17 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
Abdramane Oumar 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.
Squad28 Dec 2026
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 133 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market28 Dec 2026
“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.
Match28 Dec 2026
US Moursal are in real trouble now
Position 11, 10 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad28 Dec 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad28 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Loan watch28 Dec 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at US Moursal, and 0 appearances in 19 say he has earned the hearing.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 92% of everything US Moursal earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Match26 Dec 2026
Point won or two lost for US Moursal?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Elect Sport? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Abdramane Oumar damages knee ligaments — 31 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 31 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 140 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market21 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” US Moursal may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
20 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.
Loan watch21 Dec 2026
“I watch every US Moursal game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at AS DGSSIE runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Match19 Dec 2026
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Foullah Edifice will be the happier side with the point.
Market21 Dec 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Abdoulaye Abakar’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Abdramane Oumar damages knee ligaments — 38 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 38 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
A fracture rules Saleh Souleymane out for 147 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason US Moursal will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
No sign of nerves from Djibrine Oumar at 18 — 7.77
The hardest thing about being 18 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Djibrine Oumar did not need any: 7.77, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Market14 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match12 Dec 2026
Three points for US Moursal, 1‑0 the final word against Aiglons in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.04 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch14 Dec 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at US Moursal, and 4 appearances in 18 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings14 Dec 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
Crisis
Squad30 Nov 2026
Abdramane Oumar damages knee ligaments — 52 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 52 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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 63 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match28 Nov 2026
No end in sight to US Moursal's wait for a win
9 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.
Match30 Nov 2026
Every point is an argument now for US Moursal
Position 13 and 4 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market30 Nov 2026
“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.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
No sign of nerves from Djibrine Oumar at 18 — 7.60
The hardest thing about being 18 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Djibrine Oumar did not need any: 7.60, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
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
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at US Moursal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match28 Nov 2026
AS Algoy left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.