Marked for Andre Essien
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad1 Jan 2029
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.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Galactik know it.
Match30 Dec 2028
0‑1 to Aiglons, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Andre Essien 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.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market25 Dec 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 The request is on a desk at Galactik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Abanga Mahamat Youssouf 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 ratings25 Dec 2028
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.
Match23 Dec 2028
0‑2 to AS Etat Major, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad25 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Saidu Lawan
“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.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Words at Galactik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andre Essien 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
Steady
Market11 Dec 2028
Andre Essien 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.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Ousmane Biani pulls a muscle — 15 days out
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 15 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Ousmane Biani 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market20 Nov 2028
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.
Squad20 Nov 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.
Match18 Nov 2028
AS PSI left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Andre Essien 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 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simione Seru, and the manager let it.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 34. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market13 Nov 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Abanga Mahamat Youssouf 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Words at Galactik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ousmane Biani 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 terraces13 Nov 2028
At 23 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.
Match11 Nov 2028
CotonTchad made Galactik work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Marked 7.73. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
Squad13 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Abdul Sahil
“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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
One booking too many, and Abanga Mahamat Youssouf sits out. Galactik lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 49. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market30 Oct 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 Galactik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match28 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Galactik's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Galactik has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Ousmane Biani 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 Oct 2028
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Galactik are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Match28 Oct 2028
Ousmane Biani scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to US Moursal, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad30 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Saidu Lawan
“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.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Words at Galactik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andre Essien 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.
Market30 Oct 2028
The Saidu Lawan talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Galactik know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Oct 2028
Andre Essien 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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Abanga Mahamat Youssouf 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 ratings16 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match14 Oct 2028
Galactik cannot find the net
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Match14 Oct 2028
Elect Sport left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad16 Oct 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad9 Oct 2028
63 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad9 Oct 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.
Player ratings9 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match7 Oct 2028
0‑1 to Foullah Edifice, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Andre Essien 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.
Squad9 Oct 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Abdul Sahil and Galactik agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Sep 2028
Youssouf Abdraman damages knee ligaments — 15 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 15 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.
Market25 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.
Market25 Sep 2028
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.
Squad25 Sep 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.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ryan Chandra and Galactik agree another 2 years.
Squad25 Sep 2028
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
Uneasy
Squad18 Sep 2028
Youssouf Abdraman damages knee ligaments — 22 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 22 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.
Market18 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.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Abanga Mahamat Youssouf 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 Sep 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Shuaibu Olofu and Galactik agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad18 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Waisake Soga
“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.
Market18 Sep 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Galactik know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Sep 2028
Ousmane Biani damages knee ligaments — 22 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 22 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.
Market4 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.
Market4 Sep 2028
The deal that would have taken Yahya Salahshour to Stars Jeunes Talents has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Galactik with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad4 Sep 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.
Squad4 Sep 2028
At 24 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.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Galactik know it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Aug 2028
Ousmane Biani damages knee ligaments — 36 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 36 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.
Market21 Aug 2028
Andre Essien 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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Amir Khamatdinov is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 22 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad31 Jul 2028
Ousmane Biani damages knee ligaments — 57 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 57 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.
Market31 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 Galactik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market31 Jul 2028
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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Abanga Mahamat Youssouf 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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marius Ngaradoumbe commits to Galactik for another 3 years.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Waisake Soga 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 Jul 2028
Ousmane Biani damages knee ligaments — 78 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 78 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.
Market10 Jul 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.
Boardroom10 Jul 2028
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Market10 Jul 2028
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Mahamat Mbaiguedem is a Galactik player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Squad10 Jul 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.
Boardroom10 Jul 2028
Gazelle will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Vava Mario Yagalo has pre-agreed a move to Galactik, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.