From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Sep 2030
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad9 Sep 2030
“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.
Market9 Sep 2030
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Sep 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market2 Sep 2030
“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 Sep 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad2 Sep 2030
The medical room confirms 109 days on the sidelines for Abdoulaye Tokindang, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad2 Sep 2030
Kwanele Msomi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market2 Sep 2030
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom26 Aug 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Binga
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market26 Aug 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market26 Aug 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market26 Aug 2030
The name of Logan Sambrook has come up in conversations Binga were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad26 Aug 2030
The manager makes an example of Mujahid Ibrahim
“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.
Market26 Aug 2030
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Aug 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market19 Aug 2030
Chris Reid 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Aug 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Owen Mboya and Binga agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad19 Aug 2030
“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.
Market19 Aug 2030
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad19 Aug 2030
Somebody is after Alou Doumbia’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Alou Doumbia suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Binga have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Aug 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market12 Aug 2030
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market12 Aug 2030
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Jahongir Isomiddinov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom5 Aug 2030
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Match5 Aug 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market5 Aug 2030
“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 Aug 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market5 Aug 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Boardroom5 Aug 2030
$542.1K taken back off the Binga table
What was available in the summer has quietly gone. Upstairs nobody will call it a change of ambition; downstairs nobody will call it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom29 Jul 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Binga
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market29 Jul 2030
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market29 Jul 2030
“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 Jul 2030
The name of Logan Sambrook has come up in conversations Binga were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad29 Jul 2030
Adama Traoré 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.
Market29 Jul 2030
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Jul 2030
“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.
Market22 Jul 2030
Namory Diarra has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market22 Jul 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad22 Jul 2030
Samual Nuako 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.
Market22 Jul 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad22 Jul 2030
Kwanele Msomi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market15 Jul 2030
Samual Nuako 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market15 Jul 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market15 Jul 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match8 Jul 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market8 Jul 2030
“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.
Market8 Jul 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad8 Jul 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Thomas Bukari and Binga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market8 Jul 2030
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad8 Jul 2030
“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
Uneasy
Boardroom1 Jul 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Binga
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market1 Jul 2030
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market1 Jul 2030
“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.
Market1 Jul 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad1 Jul 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Abdoulaye Abakar and Binga agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Adama Traoré 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
Market24 Jun 2030
“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.
Market24 Jun 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad24 Jun 2030
Samual Nuako 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.
Market24 Jun 2030
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market24 Jun 2030
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Binga money.
Squad24 Jun 2030
The move was somebody else's story. What it left behind was a dressing-room stall nobody has taken and a player who keeps looking at it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Jun 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Jun 2030
The manager makes an example of Alou Doumbia
“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.
Market17 Jun 2030
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match10 Jun 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market10 Jun 2030
“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.
Market10 Jun 2030
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market10 Jun 2030
He is 20, and nobody at Binga signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market10 Jun 2030
He is 18, and nobody at Binga signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad10 Jun 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ousmane Tamboura commits to Binga for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Binga
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market3 Jun 2030
“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.
Market3 Jun 2030
The name of Jahongir Isomiddinov has come up in conversations Binga were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market3 Jun 2030
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Alou Doumbia has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Alou Doumbia keeps the shirt for now, at Binga's convenience rather than his own.
Squad3 Jun 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 May 2030
Brian Birgen 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 May 2030
Kabiru Murtala 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.
Market27 May 2030
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 May 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 May 2030
Adama Traoré 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.
Squad20 May 2030
Kabiru Murtala knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 May 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market13 May 2030
“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.
Market13 May 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad13 May 2030
Samual Nuako 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.
Squad13 May 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Boubacar Tamboura commits to Binga for another 3 years.
Squad13 May 2030
“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
Uneasy
Boardroom6 May 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Binga
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad6 May 2030
Binga will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Boardroom6 May 2030
Binga pull $542.1K back off the table
The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.
Market6 May 2030
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market6 May 2030
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Binga money.
Squad6 May 2030
The captaincy goes to Massiré Gassama. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Apr 2030
Brian Birgen 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Apr 2030
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kofi Duffour commits to Binga for another 4 years.
Squad29 Apr 2030
Daniel Atlan 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.
Market29 Apr 2030
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market29 Apr 2030
Binga have made Daniel Atlan available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Boardroom29 Apr 2030
The Binga production line keeps running
20 graduates out of an academy now rated 3 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Apr 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad22 Apr 2030
Daniel Atlan: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Binga have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad22 Apr 2030
The manager makes an example of Buhle Majavu
“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
Match15 Apr 2030
Binga sink to position 12
23 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market15 Apr 2030
“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 Apr 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Samual Nuako 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.
Market15 Apr 2030
The name of Abbey Benson keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Mujahid Ibrahim 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
Uneasy
Market8 Apr 2030
“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.
Squad8 Apr 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Alou Doumbia and Binga agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Apr 2030
The manager makes an example of Mujahid Ibrahim
“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.
Squad8 Apr 2030
Kabiru Murtala knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market8 Apr 2030
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market8 Apr 2030
2 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Binga could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market1 Apr 2030
“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.
Squad1 Apr 2030
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.
Match30 Mar 2030
Still nobody has beaten Binga
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad1 Apr 2030
“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.
Match30 Mar 2030
Etoiles du Mande made Binga work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad1 Apr 2030
At 18 years old, Bakary Dembele became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Mar 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market25 Mar 2030
“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.
Match23 Mar 2030
Three points for Binga, 4-2 the final word against US Bougouba in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad25 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Daniel Atlan
“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 Mar 2030
No place for Samual Nuako on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Binga pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad25 Mar 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market25 Mar 2030
The name of Mnqobi Mzize keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market25 Mar 2030
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Logan Sambrook may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Market25 Mar 2030
3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Binga could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match18 Mar 2030
Binga are in real trouble now
Position 13, 17 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.
Market18 Mar 2030
Brian Birgen 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market18 Mar 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad18 Mar 2030
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.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Samual Nuako 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.
Match16 Mar 2030
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. US Bougouni defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market18 Mar 2030
The name of Abbey Benson keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market18 Mar 2030
Binga have made Jahongir Isomiddinov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Mujahid Ibrahim unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Mujahid Ibrahim has let it be known that he does not like the way Binga are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Mar 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Mar 2030
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.
Squad11 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Alou Doumbia
“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.
Squad11 Mar 2030
No place for Kofi Duffour on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Binga pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Match9 Mar 2030
Honours even between Binga and Djoliba
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Market11 Mar 2030
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Mar 2030
Kwanele Msomi 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Kwanele Msomi
“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.
Match2 Mar 2030
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad4 Mar 2030
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market4 Mar 2030
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad4 Mar 2030
Brian Birgen is not saying it is over
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 36 with 58 appearances behind him, and Binga have to plan for both answers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Feb 2030
Buhle Majavu 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match23 Feb 2030
A 2-0 win over AS Korofina, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad25 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Daniel Atlan
“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 Feb 2030
No place for Buhle Majavu on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Binga pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Market25 Feb 2030
The name of Mnqobi Mzize keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market25 Feb 2030
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Logan Sambrook may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad25 Feb 2030
Vincent Akpikpi wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Vincent Akpikpi has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Binga know, and have known for weeks.
Squad25 Feb 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market25 Feb 2030
4 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Binga money.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Feb 2030
Binga are in real trouble now
Position 13, 11 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.
Match16 Feb 2030
Chastening afternoon for Binga
A 0-4 beating by Stade Malien was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Market18 Feb 2030
“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 Feb 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match16 Feb 2030
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
The terraces18 Feb 2030
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad18 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Mnqobi Mzize
“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.
Boardroom18 Feb 2030
Nobody left the Binga dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad18 Feb 2030
No place for Brian Birgen on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Binga pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Feb 2030
“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 Feb 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match9 Feb 2030
5 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Match9 Feb 2030
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad11 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Adama Traoré
“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.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Kabiru Murtala 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.
Market11 Feb 2030
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market11 Feb 2030
4 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Binga money.
Market11 Feb 2030
Binga have made Daniel Atlan available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Feb 2030
“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 Feb 2030
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market4 Feb 2030
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Daniel Atlan reports back to Binga with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Match2 Feb 2030
4 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Squad4 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Samual Nuako
“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.
Match2 Feb 2030
A 1-1 draw with AS Police leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market4 Feb 2030
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad4 Feb 2030
Kabiru Murtala wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Kabiru Murtala has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Binga know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market28 Jan 2030
“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.
Market28 Jan 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market28 Jan 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match26 Jan 2030
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad28 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Massiré Gassama
“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.
Squad28 Jan 2030
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Massiré Gassama knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Jan 2030
Binga sink to position 13
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market21 Jan 2030
“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.
Market21 Jan 2030
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad21 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Alou Doumbia
“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.
Match19 Jan 2030
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market21 Jan 2030
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Jan 2030
“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.
Market14 Jan 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match12 Jan 2030
AS Bakaridjan left with the points after a 1-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad14 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Kwanele Msomi
“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.
Squad14 Jan 2030
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Market14 Jan 2030
Real Bamako are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market7 Jan 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market7 Jan 2030
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad7 Jan 2030
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match5 Jan 2030
Three points for Binga, 3-2 the final word against Onze Createurs in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad7 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Buhle Majavu
“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.
Market7 Jan 2030
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad7 Jan 2030
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad7 Jan 2030
Mnqobi Mzize 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.
Market7 Jan 2030
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market31 Dec 2029
“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.
Match29 Dec 2029
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Match29 Dec 2029
Etoiles du Mande left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Samual Nuako 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.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Daniel Atlan 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.
Market31 Dec 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Dec 2029
Binga are in real trouble now
Position 13, 6 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.
Market24 Dec 2029
Daniel Atlan 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad24 Dec 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market24 Dec 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad24 Dec 2029
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Kabiru Murtala, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match22 Dec 2029
US Bougouba left with the points after a 2-3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 Dec 2029
“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 terraces24 Dec 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Squad24 Dec 2029
Alou Doumbia finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Binga have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Dec 2029
Brian Birgen 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market17 Dec 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad17 Dec 2029
The manager makes an example of Mnqobi Mzize
“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.
Squad17 Dec 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Abdoulaye Tokindang and Binga agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match15 Dec 2029
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Market17 Dec 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 Dec 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 11 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market10 Dec 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad10 Dec 2029
43 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad10 Dec 2029
“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.
Match8 Dec 2029
Honours even between Binga and Djoliba
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad10 Dec 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Binga have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Dec 2029
“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.
Match1 Dec 2029
Three points for Binga, 2-0 the final word against US Forces Armees in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad3 Dec 2029
Abbey Benson 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.
Market3 Dec 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad3 Dec 2029
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market3 Dec 2029
Binga have made Daniel Atlan available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market3 Dec 2029
6 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Binga money.
Squad3 Dec 2029
It went in off him and he did not care in the slightest. 1 for the season now, and a forward who has scored is a different footballer by Tuesday.
Squad3 Dec 2029
A new face in his position, and Ousmane Coulibaly suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Binga have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Nov 2029
16 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 16, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Match26 Nov 2029
Binga are in real trouble now
Position 14, 1 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.
Market26 Nov 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Nov 2029
The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Kabiru Murtala, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match24 Nov 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Nov 2029
The manager makes an example of Daniel Atlan
“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.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Mnqobi Mzize 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.
The terraces26 Nov 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Market26 Nov 2029
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match17 Nov 2029
15 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 15, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Match17 Nov 2029
A hiding for Binga
Beaten 1-6 by Stade Malien, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Market19 Nov 2029
Brian Birgen 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market19 Nov 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad19 Nov 2029
The manager makes an example of Mnqobi Mzize
“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.
Boardroom19 Nov 2029
Nobody left the Binga dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad19 Nov 2029
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Massiré Gassama knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad19 Nov 2029
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market19 Nov 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Nov 2029
14 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market12 Nov 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Nov 2029
71 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match10 Nov 2029
1-2 to Afrique Foot Elite, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad12 Nov 2029
The manager makes an example of Samual Nuako
“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.
Squad12 Nov 2029
Massiré Gassama 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
Uneasy
Match3 Nov 2029
13 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Match31 Oct 2029
The cup run ends for Binga
1-1 against Onze Createurs, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad5 Nov 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market5 Nov 2029
“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.
Squad5 Nov 2029
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Mpho Moletsane: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Squad5 Nov 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Vincent Akpikpi and Binga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Nov 2029
Buhle Majavu 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.
Match3 Nov 2029
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Market5 Nov 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Market29 Oct 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market29 Oct 2029
“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.
Squad29 Oct 2029
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Abbey Benson, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad29 Oct 2029
The medical room confirms 79 days on the sidelines for Kabiru Murtala, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match27 Oct 2029
FC Diarra left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Market22 Oct 2029
“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.
Market22 Oct 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad22 Oct 2029
The manager makes an example of Massiré Gassama
“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.
Match20 Oct 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market22 Oct 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Market15 Oct 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Oct 2029
99 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match13 Oct 2029
AS Bakaridjan left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 Oct 2029
The manager makes an example of Samual Nuako
“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.
Squad15 Oct 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Modibo Kante commits to Binga for another 3 years.
Squad15 Oct 2029
At 19 years old, Kalifa Dembele became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Market15 Oct 2029
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market15 Oct 2029
Binga have made Brian Birgen available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match6 Oct 2029
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Market8 Oct 2029
“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.
The terraces8 Oct 2029
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 27 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad8 Oct 2029
37 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad8 Oct 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Massiré Gassama and Binga agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market8 Oct 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market8 Oct 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market8 Oct 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Match6 Oct 2029
Beaten 2-4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 Oct 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad1 Oct 2029
The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Abbey Benson, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad1 Oct 2029
The medical room confirms 107 days on the sidelines for Kabiru Murtala, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Sep 2029
“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.
Squad24 Sep 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market24 Sep 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market17 Sep 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad17 Sep 2029
127 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market17 Sep 2029
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad17 Sep 2029
Buhle Majavu knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market17 Sep 2029
Binga have made Brian Birgen available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad17 Sep 2029
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Logan Sambrook plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
In brief
-
Boardroom
The Binga production line keeps running
-
Squad
Adama Traoré back in training
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Sep 2029
The name of Abbey Benson keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Buhle Majavu 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.
Market10 Sep 2029
Binga have made Logan Sambrook available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Sep 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market3 Sep 2029
“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.
Squad3 Sep 2029
The medical room confirms 73 days on the sidelines for Abbey Benson, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad3 Sep 2029
The medical room confirms 135 days on the sidelines for Kabiru Murtala, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market3 Sep 2029
The deal that would have taken Mpho Moletsane to Real Bamako has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Binga with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Market3 Sep 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market27 Aug 2029
“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.
Squad27 Aug 2029
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad27 Aug 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Adama Traoré and Binga agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market27 Aug 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market27 Aug 2029
US Bougouba are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad27 Aug 2029
“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
Market20 Aug 2029
“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.
Market20 Aug 2029
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market20 Aug 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Aug 2029
“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.
Market13 Aug 2029
Mpho Moletsane has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market13 Aug 2029
The name of Buhle Majavu has come up in conversations Binga were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market13 Aug 2029
The name of Abbey Benson keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Brian Birgen has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Brian Birgen keeps the shirt for now, at Binga's convenience rather than his own.
Squad13 Aug 2029
The transfer that hurt Chris Reid most
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Binga is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market6 Aug 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Aug 2029
The medical room confirms 101 days on the sidelines for Abbey Benson, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad6 Aug 2029
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Mujahid Ibrahim, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market6 Aug 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad6 Aug 2029
Daniel Atlan knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market6 Aug 2029
The name of Mnqobi Mzize keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Jul 2029
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market30 Jul 2029
US Bougouni are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad30 Jul 2029
“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.
Market30 Jul 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad30 Jul 2029
Buhle Majavu 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.
Market30 Jul 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Brian Birgen may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Jul 2029
Daniel Atlan 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market23 Jul 2029
The bid was some way short and Binga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market23 Jul 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market23 Jul 2029
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Buhle Majavu knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Boardroom23 Jul 2029
The Binga production line keeps running
15 graduates out of an academy now rated 3 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Jul 2029
Namory Diarra 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market16 Jul 2029
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad16 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Brian Birgen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Kabiru Murtala 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.
Market16 Jul 2029
The name of Abbey Benson keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market16 Jul 2029
Binga have made Kabiru Murtala available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Jul 2029
Buhle Majavu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Market9 Jul 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 129 days on the sidelines for Abbey Benson, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market9 Jul 2029
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Kabiru Murtala knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market9 Jul 2029
The name of Mnqobi Mzize keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market2 Jul 2029
“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 Jul 2029
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Binga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad2 Jul 2029
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“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.
Market2 Jul 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad2 Jul 2029
“Ask me in the summer. I will know before anybody else does.” He is 35 with 2 appearances behind him, and Binga have to plan for both answers.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Jun 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market25 Jun 2029
The Alou Doumbia talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market25 Jun 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Daniel Atlan may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Adama Traoré 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.
Squad25 Jun 2029
The transfer that hurt Cebo Mchunu most
Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Binga is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.
Boardroom25 Jun 2029
The Binga production line keeps running
15 graduates out of an academy now rated 3 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market18 Jun 2029
“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 Jun 2029
The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Brian Birgen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market18 Jun 2029
Djoliba are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Binga will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jun 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market11 Jun 2029
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Kabiru Murtala
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
Buhle Majavu knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market11 Jun 2029
The name of Mnqobi Mzize keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Market11 Jun 2029
Binga have made Brian Birgen available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad4 Jun 2029
42 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“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
Market28 May 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 May 2029
Kabiru Murtala 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.
Market28 May 2029
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 May 2029
“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 May 2029
79 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad21 May 2029
Kabiru Murtala knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market14 May 2029
“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.
Market14 May 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Market14 May 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 May 2029
Buhle Majavu 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 May 2029
Kwanele Msomi 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.
Market7 May 2029
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad30 Apr 2029
Kwanele Msomi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market30 Apr 2029
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Apr 2029
“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 Apr 2029
107 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market23 Apr 2029
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Apr 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market16 Apr 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad16 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Buhle Majavu 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.
Market16 Apr 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market16 Apr 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Brian Birgen may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Apr 2029
Buhle Majavu 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad9 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Kabiru Murtala
“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 Apr 2029
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match31 Mar 2029
7 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market2 Apr 2029
Adama Traoré 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match31 Mar 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Buhle Majavu 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.
Squad2 Apr 2029
The captaincy has been taken off Kabiru Murtala. Binga will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.
Market2 Apr 2029
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match24 Mar 2029
6 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market26 Mar 2029
“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.
Squad26 Mar 2029
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.
Squad26 Mar 2029
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Brian Birgen 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.
Match24 Mar 2029
2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Mar 2029
“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.
The terraces19 Mar 2029
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Match17 Mar 2029
5 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market19 Mar 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match17 Mar 2029
US Bougouni left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad19 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Mnqobi Mzize
“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.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Buhle Majavu left out for the big one
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Buhle Majavu will call it something else in private.
Squad19 Mar 2029
Kwanele Msomi knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market19 Mar 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market12 Mar 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match10 Mar 2029
4 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Squad12 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Mujahid Ibrahim
“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.
Match10 Mar 2029
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Djoliba defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad12 Mar 2029
Kwanele Msomi 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.
Market12 Mar 2029
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market5 Mar 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kabiru Murtala commits to Binga for another 2 years.
Match3 Mar 2029
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“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.
Market5 Mar 2029
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“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
Crisis
Market26 Feb 2029
“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.
Match24 Feb 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Logan Sambrook
“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.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Buhle Majavu knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Binga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Feb 2029
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market26 Feb 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Cebo Mchunu may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Feb 2029
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market19 Feb 2029
“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 Feb 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match17 Feb 2029
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Cebo Mchunu 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.
Market19 Feb 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market12 Feb 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match10 Feb 2029
Afrique Foot Elite made Binga work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad12 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Buhle Majavu
“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 Feb 2029
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Vincent Akpikpi wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Vincent Akpikpi has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Binga know, and have known for weeks.
Market12 Feb 2029
5 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Binga could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Feb 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Feb 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Kofi Duffour and Binga agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Feb 2029
18 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad5 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Kwanele Msomi
“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.
Match3 Feb 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. AS Police came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market5 Feb 2029
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 Jan 2029
“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.
The terraces29 Jan 2029
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Match27 Jan 2029
A bad afternoon for Binga against FC Diarra
1-2 to FC Diarra, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Logan Sambrook
“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 terraces29 Jan 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Kwanele Msomi 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
Upbeat
Market22 Jan 2029
“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.
Market22 Jan 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Binga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match20 Jan 2029
Still nobody has beaten Binga
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Match20 Jan 2029
A 2-1 win over Real Bamako, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad22 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Massiré Gassama
“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 Jan 2029
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Daniel Atlan 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.
Market22 Jan 2029
The Mnqobi Mzize talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market22 Jan 2029
Binga have made Cebo Mchunu available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market15 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Brian Birgen 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.
Match13 Jan 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. AS Bakaridjan will be the happier side with the point.
Squad15 Jan 2029
At 15 years old, Ibrahim Maiga became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Market15 Jan 2029
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Jan 2029
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.
Market8 Jan 2029
Adama Traoré 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match6 Jan 2029
Onze Createurs made Binga work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Market8 Jan 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Binga will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad8 Jan 2029
The award goes to Logan Sambrook, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Squad8 Jan 2029
“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
Steady
Market1 Jan 2029
“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.
Match30 Dec 2028
A 1-0 win over Etoiles du Mande, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad1 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Cebo Mchunu
“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.
Market1 Jan 2029
The Abbey Benson talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Binga know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market1 Jan 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Logan Sambrook may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Buhle Majavu wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Buhle Majavu has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Binga know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Dec 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.
Squad25 Dec 2028
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.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Daniel Atlan 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
Market18 Dec 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Market18 Dec 2028
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match16 Dec 2028
Three points for Binga, 1-0 the final word against US Bougouni in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad18 Dec 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.
Market18 Dec 2028
The name of Massiré Gassama keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Brian Birgen 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
Crisis
Match9 Dec 2028
11 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 11, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Squad11 Dec 2028
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.
Market11 Dec 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.
Match9 Dec 2028
A bad afternoon for Binga against Djoliba
1-2 to Djoliba, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Kwanele Msomi
“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.
Squad11 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ibrahim Maiga and Binga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Dec 2028
10 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market4 Dec 2028
Buhle Majavu 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market4 Dec 2028
The Brian Birgen signing is not working
9 appearances at an average of 6.31, and the senior players have stopped making excuses for him. It happens to good footballers; it still costs somebody their job.
Squad4 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Buhle Majavu
“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.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ousmane Coulibaly commits to Binga for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match25 Nov 2028
9 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Match27 Nov 2028
Binga sink to position 13
4 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
The terraces27 Nov 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 26 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market27 Nov 2028
Chris Reid 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Match25 Nov 2028
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Daniel Atlan 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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Massiré Gassama knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
The terraces27 Nov 2028
Everybody has an opinion about Massiré Gassama
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Every debut is a small story about the future: Ousmane Coulibaly, 15 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Nov 2028
8 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Market20 Nov 2028
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad20 Nov 2028
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.
Market20 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.
Match18 Nov 2028
0-2 to Stade Malien, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad20 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Logan Sambrook
“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
Crisis
Match11 Nov 2028
A hiding for Binga
Beaten 0-3 by Afrique Foot Elite, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.
Match11 Nov 2028
7 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
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
The manager makes an example of Kwanele Msomi
“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.
Boardroom13 Nov 2028
Nobody left the Binga dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Market13 Nov 2028
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 Nov 2028
Binga out of the cup
Afrique Foot Elite ended it 1-2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Market6 Nov 2028
Daniel Atlan 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 Binga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad6 Nov 2028
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.
Match4 Nov 2028
6 matches without a win for Binga
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Binga are no longer polite ones.
Squad6 Nov 2028
15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad6 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Mujahid Ibrahim
“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
Crisis
Market30 Oct 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.
The terraces30 Oct 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 8 of the 25 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Match28 Oct 2028
No end in sight to Binga's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Binga has to find a result from somewhere.
Match28 Oct 2028
Beaten 3-4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad30 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Mnqobi Mzize
“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
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Boubacar Tamboura commits to Binga for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Oct 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.
Market23 Oct 2028
Cebo Mchunu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Binga they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad23 Oct 2028
The manager makes an example of Cebo Mchunu
“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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mpho Moletsane and Binga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match21 Oct 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Real Bamako came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Squad23 Oct 2028
At 17 years old, Sekou Sacko became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Oct 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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Daniel Atlan 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.
Match14 Oct 2028
A 1-1 draw with AS Bakaridjan leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad16 Oct 2028
A first senior shirt for Kalifa Kante
Every debut is a small story about the future: Kalifa Kante, 17 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Market16 Oct 2028
The name of Alou Doumbia keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Binga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad16 Oct 2028
Cebo Mchunu 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.