From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Sep 2027
FC Diarra sink to position 14
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market27 Sep 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Sep 2027
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad27 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Sep 2027
The medical room confirms 41 days on the sidelines for Tholithemba Nyawose, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad27 Sep 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Junior Gqabashe trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom20 Sep 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at FC Diarra
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at FC Diarra is running low.
Market20 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad20 Sep 2027
Oscar Gqeke 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.
Market20 Sep 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Abdulaziz Dalhatu signs something — a contract at FC Diarra or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Squad20 Sep 2027
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at FC Diarra has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market13 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Sep 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Sep 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and FC Diarra know it.
Market13 Sep 2027
He is 19, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Moussa Diallo 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 FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FC Diarra would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market6 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market6 Sep 2027
11 months and counting on Roger Emga
Still no offer on the table, and Roger Emga’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Moussa Diallo 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 FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market6 Sep 2027
At 34, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.
Market6 Sep 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Davis Morwaswi’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Aug 2027
Every point is an argument now for FC Diarra
Position 14 and 9 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Aug 2027
70 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad30 Aug 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market30 Aug 2027
The name of Matala Makhubo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Diarra say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom23 Aug 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at FC Diarra
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market23 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Aug 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad23 Aug 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Abdulaziz Dalhatu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market23 Aug 2027
Experience through the door at FC Diarra
Roger Emga arrives at 33 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Squad23 Aug 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FC Diarra would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market16 Aug 2027
Moussa Diallo 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 FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad16 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Matala Makhubo 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
Market9 Aug 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Hamisu Ibrahim and FC Diarra agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Aug 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market9 Aug 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at FC Diarra, another week without a signature from Lawal Shehu.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and FC Diarra know it.
Squad9 Aug 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match2 Aug 2027
FC Diarra sink to position 14
9 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Falaye Kone has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Market2 Aug 2027
Cebisa Ndlovu 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 FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Aug 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hamisu Ibrahim commits to FC Diarra for another 4 years.
Squad2 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 98 days on the sidelines for Tholithemba Nyawose, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Oscar Gqeke
“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 Aug 2027
He is 20, and nobody at FC Diarra signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Boardroom2 Aug 2027
FC Diarra pull $59.2K 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom26 Jul 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at FC Diarra
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Adam Iliasu 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.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Oscar Gqeke 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.
Market26 Jul 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Abdulaziz Dalhatu signs something — a contract at FC Diarra or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market26 Jul 2027
FC Diarra shop where it costs nothing
Gilang Ardha signs, and the fee column stays empty. Deals like this look small in July and clever by March — or they are never mentioned again.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market19 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad19 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Jul 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; FC Diarra are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Jul 2027
FC Diarra are in real trouble now
Position 14, 9 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.
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Moussa Diallo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Moussa Diallo, and the manager let it.
Market5 Jul 2027
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom28 Jun 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at FC Diarra
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at FC Diarra is running low.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Jun 2027
Matala Makhubo knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Matala Makhubo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market21 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Junior Gqabashe, and the manager let it.
Market21 Jun 2027
At 36, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.
Squad21 Jun 2027
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. FC Diarra know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Market21 Jun 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Prince Maseko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Prince Maseko, and the manager let it.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Adi Zur out for 23 days
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Adi Zur, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market14 Jun 2027
Experience through the door at FC Diarra
Moussa Diallo arrives at 34 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Junior Gqabashe 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
Match7 Jun 2027
FC Diarra are in real trouble now
Position 14, 9 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.
Market7 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad7 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom31 May 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at FC Diarra
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad31 May 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad24 May 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Abdulaziz Dalhatu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market17 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad17 May 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FC Diarra may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad17 May 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 May 2027
FC Diarra are in real trouble now
Position 14, 9 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.
Market10 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom3 May 2027
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Falaye Kone has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Boardroom3 May 2027
Pressure builds in the FC Diarra boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market3 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad3 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market3 May 2027
“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.
Boardroom3 May 2027
$59.2K taken back off the FC Diarra 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.
Squad3 May 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 May 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Abdulaziz Dalhatu signs something — a contract at FC Diarra or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Boardroom3 May 2027
FC Diarra were not finished after all
Written off a fortnight ago, the squad has closed ranks and answered on the pitch. Something was said behind that door, and so far it is holding.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Ibrahim Hassan
“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 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market19 Apr 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad19 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Apr 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Prince Maseko’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Apr 2027
FC Diarra are in real trouble now
Position 14, 9 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.
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market5 Apr 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad5 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Abdulaziz Dalhatu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad29 Mar 2027
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.
Match27 Mar 2027
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match27 Mar 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.76 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad22 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match20 Mar 2027
AS Bakaridjan left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Matala Makhubo knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Matala Makhubo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad22 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Simphiwe Dumisa
“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
Match15 Mar 2027
Every point is an argument now for FC Diarra
Position 14 and 9 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
The terraces15 Mar 2027
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 5 of the 22 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market15 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match13 Mar 2027
Onze Createurs left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 Mar 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A season on the outside for Prince Maseko
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at FC Diarra has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Marked 5.43, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Mar 2027
There were 9 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 Mar 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad8 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and FC Diarra know it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.81, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oscar Gqeke, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match6 Mar 2027
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at FC Diarra, and it is a cruel one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market1 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match27 Feb 2027
Three points for FC Diarra, 4‑2 the final word against US Bougouba in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.90, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.68 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.46 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Cebisa Ndlovu, and the manager let it.
Market1 Mar 2027
“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
Crisis
Match20 Feb 2027
22 matches without a win for FC Diarra
The run now stands at 22, and the questions being asked around FC Diarra are no longer polite ones.
Market22 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FC Diarra may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad22 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match20 Feb 2027
1‑2 to US Bougouni, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
A performance of 8.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad22 Feb 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 Feb 2027
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
21 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match15 Feb 2027
Every point is an argument now for FC Diarra
Position 14 and 5 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Squad15 Feb 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” FC Diarra may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match13 Feb 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The team sheet said everything about Cebisa Ndlovu
Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Cebisa Ndlovu.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match6 Feb 2027
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
20 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market8 Feb 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad8 Feb 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match6 Feb 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matala Makhubo, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.14, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Cebisa Ndlovu knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Cebisa Ndlovu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FC Diarra would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Jan 2027
No end in sight to FC Diarra's wait for a win
19 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FC Diarra has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Abdulaziz Dalhatu, and the manager let it.
Match30 Jan 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad1 Feb 2027
26 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Matala Makhubo 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 FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market1 Feb 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. FC Diarra know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 11. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Marked 5.67, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match23 Jan 2027
No end in sight to FC Diarra's wait for a win
18 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FC Diarra has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad25 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match23 Jan 2027
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Cebisa Ndlovu, and the manager let it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Every debut is a small story about the future: Samba Doumbia, 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
Uneasy
Match16 Jan 2027
17 matches without a win for FC Diarra
The run now stands at 17, and the questions being asked around FC Diarra are no longer polite ones.
Match18 Jan 2027
FC Diarra sink to position 14
5 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
Marked 8.62 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
A performance of 8.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Oscar Gqeke 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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and FC Diarra know it.
Squad18 Jan 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Tholithemba Nyawose knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match16 Jan 2027
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
Match9 Jan 2027
No end in sight to FC Diarra's wait for a win
16 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FC Diarra has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad11 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Senzelumusa Sibiya, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match9 Jan 2027
AS Police left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and FC Diarra know it.
Squad11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Senzelumusa Sibiya, and the manager let it.
Market11 Jan 2027
Decky Latupeirissa is 20, and FC Diarra have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Market11 Jan 2027
The name of Matala Makhubo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. FC Diarra say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
15 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market4 Jan 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad4 Jan 2027
An average of 7.07 in a first team he is several years too young for. FC Diarra have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad4 Jan 2027
54 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market4 Jan 2027
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at FC Diarra, another week without a signature from Abdulaziz Dalhatu.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Defensive actions: 16, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
14 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market28 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Dec 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Match26 Dec 2026
Real Bamako left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad28 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Davis Morwaswi
“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.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
13 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match21 Dec 2026
Every point is an argument now for FC Diarra
Position 14 and 3 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Squad21 Dec 2026
There were 9 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.
Match19 Dec 2026
Chastening afternoon for FC Diarra
A 0‑3 beating by AS Bakaridjan was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
The terraces21 Dec 2026
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 19 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market21 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad21 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Dec 2026
“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.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match12 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Junior Gqabashe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“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.
Match12 Dec 2026
A 1‑1 draw with Onze Createurs leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“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.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match5 Dec 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
11 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad7 Dec 2026
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.
Market7 Dec 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad7 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad7 Dec 2026
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. FC Diarra know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
A performance of 8.88 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match28 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
10 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad30 Nov 2026
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.
Market30 Nov 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at FC Diarra, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Davis Morwaswi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match28 Nov 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Cebisa Ndlovu, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match21 Nov 2026
9 matches without a win for FC Diarra
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around FC Diarra are no longer polite ones.
Match23 Nov 2026
FC Diarra sink to position 14
1 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad23 Nov 2026
There were 8 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.
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match21 Nov 2026
US Bougouni left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Oscar Gqeke
“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 Nov 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; FC Diarra are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match14 Nov 2026
8 matches without a win for FC Diarra
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around FC Diarra are no longer polite ones.
Squad16 Nov 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad16 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match14 Nov 2026
Djoliba left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad16 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Simphiwe Dumisa
“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.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
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.
Match4 Nov 2026
FC Diarra bow out of the cup
Real Bamako go through and FC Diarra go home, 1‑2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Match7 Nov 2026
7 matches without a win for FC Diarra
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around FC Diarra are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
18 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match7 Nov 2026
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. US Forces Armees defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market2 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match31 Oct 2026
No end in sight to FC Diarra's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at FC Diarra has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; FC Diarra are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Junior Gqabashe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
A performance of 8.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“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.
Market2 Nov 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at FC Diarra, another week without a signature from Abdulaziz Dalhatu.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad26 Oct 2026
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.
Market26 Oct 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match24 Oct 2026
The wait goes on for FC Diarra
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match24 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Oscar Gqeke
“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
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Davis Morwaswi was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match17 Oct 2026
0‑1 to Afrique Foot Elite, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Oct 2026
There were 8 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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Oct 2026
Beaten 2‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad12 Oct 2026
47 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“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.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.01, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces5 Oct 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 4 of the 19 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Squad5 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at FC Diarra this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Oct 2026
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Davis Morwaswi, and the manager let it.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Marked 8.15 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Redzuan Fachgi and FC Diarra agree another 3 years.
Market5 Oct 2026
He is 16, and nobody at FC Diarra signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market5 Oct 2026
Bakary Djenepo is 15, and FC Diarra have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Market5 Oct 2026
Ibrahim Sissoko is 15, and FC Diarra have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Sep 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Abdulaziz Dalhatu keeps the shirt for now, at FC Diarra's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Sep 2026
Junior Gqabashe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market21 Sep 2026
No fee and no drama: Farrux Qurbonov has signed at FC Diarra, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.
Squad21 Sep 2026
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at FC Diarra has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Sep 2026
“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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at FC Diarra the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
Squad14 Sep 2026
The manager plants his flag on Sékouba Konaté
“Judge me on him.” Managers do not say that kind of thing by accident — it moves the pressure from Sékouba Konaté’s shoulders onto his own, and both of them know it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Sep 2026
Junior Gqabashe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market7 Sep 2026
“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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at FC Diarra, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what FC Diarra can pretend not to have heard.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Sékouba Konaté was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at FC Diarra would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Aug 2026
Senzelumusa Sibiya was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Aug 2026
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at FC Diarra has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Questions about Matala Makhubo on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Aug 2026
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Senzelumusa Sibiya commits to FC Diarra for another 3 years.
Market17 Aug 2026
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tholithemba Nyawose commits to FC Diarra for another 3 years.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Abdulaziz Dalhatu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad10 Aug 2026
There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. FC Diarra know it, and so does everybody who watches him.
Market10 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at FC Diarra, another week without a signature from Abdulaziz Dalhatu.
Market10 Aug 2026
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Market10 Aug 2026
He is 20, and nobody at FC Diarra signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sékouba Konaté and FC Diarra agree another 3 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Questions about Sékouba Konaté on the training pitch
The standards have slipped, and in a building where everybody watches everybody it has not gone unremarked. This is how a player loses a place before he loses one.