Onze Createurs

Malian Ligue 1
16 Jan 2027
Saturday
Process
24 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Youssef El Omari asks to leave Onze Createurs

“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.

Market

Afrique Foot Elite come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Onze Createurs did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Match

AS Korofina take the points off Onze Createurs

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Wisdom Magbisa 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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Malick Traoré

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.13, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Salman Abubakar

Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

Onze Createurs sign Lachlan Middleton, one for the future

Lachlan Middleton is 20, and Onze Createurs 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.

Market

Onze Createurs and Mahamadou N'Diaye are talking past each other

“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.

In brief

Back issues
23 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The season belongs to Salman Abubakar

An individual honour is a strange thing in a team game, and the best of them are never argued with. He has had the sort of year that ends with his name being read out, and Onze Createurs have had the benefit of it.

Squad

Malick Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Afrique Foot Elite join the queue for Salikou Diarra

Add another name to the list: Afrique Foot Elite have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Salikou Diarra. The answer from Onze Createurs has not changed — yet.

Player ratings

Moussa Mariko runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

No hiding place for Thompson Jasmine

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Thompson Jasmine, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Malick Traoré

Marked 8.34 — 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.

Market

Talks stall between Onze Createurs and Wisdom Magbisa

“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.

Match

Malick Traoré rescues a point for Onze Createurs

It needed Malick Traoré to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Binga, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

Market

Youssouf Diarra is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Onze Createurs has been clear about where Youssouf Diarra stands, which is more than many ever get.

In brief

22 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Onze Createurs refuse to drop out of the race

Position 2, 24 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Match

Nobody wants to play Onze Createurs right now

3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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 ratings

Thompson Jasmine runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Stevens Goovadia sends Onze Createurs past Afrique Foot Elite

It finished 2‑1, and it was Stevens Goovadia’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Onze Createurs.

Player ratings

Stevens Goovadia in the eights

A performance of 9.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Boardroom

219% of the income goes out in wages at Onze Createurs

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ojo Johnson

“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 ratings

Salman Abubakar in the eights

A performance of 8.38 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

21 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Thompson Jasmine runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Alkalifa Coulibaly

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.

Squad

Razak Abdullah keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Onze Createurs may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Youssef El Omari out for 34 days

The medical room confirms 34 days on the sidelines for Youssef El Omari, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Malick Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Malick Traoré sends Onze Createurs past AS Police

It finished 2‑1, and it was Malick Traoré’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Onze Createurs.

In brief

20 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Thompson Jasmine

Successful dribbles: 34. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Match

Salman Abubakar the difference as Onze Createurs beat FC Diarra

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Salman Abubakar. 3‑1 against FC Diarra, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Salman Abubakar in the eights

A performance of 8.96 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

No hiding place for Wisdom Magbisa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Wisdom Magbisa, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Malick Traoré

Marked 8.50 — 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 ratings

A masterclass from Moussa Mariko

Marked 8.33 — 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.

Squad

Stevens Goovadia 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.

Market

The Moussa Mariko talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Onze Createurs know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

19 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Youssef El Omari puts it in writing

“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 Onze Createurs, and it is not being withdrawn.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Stevens Goovadia

Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Malick Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Onze Createurs against Real Bamako

0‑2 to Real Bamako, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Abdou Kanouté 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.

Player ratings

Abdou Kanouté's mistake decides it

Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Onze Createurs needed to.

In brief

18 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Idrissa Guindo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Wages eat 232% of everything Onze Createurs earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Ousmane Diarra 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.

Match

AS Bakaridjan take the points off Onze Createurs

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

Stevens Goovadia runs at them all day

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.

Player ratings

Malick Traoré leaves them behind him

Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

17 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Onze Createurs refuse to drop out of the race

Position 3, 15 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Squad

Onze Createurs count the cost of losing Youssef El Omari

62 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Thompson Jasmine

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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 ratings

Nothing got past Desmond Ojietefian

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

No hiding place for Alkalifa Coulibaly

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alkalifa Coulibaly, and the manager let it.

In brief

16 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Dramane Souabou shuts the door

Defensive actions: 23, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Idrissa Guindo

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Idrissa Guindo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Wisdom Magbisa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Wisdom Magbisa, and the manager let it.

Match

Malick Traoré sends Onze Createurs past Etoiles du Mande

It finished 1‑0, and it was Malick Traoré’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Onze Createurs.

Player ratings

One of those days for Salman Abubakar

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.43, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Moussa Mariko runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Thompson Jasmine 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 Onze Createurs, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Moussa Mariko talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Onze Createurs know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

15 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Onze Createurs through in the cup

A 3‑0 win over US Bougouni, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Market

Youssef El Omari asks to leave Onze Createurs

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Idrissa Guindo

Defensive actions: 27. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Thompson Jasmine runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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.

Squad

Onze Createurs lose Mahamadou N'Diaye

23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Player ratings

One of those days for Thuto Sesipi

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.70, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Stevens Goovadia

“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 ratings

One of those days for Abdou Kanouté

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.54, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

14 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Dramane Souabou

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Desmond Ojietefian

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 232% of everything Onze Createurs earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Player ratings

Salman Abubakar in the eights

A performance of 8.87 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Salman Abubakar the difference as Onze Createurs beat US Bougouni

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Salman Abubakar. 1‑0 against US Bougouni, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Moyi 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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Moussa Mariko

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.21, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Onze Createurs and Wisdom Magbisa are talking past each other

“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.

In brief

13 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

The terraces

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.

Squad

Onze Createurs count the cost of losing Youssef El Omari

90 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Salman Abubakar

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Malick Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Malick 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.

Match

Onze Createurs come up short against Djoliba

Djoliba left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

12 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Match

Ousmane Diarra sends Onze Createurs past US Forces Armees

It finished 2‑1, and it was Ousmane Diarra’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Onze Createurs.

Squad

Wisdom Magbisa 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.

Player ratings

One of those days for Ousmane Diarra

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Stevens Goovadia

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.28, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

The one thing Malick Traoré could not do

Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.

Squad

Ousmane Diarra finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Onze Createurs have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Stevens Goovadia finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Onze Createurs have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Player ratings

Thompson Jasmine changes it off the bench

He was not in the side at half past three and he had settled it before five. Half an hour, and Onze Createurs had a different afternoon.

In brief

11 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Desmond Ojietefian wants to go home

“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 Onze Createurs know it.

Squad

Mahamadou N'Diaye out for 51 days

The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Mahamadou N'Diaye, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Malick Traoré in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Moussa Mariko runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Malick Traoré the difference as Onze Createurs beat AS Korofina

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Malick Traoré. 2‑1 against AS Korofina, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

One of those days for Malick Traoré

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.78, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Alkalifa Coulibaly

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alkalifa Coulibaly, and the manager let it.

Market

Still no ink between Onze Createurs and Mahamadou N'Diaye

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Onze Createurs, another week without a signature from Mahamadou N'Diaye.

Market

Moussa Mariko linked with a move away

The name of Moussa Mariko keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Onze Createurs say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

10 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

5 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Youssef El Omari 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 Onze Createurs can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Home is on Youssef El Omari's mind

“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; Onze Createurs are dealing with a man who wants a different country.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Boardroom

Wages eat 305% of everything Onze Createurs earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Ousmane Diarra 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.

Player ratings

Salman Abubakar in the eights

A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Cheickna Wagué runs at them all day

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.

Squad

Faza Al Firdaus signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Faza Al Firdaus and Onze Createurs agree another 3 years.

Market

Onze Createurs sign Daouda Fofana, one for the future

Daouda Fofana is 16, and Onze Createurs 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.

In brief

9 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

28 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Onze Createurs lose Youssef El Omari

118 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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.

Squad

This league is too small for Kabiru Murtala

He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Onze Createurs will not keep him by pretending otherwise.

In brief

8 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

21 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Idrissa Guindo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Alkalifa Coulibaly has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Alkalifa Coulibaly keeps the shirt for now, at Onze Createurs's convenience rather than his own.

Market

Onze Createurs pick up Faza Al Firdaus for nothing

The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Faza Al Firdaus arrives at Onze Createurs with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.

In brief

7 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

14 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Desmond Ojietefian in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Wisdom Magbisa 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.

Squad

A season on the outside for Thompson Jasmine

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Onze Createurs has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

In brief

6 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

7 Sep 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Malick Traoré 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.

Boardroom

167% of the income goes out in wages at Onze Createurs

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

Squad

Thompson Jasmine has outgrown this division

There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Onze Createurs know it, and so does everybody who watches him.

Market

Still no ink between Onze Createurs and Wisdom Magbisa

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Onze Createurs, another week without a signature from Wisdom Magbisa.

Squad

Wisdom Magbisa 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 Wisdom Magbisa trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

Youssef El Omari still has not settled

A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Onze Createurs would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.

In brief

5 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

31 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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.

Squad

A season on the outside for Wisdom Magbisa

He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Onze Createurs has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.

Squad

Moussa Mariko keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Moussa Mariko plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

4 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

24 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Onze Createurs say no — this time

The offer from HJK for Malick Traoré was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Squad

Idrissa Guindo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Moussa Mariko 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.

In brief

3 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

17 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Malick Traoré attracts admirers

The name of Malick Traoré has come up in conversations Onze Createurs were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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.

Squad

Thuto Sesipi signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Thuto Sesipi commits to Onze Createurs for another 3 years.

Squad

Youssef El Omari 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.

Squad

Desmond Ojietefian has outgrown this division

There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Onze Createurs know it, and so does everybody who watches him.

Market

Onze Createurs and Desmond Ojietefian are talking past each other

“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.

In brief

2 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

10 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tempers go at Onze Createurs

Idrissa Guindo 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.

Squad

Youssef El Omari has outgrown this division

There is a level at which a footballer stops being tested and starts being contained, and he reached it some time ago. Onze Createurs know it, and so does everybody who watches him.

Market

Still no ink between Onze Createurs and Ousmane Diarra

“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Onze Createurs, another week without a signature from Ousmane Diarra.

Market

The clock runs on Alkalifa Coulibaly's contract

48 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Squad

Mahamadou N'Diaye signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mahamadou N'Diaye commits to Onze Createurs for another 1 years.

Market

Onze Createurs bring in an old head

Youssef El Omari is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.

In brief

1 Edition

The Onze Createurs Sentinel

3 Aug 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

AS Korofina come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Onze Createurs did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Idrissa Guindo signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Idrissa Guindo and Onze Createurs agree another 2 years.

Squad

Idrissa Guindo in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Onze Createurs this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Onze Createurs and Idrissa Guindo are talking past each other

“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.

Market

Nobody at Onze Createurs has picked up the phone to Abdou Kanouté

24 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.

Market

Mahamadou N'Diaye brings the grey hairs Onze Createurs lacked

At 36, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.

In brief