corinthiano

2024/25 West African Review CAF Champions League Decent representation in the Group Stages again with Abia Warriors, Djoliba, Stade Malien and Hearts of Oak all making it there, with Mali having an impressive two representatives. Unfortunately only one West African side made it to the Quarter Finals as Stade Malien edged Hearts of Oak in their group. Stade Malien continued their impressive performance by knocking out giants Al Ahly in the Quarter Finals. They coudlnt however get past the Egyptian rivals Zamalek in the Semi-Finals, but they did Mali and West Africa proud nonetheless. Zamalek went on to lose to Club Africain in the final, who won their second ever Champions League title. CAF Confederation Cup Only 4 clubs in the Confedration Cup this season and most from unlikely sources as Salitas FC and CF Rahimo from Burkina Faso were joined by AS SONIDEP from Niger. Horoya AC from Guinea completed the quarter. Unfortunately only Salitas FC made it out of the groups. Salitas FC encountered strong Moroccan opposition in RS Berkane and were no match for their North African opponents. Moroccan counterparts Wydad Casablanca eventually beat Ismaily of Egypt in the final to claim their first Confederations Cup. West African League Rankings We have movement again! There are quite a few changes this year with Mali now the third most reputable league in the region due to the strong performance of their teams in the Champions League. The Liberian First Division also leapfrogs both Sierra Leone and Cape Verde, which quite honestly makes sense as the quality there did feel better than in the tow other countries. League Champions No new champions this year although we had a couple of close calls with Onze Créateurs in Mali, FC Canchungo in Guinea-Bissau and Bo Rangers in Sierra Leone. It was also not a great year for traditional powerhouses as only ASEC Mimosas in Ivory Coast and ASC Jaraaf in Senegal extend their record title wins. Previous Clubs MC Breweries - Won a third consecutive title on head to head over LISCR. The manager that replaced Kojo left now which might create an uncertain future. They were soundly beaten by TP Mazembe in the Champions League Preliminary Round. Kamboi Eagles - Have not been able to keep up performances but still finished a respectable 3rd. Were completely outclassed by Amazulu in the Preliminary Round of the CAF Confederations Cup

2024/25 Season Review Squad by Appearances Best XI All in all a great first season at the club, where we dominated the Brava Island competitions and gave a good account of ourselves against teams from other islands. The team is extremely unbalanced and despite our midfielders playing well there is a lack of quality that needs to be addressed. Our attack was also not great with highly rated Tiago Barbosa being particularly ineffective in front of goal. It has been hard to sign good players as they dont see us as an attractive proposition, but we did jump a few places in the rep league and some of our youngsters are improving a lot, so I am hopeful we can give the national championship a good go next season with an improved squad. Top Performers Forgotten in the U21s until Osvaldo Lima left halfway through the season. Was decisive when he came on and contributed pretty much every game. The veteran was very effective in the Mezzala role, but I question if he has enough gas left in the tank for next season. Another young midfielder progressing well. He is great from dead ball situation and has scored some cracking goals this season. Finances We made a significant loss this season but a big chunk of that was the club paying for my Continental Pro License, so we should be able to somewhat minimize losses next year. Bizarrely the board decided to give me a ridiculously high wage budget next season. I'll wait for the season to tick over to really see what happens before deciding on our approach, The money might not mean much anyway as we dont have the rep to bring in good players. Progress

July 2025 Our campaign ends here with a respectable performance in the Group Stages. In the end our inability to convert chances is what cost us a place in the Semi Final and something we will have to look at for next season. Against Académica do Porto Novo we had over 30 shots on goal with an xG of over 4 but could not find the net. We made up for it with a convincing win against Santana de Morrinho which left us needing to beat Sporting da Praia away from home in the last game. We were on top for most of that game but could not find the net. Then on the 78th minute Branco got sent off and a few minutes later we got caught on the counter attack for Sporting da Praia to seal their place in the last 4. Travadores managed a great comeback and you would not bet against them retaining the title.

June 2025 I was surprised at how competitive we were and that we could have actually finished the first three games with 9 points. We were leading Sporting da Praia until they equalized in the 90th minute and were generally better than them. Against Santana de Morrinho we were by far the better side but didnt manage to get the second goal. Académica do Porto Novo have been terrible and we pounded on their misery with a terrific performance that helps us with goal difference. Another surprise has been how Travadores could miss out on a 4th title in a row as they currently sit second of their group. The way qualification works here is that top in each groups goes through along with the best 2nd placed team, which at the moment is us. So if we can continue getting good results we may sneak into the Semi-FInals even if we finish behind Sporting da Praia. Next Fixtures We end the Group Stage campaign in July and with two away games we certainly are up against it. Overall I am already happy with how the campaign went so getting through to the Semi-Finals would be a bonus.

May 2025 We were well beaten by Travadores but it was an encouraging match. We were not outplayed, they just had more quality to finish the chances they had and the scoreline was a bit harsh on us. This shows there is still work to do for us to compete at the top. Cape Verdean Competition We were drawn in a tough group as expected at this stage. Sporting da Praia are the second biggest club on reputation and are 10 times winner of the competition, with Académico do Porto Novo also being more reputable than us. There are no real expectations at this stage, getting some wins and being competitive is the main aim. Other News Out of the blue the chairman decided he wanted to step down and a Supporters trust was quick to step in. Disappointingly no investment at the club, there were also no changes to the club vision so lets wait and see how the new board are like. Next Fixtures June sees us start our campaign in the Cape Verdean Competition and I am eager to see how we perform.

April 2025 We finish the Liga Brava campaign with more solid performances and win the title with a comfortable 6 point margin as Académica da Brava somewhat collapse at the end. I was also please to have emphatically won our first game against a team outside of the Brava island, although they are lower in rep than us so maybe not that surprising. Next Fixtures We only have one game scheduled in May, but it is a huge one as we play the side that has dominated Cape Verde football in the last couple of seasons, winning the last three Cape Verde Championships and last two Cape Verde National Cups. Will be really interesting to see how we do against them. If we do progress we will play one or two more games in May, otherwise we only play again in the Group Stage of the Cape Verdean Championship in June.

March 2025 Liga Brava Taça Brava A brilliant month in which we took charge of the Liga Brava title race and won the first piece of silverware under Kojo's management. Truth be told we were solid but unspectacular in all games other than the Semi Final of the Taça Brava against Coroa da Brava. We scraped through most games, being resilient enough to see them off. Transfers In Out In comparison to results our transfer activity was not great as the mid-season window has shut. We disappointingly lost our starting AP who is young and was developing really nicely to a team that is performing really poorly...the players we brought in are not great but do improve our first XI. We have talked about Carlos Monteiro before, Kevy and Cláudio Barros come in as starting full backs on both sides, the RB position was a particular weakness so I am pleased to get some sort of improvement. Next Fixtures Next month we wrap-up the League campaign with three very winnable games to hopefully seal the title. Similarly to the league, the winner of each island cup gets to play in the Taça Nacional de Cabo Verde. The draw for that was made already and we will pay GD São Lourenço in the first round. Will be interesting to see how we match up against teams from other islands.

February 2025 The month was going well until the last game when were the better team but failed to make our chances count and had a player sent off, losing the first game in Cape Verde and allowing Académica da Brava to leapfrog us into first place at the halfway stage. Personal Landmarks Transfers The transfer window opened at the end of the month and one player for which we had a transfer arranged came in. Carlos Monteiro is a versatile player that we can use in defence or midfield but I think I will be using him as our starting DLP at first. Next Fixtures We have a chance of revenge against Coroa da Brava straight away and end the month with a crucial game at Académica da Brava. In between that we finish the Group Stage of the Taça da Brava, as well as the Knockout Stages according to the schedule.

Good luck in the Libertadores final!

Yeah I am very interested to see especially as I couldnt really get IWBs working for me, just felt like it crowded the midfield out. So I got WBs instead and a DLP that could ping it out to them from the back to give us a wide option in attack.

Love a 4-1-2-1-2, eager to see how you get on with yours. Great job with Bristol, looks like it will be a lot of fun with Venezia!

January 2025 Taça da Brava Liga Brava Another good month for us as we remain undefeated. I thought our campaign in the Taça Brava would end this month but it seems like the last group game will be in March. We have however comfortably qualified in first and can rest players if needed. In the Liga Brava we started with an away draw to last years champion. It could have been a win as we went ahead late in the game but a clumsy challenge gave them a penalty to equalize. Against Académica da Brava we were solid and able to see out a positive result. As a reminder we need to be the Brava champions to qualify for the Cape Verde Championship so we need to maintain our current form to do that. Next Fixtures We have beaten most of these teams before so I expect us to keep up our good form and hopefully still be at the top of the table come the end of the month.

Great save! Which DB are you using?

November/December 2024 Good start in the cup as we easily dispatch Juventude da Furna and Académica da Brava. We had a player sent off in the 25th minute against Benfica da Brava and that impacted any chances we had of a win. Looking good to qualify for the semi finals. Transfers We lost our AP José Evora, but as he was on a high appearance fee we were able to bring in quite a few players and I feel the squad is stronger a result. Now that the transfer window is closed we should hopefully have a stable team. Here are the signings I made that go into the first team. Next Fixtures In January we wrap up the Brava Cup and start our Liga Brava campaign. A win in the cup would be a nice preparation and confidence booster for our league campaign.

2024/25 Season Preview The media have us down as favorites in the Liga Brava, probably because of our defensive signings which are considered the best players in the league. The winner of the Liga Brava would then qualify for the Cape Verdean Championship. I have found out that the Brava Island is the smallest island in Cape Verde with just shy of sic thousand inhabitants and no team from the island has ever won the Cape Verdean Championship which is a nice added incentive. Transfers This is the first time in a while I managed a semi-professional club and boy is it hectic with your players being offered contracts right, left and centre. We managed to hold on to most players though other than Edson Delgado and José Silva, for whom I managed to find decent contracts. I also have now learned that a $300pm and $500pm wage budget make a lot of difference at this level, which I wish I knew before applying for clubs . As a result I released a bunch of players to keep within budget. Best XI Top Rated Players Managed to convince him to join our club and he looks to be great for this level. Signed him just before the start of the season and a big improvement in goal for us. Big gap in quality from our top two players but he is a nice youth prospect that is considered the best left back in the league already. Initial Fixtures We actually start the season with the Island~s cup competition where each team plays each other once in a league phase before the top 4 go into the Semi FInals. We start away against the winners of last years Liga Brava, so will be a good test to see how the team is set up.

Clube Desportivo Nô Pintcha da Brava Clube Desportivo Nô Pintch da Brava are a club from Nova Sintra in the Brava Island of Cape Verde. They are the most succesful club of the Brava Island, having won 13 island competitions, but have never won the Cape Verde competition. Their last island title win came back in 2006 so they have gone some time without success. Not much more information is found on them other than they were founded a few months before Cape Verde became independent. They play their games at the Estádio Aquiles de Oliveira, which has to have the best location of the save so far. It is a small stadium with only 1.000 seating capacity. Finances They have decent money for a Semi-Pro outfit Next Fixtures With no staff and a limited squad there is plenty of work ahead to get the club in shape for the next season. Luckily that is only in 4-5 months times, so there is plenty of time!

2023/24 West Africa Review CAF Champions League There was decent West African presence in the Group Stage this year, with Abia Warriors, Horoya AC and Stade Malien all making it. Horoya and Stade Malien were outclassed but Abia Warriors almost managed to pip SuperSport Utd to a Quarter Final place. Al-Ahly continued the Egyptian domination by beating ES Sahel in the final. CAF Confederation Cup 5 teams made the group stages here, with Group B having 3 of them. It was teams from this group however that made the quarter finals, with Asante Kotoko dominating the group, followed by Akwa Utd. ASEC Mimosas finished last in a tough group and Djoliba just could not compete with Sundowns and Club Africain. Raja Casablanca proved to be the downfall of both Akwa Utd and Asante Kotoko, but they were not strong enough to overcome Amazulu from South Africa in the final. West African League Rankings We have movement! Nigeria and Ghana are still top two in West Africa but move down in the rankings with Guinea now close to them and overtaking Ivory Coast in the process. The only other movement was the Senegalese Ligue 1 being overtaken by the Togo Premiere Division. League Champions A lot of new champions alongside Kojo's Kamboi Eagles, with clubs in Ghana, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau all winning titles for the first time. Only Horoya AC and Stade Malien extended their record of the country's biggest winner.

Chapter 3 - Cape Verde Cape Verde, or Cabo Verde, is an island country located in the Atlantic Ocean, 600km from the most western point in Africa, Cape-Vert, a peninsula in Senegal. Portuguese is the official language of the country, alongside the recognized national language, the Cape Verdean creole. The country's populations is just over 480 thousand, with almost 130 thousand of those living in the capital Praia. There are only 3 other cities in Cape Verde with more than 10 thousand people, Mindelo (70k), Santa Maria (24k) and Assomada (12k). The archipelago was uninhabited until the 15th century, when Portuguese explorers discovered and colonized the islands. Due to its convenient location in the Atlantic it became an important stopover in the slave trade, which meant the country prospered economically. With the abolition of slavery the country's economy declined in the 19th century before recovering to become an important stopover in shipping routes. In 1951 it became an overseas department of Portugal, until it gained independence in 1975. Cape Verde is often recognized as a positive example of an African country that has prospered despite a lack of natural resources, with the country ranking highly in a lot of humanity and quality of living indexes in Africa. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport and public services accounting for 70% of GDP. The government has also invested a lot in tourism and the islands are a popular holiday destination. Football in Cape Verde Football is the most popular sport in Cape Verde and was introduced in the country in the 1910s. The national teram has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 3 times, reaching the last 8 in their first appearance in 2013. In-game Cape Verde also qualified for the 2023 tournament and reached the last 16. The first all-island championships began in the 50s, but the official national championship only started after indpendence in 1976. Club Sportivo Mindelense is the oldest and most succesful club in Cape Verde, having won the Cape Verde Championship 13 times. The championship has an interesting format where there are 11 island competitions, with the winner in each plus and additional side qualify for the Cape Verdean Championship, which has a group stage and then knockouts. Travadores have won the two editions of the tournament in-game and are in the final against Académica do Mindelo this year. (The league history page does not work well due to the format). In terms of the clubs, all of them are semi-professional in what seems to be a pretty even playing field. My feeling is that any club I pick could be built up relatively quickly and with a bunch of jobs open at the moment (lower in the list) I could be in with a job sooner rather than later.

2023/24 Season Review Awards Squad by Appearances Still somewhat surprised how we managed to build a team full of teenagers and win the SNPL at first try. Probably says a lot about the level in Sierra Leone that we were able to do it. The foreign additions were crucial as they were clearly a few levels above the rest of the league. Hassan Samura was a crucial signing as good left backs always excel in my formation and he did exactly dad, getting deserved recognition by being voted best player in the league. We had a pretty established side and bar injuries we played the same guys, so there was not too much rotation here. Top Performers Best player in the league with a very decent 13 assists, also scoring a cracking and very important goal against Mighty Balckpool. Clearly very good for this level despite looking pretty average. He wants to evaluate his options at the end of his contract and if he leaves he will leave a huge gap behind. The best player at the club when I joined, contributed with a lot of goals considering he played primarily as a Mezzala. Finances This is where I kinda gamed this a little, burning through the clubs cash. I didnt have that much choice as we had no wage budget but every player wanted to get at least $600p/m so we had to pay them. This won't last so I can see the club struggling in a couple of years time. Progress So after a short stint at Kamboi Eagles we have completed country number 2. I have to say that I did not enjoy Sierra Leone as much as Liberia as the league felt a little bugged with the weird scheduling, contracts expiring a fortnight before league start and the odd wage budget, plus the fact there was no cup competition. Up next we go into a country I was looking forward to managed in, Cape Verde!

July 2024 So it turned out we only needed 6 points as the league sorting rules are by head to head record and we had the lead over Kallon. This meant that we won the title with two games to go with a tight win over Bo Rangers, who pushed us all the way. We then nursed a hangover with a pretty average performance against Freetown City before wrapping up our campaign with a win and a 3 point lead over Kallon, who overtook Mighty Blackpool at the end.

Congratulations on completion in Portugal! Must be nice to start with a decent team for a change

June 2024 Another great month where we did what we had to do, avoided defeat to both Kallon and Mighty Blackpool, and with Mighty Blackpool dropping more points the title is now in our hands as we just need 7 points in the last 4 games. It almost looked like the challenge was going to be harder as Mighty Blackpool scored early and frustrated us throughout the game, but Hassan Samura scored with an absolute belter of a volley from just outside the area to rescue a draw for us 5 minutes from time. Next Fixtures Oops deleted by mistake... The last 4 games of the season and they are not easy by any means with the last 3 sides all in the top half. Focus is on getting those 7 points!

May 2024 May was overall another strong month as we seem to be edging most teams we play. We did however end the month on a sour note with an uncharacteristically toothless display against East End TIgers. In addition to that Midana Pina sustained an injury which will see him out of crucial games in June and João Có has signaled that he wants to leave the club at the end of the season. That being said Mighty Balckpool also dropped points and if we win our games in hand we would be 9 points ahead of them and 8 ahead of Kallon, so the title is still very much in our own hands. Next Fixtures This is the month that probably decides our fate in the title race. We travel to our two biggest rivals where the focus will be to avoid defeat, anything more than that would be a huge bonus.

April 2024 Another straightforward win in this weird month where Mighty Blackpool played 3 times more than us. They are now in the lead but did drop points, we'll have to play catch up and ensure we dont slip up. Next Fixtures Busy month with some tricky fixtures, the ideal scenario would be to end the month ahead of Mighty Blackpool again.

March 2024 Another good month and at the halfway stage we are still top of the table, 3 points ahead Mighty Blackpool. We missed the chance to go 5 points clear as Freetown City equalized from a direct free kick on the 89th minute, but I was expecting us to drop points in one of the games this month so that's OK. Next Fixtures We go into another weird break where some teams play each other sporadically through April and we get over a month of break. I have scheduled friendlies to keep us in good condition.