On Wednesday, November 1, Ligue 1 Orange Mali will begin its new season. This new season of the Mali Championship edition 2023/2024 will begin with four matches.four teams will be demoted to the lower level during the 16-club season under the new regulation. The main obstacles of the season are examined by Sport New Africa, including the competition for the championship, the outsiders, the struggle for survival, and the record to break.
Ligue 1 is returning in Mali.The 16 teams that make up the Ligue 1 soccer championship will play each other from this Wednesday, November 1, 2023, until May 2024.
The preferred
The front-runners in Mali’s Ligue 1 are AS Real (4 championships), Djoliba AC (14 titles), and Stade Malien (20 titles). Since the competition’s establishment in 1980, the three teams have had the exclusive right to the championship title. On July 9, holders AS Real de Bamako raised the trophy for their fourth Mali title.
The Scorpions are not in a calm state of mind when it comes time to don their boots again. Their preparations have shown varying results, since they have reorganized their team significantly.In addition, Mauritanian team Nouadhibou eliminated them in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League.That means that the only titles left for Nouhoum Diane and his team to contend with are the Malian Cup and the Ligue 1 championship. The Scorpions, led by Raye and Nouhoum Cissé, have a youthful, very talented team that will be active all the time.
Djoliba AC will be putting continual pressure on the Scorpions. The Reds, who finished second in Ligue 1 in Mali, are hoping to win the trophy back at the conclusion of the year after falling short the previous year. In order to do this, Djoliba AC assembled a new squad, including mostly of players who had competed regularly in the national tournament, such as Aboubacar Diarra, also known as Senior, who was instrumental in the Reds’ 14th championship win in 2022. The league’s best player from this year is back, along with Zoumana Simpara, who was the highest scorer in the league in 2021.The Belgian coach of the Reds, Ivan Minaert, is aware that he cannot make any mistakes.
Furthermore, Mali’s Ligue 1 needs to include Stade Malien.
Under new coach Sekou Seck, also known as Backo, Les Blancs de Bamako have made a comeback and found the color and efficiency they were missing the previous season and the year before. Aside with this aggressive realism, the squad has also found its core players again, most notably Côte d’Ivoire captain Frank Tiessé, who had been losing steam. They have also been strengthened by young players who have reached adulthood from the training facility, such as Lassine Kouma and Abdoul Salam. With the addition of Ibrahim Traoré (2 goals) and Daouda Coulibaly (who has already contributed 4 goals, 3 penalties, and 2 assists in official matches), the team made a wise trade to increase its worth. This year’s newcomers, they were already crucial in helping their team get to the Confederation Cup finals.
Day 1 Equities
The Uninvited
Apart from the three clubs, many other teams are also hoping to cause havoc in Mali’s Ligue 1 this year.The leading scorer from previous season and Baraoueli’s AS Bakaridjan, who have competed well in recent years, have both left for Mauritania.However, over time, Baye Bah’s men have been making consistent gains.In addition to AS Bakaridjan de Baraoueli, USC Kita is another. The recent struggles faced by the club’s president, however, have put a dampener on Kita’s aspirations and prevented the 2022 vice-champions from being extremely active on the field. Onze Createurs of Niarela, however, are counting on stability. Talented players have taken the team’s position while Djibril Dramé, who may not be with his club, guided them.He is scheduled to go with Soumaila Coulibaly to Indonesia for the U17 World Cup, so he may be gone for a month. All of these teams will be trying to get one of the two tickets to either the CAF Confederation Cup or the Champions League in May of next year.
Who will be the unexpected group?
Matchday 1 favorites before Matchday 2 aren’t necessarily the ones grinning when the final whistle blows in Mali’s Ligue 1—a league full of shocks every time. AFE is evidence for this.The Académiciens surprised everyone last year by placing unexpectedly sixth, just four points from the podium. The team, which is captained by Senegalese Diomansy Kamara and Malian Seran Diabate, is young and skilled. with the heroic technician Alain Tiemelé on the bench. The Cadémiciens may still contend for the first place even if they have previously sold a number of promising players, most notably Adama Koné, who moved to Stade de Reims this season.
Us Bougouni have made significant additions to their roster as well as some exits. All under the direction of Birama Konate, a fresh, seasoned coach. The former is well-known for having managed many Ligue 1 teams.US Bougouni’s 11 victories and second-best offensive line in the league (39 goals) after his comeback to Ligue 1 also caused a stir. Despite losing their coach, the Bougounikas managed to hold onto their top scorers, Youba Coulibaly, Moctar Cissé, and Amadou Haidara. They accounted for more than 90% of US Bougouni’s goals between them.
We must also remember AS Black Stars. The Badalabougou club has a reputation for exposing strikers and eliminating favorites. Banou Cissé, third in the year’s rankings, Mamadou H. Camara, the league’s best scorer in 2021, and Cheickne Doumbia, among the top 5 goalies in 2022. Under the direction of owner Seydina Oumar Dia, who brought in talented teenage striker Mamadou Doumbia from Bamako’s U17 squad, they all took the lead roles among the league’s top scorers. The club has benefited from the addition of more gifted youth this year. Now, US Bougouba has a fantastic season ahead of them.
Battle to survive
Relocating to the top division in Sikasso in 2022, the Koulikoro champions have no intention of taking another elevator trip as they did the previous two years. when they went on their first trip.This year, they want to remain in Mali’s Ligue 1. The same holds true for Koro’s elevated Arsenal de Talent Sportif. Housseni Guindo is their promoter. He is renowned for having assisted in the development of talented players like Néné Dorgelès and Kamory Doumbia. He is an alumni of the JMG center. Everyone’s dream is to be at the top of the table. The Elite will consist of the top 12 teams at the conclusion of the season.
Things to break records
With the French Ligue 1 championship about to begin, it’s also a good time to take a look back at some of the unbeaten records from past championships. Among them is the one who holds the record for most goals scored in a single season. During the 2001–2002 season, Soungalo Diakité scored 25 goals for Stade Malien. On September 14, 2002, the day of the title match, the gunner defeated Mamahira de Kati, who were defeated 7-1 by Stade Malien, with a quintuple. Soungalo Diakité became the top goal scorer in a single season in the history of the tournament since the single pool was introduced in 1998–1999 thanks to this XXL performance, which broke the mark established by his former teammate Mamadou Kanté in 2001 (23 goals). In the case that these teams don’t receive the desired outcomes, they must remember to look down. After all, the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th-place teams will be demoted to Ligue 2 when Ligue 1 is reduced to 14 teams the following season.
More records to surpass
Most victories in a row: Stade Malien de Bamako (12 victories) in 2000–2001
AL Farouk 2009–2010 has the most losses in a row (10 defeats).
Most victories: 25 at Stade Malien in 2012–2013
Most losses: Attar Club (24 losses) in 2012–2013
longest run without a loss (44)
The Malien Stadium (2000–2001, 2001–2002)
Maximum points (68 out of 78): Bamako’s Stade Malien (2001–2002)
The lowest possible score (6/78)
Mopti Debo Club (2000–2001)
The biggest win was 9-0 (matchday 5) over Djoliba-Sigui de Kayes in the 2004 season.
Goalkeeper with the longest undefeated run (10): Aly Yirango (Days 1–10, 2011–2012 season)
Largest point differential between first and second place since the single pool’s inception in 1998–1999 (20 points)
Stade Malien (79 points), Réal (59 points) in the 2012–2013 season
Sékou Djénépo, who turned 36 in the 2014–2015 season, is the oldest player to compete in the competition.
Player with the most championships (7)
Ivorian Jacques Koffi N’guessan of AS Réal was the top foreign scorer (18) in 2004–2005.
