ASEC Mimosas

ASEC Mimosas

Full name	Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas
Nickname(s)	Les Mimosas (The Mimosas) Noir et Jaunes (Black and Yellows)
Founded	1948
Ground	Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan
Capacity	3,000[1]
Chairman	Roger Ouégnin
Manager	Benoit You
Coach	Siaka Traoré
League	Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1
2014–15	Ligue 1, 2nd
Home colours Away colours

The Association Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas, literally Mimosas Commerce Employees' Sporting Association, is an Ivorian football club based in Abidjan. The club is also known as ASEC Mimosas Abidjan and ASEC Abidjan, especially in international club competitions. Founded in 1948, they are the most successful side in Ivorian football, having won the Ivorian Premier Division 24 times and the 1998 CAF Champions League. In addition, ASEC's Académie MimoSifcom has produced a number of famous players now based in top foreign leagues, including Bonaventure Kalou, Didier Zokora, Emmanuel Eboué, Gervinho, Salomon Kalou, Romaric, Boubacar Barry, Didier Ya Konan, Kolo Touré and Yaya Touré, all of whom have played internationally.

History

ASEC Mimosas was founded on 1 January 1948 by a group of businessmen from Western Africa, Lebanon and France. The club originates from a place called Sol-béni in Abidjan-M'pouto, which today is the name of their training complex.^[2] In the following years, ASEC competed in the Championship of Abidjan together with their eternal rival Africa Sports, with their first professional coach being Frenchman Guy Fabre in 1954. Fabre also shaped the club's philosophy of que les enfants s'amusent... en jouant au football (may the children have fun... by playing football).^[3]

After Independence in 1960, ASEC won its first title in the newly found Premier Division in 1963. In the early 1970s, ASEC rose to power by winning the league title 5 out of 6 possible times from 1970 to 1975. This was the era of players as Laurent Pokou and Eustache Manglé. In the next years, it was Africa Sports who dominated the league, with ASEC winning only once in 1980.

On 19 November 1989, advocate Roger Ouégnin was elected as club president. In his wish to professionalize the club, he introduced Philippe Troussier as coach from 1989 till 1992. This was the time for ASEC to return to old strength, winning the championship six consecutive times between 1990 and 1995. ASEC also provided the backbone of the national team that won the 1992 African Cup of Nations, including key members of the side such as Ben Badi, Donald-Olivier Sié and Basile Aka Kouamé. After having qualified for the semi-finals already five times before, ASEC finally won the CAF Champions League in 1998. For some players, this was the chance to sign for a European club, for example team captain Tchiressoua Guel, who joined Olympique de Marseille afterwards. A few years later, ASEC bet their own record by winning the league seven consecutive times between 2000 and 2006.

In 1993, former French national player Jean-Marc Guillou joined the club staff as director, manager and financier. Together with chairman Roger Ouégnin, he founded the Académie MimoSifcom at Sol Béni. In the following weeks, they started to scout amongst thousands of young kids to form the first promotions to receive coaching and education. In 1999, following ASECs success in the 1998 Champions League, ASEC faced Espérance Sportive de Tunis in the CAF Super Cup. But most of the old players were aged, had left the club or at least wanted to. So Guillou and Ouégnin decided to replace the old squad with the first products of the Academy, most of them only aged around 17/18 years. The own protested against this measure and Espérance's president Slim Chiboub called it a "scandal to be playing against children". However, the young ASEC squad surprisingly beat their opponents by 3 to 1 goals and brought in the second big international title for their club.^[4] Amongst others, Boubacar 'Copa' Barry, Kolo Touré, Didier Zokora, Gilles Yapi Yapo, Siaka Tiéné, Abdoulaye Djire, Venance Zézé, and Aruna Dindane were part of that squad.

When Guillou became manager of Belgian side K.S.K. Beveren in 2001, many of the Academy's players joined him. As a result, the Belgian team consisted mainly out of Ivorian players for several years. These could use Beveren as a chance to show their talent to top European clubs. Players as Yaya Touré, Arthur Boka, Emmanuel Eboué, Gervinho, Romaric and Copa all had their time in Beveren. This lasted till 2006, when Guillou and Beveren broke up with ASEC Mimosas. ASEC then linked up with Charlton Athletic.^[5]

Satellite clubs

The following clubs are affiliated with ASEC:

• Charlton^[6]
• Feyenoord Fetteh^[7]

Académie MimoSifcom

ASECs youth academy has been described as the crown jewel of African football. The academy started by Roger Ouégnin and Jean-Marc Guillou in 1993 at ASEC's training complex has since produced many international stars. The student-athletes are given an education, for which they take classes in math, history, geography, physics, French, English, and Spanish. The students live in dorms during the week and have two training sessions a day. They play matches on Saturday and get health care and tutoring.

Current squad

As of 28 June 2016^[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Robert Asamoah 2 MF Coulibaly Dalla 3 DF Akassou Arnaud Wilfried Koutouan 4 DF Mahan Marc Goua 5 DF Adama Kangoute 6 DF Yao Yves Ablakor 8 FW Adama Bakayoko 10 FW Yannick Zakri 11 FW Youssouf Dao 13 MF Georges Eric Bile

No. Position Player 15 DF Nabi Ibrahim Koné 16 GK Kouakou Herve Koffi 19 DF Kouame Aubin Kramo 20 FW Abdoulaye Cissé 21 GK Namory Diomande 22 DF Chérif Fayçal N'Diaye 23 MF Armand Parfait Niamke 26 MF Amara Diaby 29 MF Daouda Diarrassouba 30 DF Konan Ruffin N'Gouan

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 27 FW Adriel d'Avila Ba Loua (on loan to Lille OSC)

Technical Staff

Siaka 'Gigi' Traoré	Manager
Lucien Kassy-Kouadio Amadou Saganogo	Assistant Coach
Amadou Saganogo	Assistant Coach
Tivoli Bi N'Guessan	Goalkeeping Coach
Dr. Yves Kouamé	Doctor
Patrice Voli Bi	Masseur
Rémy Kouadio	Masseur
Dr. Zaka	Physiotherapist
Issouf Kanaté	Kit Manager
Moussa Traoré	Kit Manager
Hyacinthe Coulidjaty	Director of Sport
Siaka Samaké	Assistant Director
Julien Chevalier	Head Coach of the Academy
Steve Vilmiaire	Assistant Coach of the Academy

Transfers

for transfers see: ASEC Mimosas transfers

Club life

The club's colours are yellow and black; the badge displays a Mimosa. Together with their biggest rival Africa Sports National, they contest the most important ivorian football derby. These two are also the only clubs allowed to play their home games in Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

ASEC has, after own declarations,^[9] more than 8,000,000 fans in Ivory Coast and 15,000,000 in the whole region. The fans are called the Actionnaires. They are organised in the CNACO (Comité National d`Action et de Coordination, = National Committee for Action and Coordination), which has 40,000 members and consists out of 350 commissions.

Records

ASEC holds the world record for unbeaten league games, racking up 108 league and domestic cup games without loss between 1989 and 1994 before they were eventually beaten by SO Armee; four more than the unbeaten run of Steaua Bucureşti in the late 1980s.^[10]

Honours

Domestic

• Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 24

1963, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010.

• Côte d'Ivoire Cup: 18

1962, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013.

• Félix Houphouët-Boigny Cup: 14

1975, 1980, 1983, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009.

International

• CAF Champions League: 1

1998

• CAF Super Cup: 1

1999

• West African Club Championship (UFOA Cup): 1

1990

• Peace Cup: 1

2001^[11]

Performance in CAF competitions

• CAF Champions League: 13 appearances

1998 – Winners 1999 – Group stage/Semi-finals 2001 – Group stage 2002 – semi-finals 2003 – Group stage

2004 – First round 2005 – Group stage 2006 – semi-finals 2007 – Group stage 2008 – Group stage

2009 – Second round 2010 – First round 2011 – Second round

• African Cup of Champions Clubs: 12 appearances

1964 – Preliminary round 1971 – semi-finals 1973 – Second round 1974 – quarter-finals

1975 – quarter-finals 1976 – semi-finals 1981 – quarter-finals 1991 – quarter-finals

1992 – semi-finals 1993 – semi-finals 1995 – Finalist 1996 – Second round

• CAF Confederation Cup: 5 appearances

2009 – Second round of 16

2011 – quarter-finals

2012 – Second round of 16

2013 – Second round of 16

2014 –

• CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 4 appearances

1983 – semi-finals

1984 – quarter-finals

1987 – Second round

2000 – First round

Former Managers

Tronnou Seho (1947–50) Domingo Koffi (1950–53) Guy Fabre (1954–59) Bakary Touré (1960–62) Koffi Faustin (1962–65) Ignace Wognin (1966–69) André Sokoury (1969–70) Gérard Gabo (1970–71) Orlando (1971–72) Jean-Baptiste Anzian (1972–75) Yobouët Konan (1975–76)

Ignace Wognin (1976–78) Bernard Vinc (1978–79) Guy Fabre (1979–80) Assane (1981–84) Gérard Gabo (1984–86) Drissa "Saboteur" Traoré (1986–87) Phillipe Garot (1987–89) Philippe Troussier (1990–92) Eustache Manglé (1992–93) Charles Roessli (1993–94) Mamadou Zaré (1994–95)

Yobouët Konan (1995–96) Oscar Fulloné (1996–98) Jean-Marc Guillou (1998–99) Michel Decastel (1999–01) Drissa "Saboteur" Traoré (2001–02) Basile Aka Kouamé (2002–03) Patrick Liewig (2003–09) Maxime Gouaméné (2009–10) Sébastien Desabre (2010–12)

Former presidents

Joseph Kouamelan (1948–50) Tronnou Seho (1950–51) Lucien Dogbo (1951–53) François Logon (1953–54) Louis Boah (1954–56) François Ouégnin (1958–60) Blé Kouadio M'Bahia (1960–64) Kata François Kamano (1964–68) Mamadou Kouyaté (1968–70)

Lanzéni Coulibaly (1970–75) Emile Dervain (1975–77) Bogui Bégnana (1977–79) Mamadou Touré (1979–80) Victor Ekra (1980–81) Claude Andoh (1981–83) Mamadou Touré (1983–87) Kangah Michel Ahoua (1987–89) Roger Ouégnin (1989–)

References

1. http://www.liberte-algerie.com/sports/le-mco-jouera-face-a-3000-spectateurs-seulement-244131/print/1
2. "Asec Mimosas (Club sportif) – Abidjan.net Qui est qui ?". Abidjan.net. 21 September 1960.
3. "L'Express de Madagascar : Actualités en direct, politiques, économies, sports, cultures, madagascar, afrique, monde". Lexpressmada.com.
4. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article789499.ece
5. Ornstein, David (15 February 2008). "BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Charlton Athletic | Charlton focus on Ivorian future". BBC News.
6. "FIFA.com – Charlton knüpft weltweites Netzwerk". De.fifa.com.
7. Stage de préparation au Ghana
8. "Equipe professionnelle Saison 2012–2013". Asec.ci. 1 January 1970.
9. Archived 29 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
10. Copnall, James (24 October 2004). "BBC SPORT | Football | African | Asec's amazing run". BBC News.
11. The report about ASEC Abidjan win in 2001 tournament that was held in Rome is here: http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/shalom-roma.html

External links

• (French) Official website