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 Robert Champroux (most games)[1],
Abidjan
Ground Capacity 3,000[2]
Chairman Ivory Coast Roger Ouégnin
Manager France Benoit You
Coach Ivory Coast Siaka Traoré
League Côte d'Ivoire Ligue 1
2014–15 Ligue 1, 2nd

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.[3] 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).[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

Satellite clubs

The following clubs are affiliated with ASEC:

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[9]

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

No. Position Player
1 Ivory Coast GK Robert Asamoah
2 Ivory Coast MF Coulibaly Dalla
3 Ivory Coast DF Akassou Arnaud Wilfried Koutouan
4 Ivory Coast DF Mahan Marc Goua
5 Ivory Coast DF Adama Kangoute
6 Ivory Coast DF Yao Yves Ablakor
8 Ivory Coast FW Adama Bakayoko
10 Ivory Coast FW Yannick Zakri
11 Ivory Coast FW Youssouf Dao
13 Ivory Coast MF Georges Eric Bile
No. Position Player
15 Ivory Coast DF Nabi Ibrahim Koné
19 Ivory Coast DF Kouame Aubin Kramo
20 Ivory Coast FW Abdoulaye Cissé
21 Ivory Coast GK Namory Diomande
22 Senegal DF Chérif Fayçal N'Diaye
23 Ivory Coast MF Armand Parfait Niamke
26 Ivory Coast MF Amara Diaby
29 Ivory Coast MF Daouda Diarrassouba
30 Ivory Coast 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 Ivory Coast FW Adriel d'Avila Ba Loua (on loan to Lille OSC)

Technical Staff

Ivory Coast Siaka 'Gigi' Traoré Manager
Ivory Coast Lucien Kassy-Kouadio Amadou Saganogo Assistant Coach
Ivory Coast Amadou Saganogo Assistant Coach
Ivory Coast Tivoli Bi N'Guessan Goalkeeping Coach
Ivory Coast Dr. Yves Kouamé Doctor
Ivory Coast Patrice Voli Bi Masseur
Ivory Coast Rémy Kouadio Masseur
Ivory Coast Dr. Zaka Physiotherapist
Ivory Coast Issouf Kanaté Kit Manager
Ivory Coast Moussa Traoré Kit Manager
Ivory Coast Hyacinthe Coulidjaty Director of Sport
Ivory Coast Siaka Samaké Assistant Director
France Julien Chevalier Head Coach of the Academy
France 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,[10] 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.[11]

Honours

Domestic

1963, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017.
1962, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1983, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014.
1975, 1980, 1983, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011.

International

1998
1999
1990
2001[12]

Performance in CAF competitions

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

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

2009 – Second round of 16
2011 – quarter-finals
2012 – Second round of 16
2013 – Second round of 16
2014 –
1983 – semi-finals
1984 – quarter-finals
1987 – Second round
2000 – First round

Former Managers

  • Ivory Coast Tronnou Seho (1947–50)
  • Ivory Coast Domingo Koffi (1950–53)
  • France Guy Fabre (1954–59)
  • Ivory Coast Bakary Touré (1960–62)
  • Ivory Coast Koffi Faustin (1962–65)
  • Ivory Coast Ignace Wognin (1966–69)
  • Ivory Coast André Sokoury (1969–70)
  • Ivory Coast Gérard Gabo (1970–71)
  • Ivory Coast Orlando (1971–72)
  • Ivory Coast Jean-Baptiste Anzian (1972–75)
  • Ivory Coast Yobouët Konan (1975–76)
  
  • Ivory Coast Ignace Wognin (1976–78)
  • Ivory Coast Bernard Vinc (1978–79)
  • France Guy Fabre (1979–80)
  • Ivory Coast Assane (1981–84)
  • Ivory Coast Gérard Gabo (1984–86)
  • Burkina Faso Drissa "Saboteur" Traoré (1986–87)
  • Belgium Phillipe Garot (1987–89)
  • France Philippe Troussier (1990–92)
  • Ivory Coast Eustache Manglé (1992–93)
  • Switzerland Charles Roessli (1993–94)
  • Ivory Coast Mamadou Zaré (1994–95)
  

Former presidents

  • Ivory Coast Joseph Kouamelan (1948–50)
  • Ivory Coast Tronnou Seho (1950–51)
  • Ivory Coast Lucien Dogbo (1951–53)
  • Ivory Coast François Logon (1953–54)
  • Ivory Coast Louis Boah (1954–56)
  • Ivory Coast François Ouégnin (1958–60)
  • Ivory Coast Blé Kouadio M'Bahia (1960–64)
  • Ivory Coast Kata François Kamano (1964–68)
  • Ivory Coast Mamadou Kouyaté (1968–70)
  
  • Ivory Coast Lanzéni Coulibaly (1970–75)
  • Ivory Coast Emile Dervain (1975–77)
  • Ivory Coast Bogui Bégnana (1977–79)
  • Ivory Coast Mamadou Touré (1979–80)
  • Ivory Coast Victor Ekra (1980–81)
  • Ivory Coast Claude Andoh (1981–83)
  • Ivory Coast Mamadou Touré (1983–87)
  • Ivory Coast Kangah Michel Ahoua (1987–89)
  • Ivory Coast Roger Ouégnin (1989–)

References

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