rgfa.gad.gov [Gadiryan Domestic Football Newswires] (OPEN)

by **Gadirya** » Fri Sep 02, 2016 6:55 pm

OOC Note: Please don't post here unless you have permission from me first, thanks!

Royal Gadiryan Football Assocation Presents
Coverage of the Ligue Élite, Championnat Nationale, and Gadiryan Youth Leagues

Welcome to rgfa.gad.gov! Your official source of everything Gadiryan football. In this page, you will see in-depth previews, 5 matchday recaps, and season reviews of the Ligue Élite and light previews and reviews of the Championnat Nationale and of the Gadiryan Youth Leagues. Plus coverage of the Coupe de la Monarchie! We hope you enjoy what Gadiryan football has to offer! If you, the reader, have any suggestions to make this page better or questions send us an email via this link! Any transfer inquiries should be sent to the link provided previously or on IRC Chat.

Coupe de la Monarchie (logo coming soon):
Coupe de la Monarchie Season Two

Ligue Élite (logo coming soon):
Preview to Season Two
Preseason Matches
Matchday 1-10
Matchday 11-20
Matchday 21-30 / Review of Season Two

Championnat Nationale (logo coming soon):
Preview to Season Two / Review of Season Two

Gadiryan Youth Leagues (logo coming soon):
Part I| Part II

Previous Seasons:
Season One Beginning - Season One End

Previous Winners of the Coupe de la Monarchie:
Season One: Olympique Charmat (1)

Previous Winners of the Ligue Élite:
Season One: CA Casablanca (1)

Previous Winners of the Championnat Nationale:
Season One: Partisan (1)

Previous Winners of the Southern Gadiryan Youth League:
Season One: Charmat Training Centre #3 (1)

Previous Winners of the Northern Gadiryan Youth League:
Season One: Altintop Training Centre #3 (1)

Previous Winners of the Gadiryan National Championship:
Season One: Altintop Training Centre #3 (1)

by **Gadirya** » Sat Sep 03, 2016 12:08 am

Coupe de la Monarchie (logo coming soon) Season One

The first edition of the Coupe de la Monarchie will forever be unique compared to any other edition in the future since this first edition of the Coupe will decide who will start in the highest division of Gadiryan football, the Ligue Élite and who will start in the second division, the Championnat Nationale. This is due to fact that prior to the creation of the Ligue Élite and Championnat Nationale, the top two professional leagues in Gadirya, football in Gadirya was confined to semi-professional leagues for 7 years as the Royal Gadiryan Football Association laid down the foundation for football in the country. Now, it's finally time for professionalism to rise to prominence. The tournament will consist of 32 clubs will compete in 5 rounds to determine the first winner of the Coupe de la Monarchie with each round of matches being generated via random draw. Winner grabs a Cygnus Cup spot representing Gadirya, a CEdC spot representing Gadirya, 250,000 Gadiryan Pounds, and the honor of winning the first Coupe de la Monarchie! Here are the 32 clubs competing in the Coupe de la Monarchie:

Ekmekçispur
Leidon Ittihad
Al Taedin
Talaba Rabdir
University of Gadirya
Al-Qasr
Club Sportif
St Simeon
Nafit Al-Janoub
Taraji Hosmundi
Karimi Technica Ittihad
CA Casablanca
El Main Ittihad
Jaalbeck Nafit
University of Casablanca
Helwan
Al Shabab
Aslanlar
Al Ahly
Petrosur
Najmat Ahmar
Olympique Charmat
CS Taparura
Al Bani Alssufun
JS Galace
Al Sekka
Küçükspur
Altinspor
Partisan
Olympique Charmat
Al-Qasr
Club Sportif
St Simeon
Nafit Al-Janoub
CA Saffron
Olympique Lambert
Ghazl In Taman

Out of the 32 clubs above there are 6 favorites to win it all Leidon Ittihad, Al Ahly, Olympique Charmat, Altinspor, Club Sportif, and CA Casablanca. These 6 clubs all excelled in their respective semi-professional leagues and have sent some of their players to the Gadiryan national team. Two potential matches to look out for include Club Sportif versus Leidon Ittihad and Olympique Charmat versus Al Ahly. The first potential match is a rivalary of religious proportions. Club Sportif, a Franco-Arab club based in Christian dominated Balbay, despises their Muslim majority rivals Leidon Ittihad based in the city of Leidon. These reasons for hatred are connected to a long and turbulent history of conflict and turmoil as Leidon and Balbay have always been vying for control of Haboun Island ever since the collapse of the Gadiryan Empire back in the 3rd Era. Add religion, history, the fact that you can't openly declare war on each other and you got a very fiery rivalry on the pitch and in the stands. The second rivalry we are looking at is between Olympique Charmat and Al Ahly, these two have a many reasons to hate each other. During the 7 year semi-professional period these two clubs would always meet in the Charmat Metropolitan League and these matches usually decided the winner of the league. And clubs hating losing a championship because of one or two games. Another reason for the animosity between the two clubs is related to a growing rift between Franco-Arabs and Arabs in Gadirya. The Franco-Arabs, which consist of French, Arab, and Arab-French peoples, are more economically successful compared to the standard Arab in Gadirya which has led to bitterness and fuels a exciting intercity rivalry.

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 1-0 Nafit Al-Janoub (1-0 agg)
Nafit Al-Janoub 1-0 Ekmekçispur (1-0 AET, 1-1 agg, 0-2 PKs)

Turkish club Ekmekçispur edges out Arabic outfit Nafit Al-Janoub in the most dramatic way possible as a it took penalty kicks to decide not only the winner but who would play in the Ligue Élite and who would not. It was Ekmekçispur who kept their nerve, although the more appropriate term would be who lost their nerve less, and advanced while Nafit Al-Janoub will wonder what could have been had they managed to at least get some goals in and not sky it twice. Ekmekçispur would become the 3rd Turkish team to advance to the Round of 16 and participate in the Ligue Élite next year. Who knows how far this small Turkish club can go.

JS Galace 2-2 Club Sportif (2-2 agg)
Club Sportif 1-1 JS Galace (3-3 agg) (Club Sportif wins on away goals rule)

JS Galace nearly pulled off the impossible upset but a late goal by Côme Deforrest denied JS Galace a spot in the Round of 16 and Ligue Élite as Club Sportif won on the away goals rule and advanced. Club Sportif will have to look back at what went wrong and how they nearly got eliminated by what was seen by many commentators and pundits as inferior opposition.

University of Gadirya 4-3 Petrosur (4-3 agg)
Petrosur 3-1 University of Gadirya (6-5 agg)

Unlike the two previous matches that were close in both matches this two leg tie was just crazy. The first result for the University of Gadirya was the perfect result for The Student but Petrosur pulled an amazing performance out of nowhere in the second match to secure their place in the next round. While their defense might have looked weak the first match their second leg performance showed a strong Petrosur team that, if they continue to play like that, will make a deep run in the Coupe.

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 0-1 Leidon Ittihad (0-1 agg)
Leidon Ittihad 0-1 Ekmekçispur (1-1 AET, 2-1 agg)

Ekmekçispur's hopes in upsetting Leidon Ittihad were dashed by an extra time header by Leidon captain Said El-Amin. Leidon won the first match by the slimmest of margins due to their missed chances and gave Ekmekçispur a window of hope for the second leg. The Turks took advantage of this chance and did well to win the match in regular time but couldn't hold on. Leidon Ittihad advances to the Quarterfinals.

St Simeon 3-1 El Main Ittihad (3-1 agg)
El Main Ittihad 2-1 St Simeon (3-4 agg)

Who would of thought that the resort town club of St Simeon would make it to the Quarterfinals, upsetting favorite El Main Ittihad? Well they did it and won in convincing fashion the first leg and managed to hold on in the second leg shocking the home crowd in El Main and advancing the Frenchmen to the final 8 much to the surprise, of well, everyone!

Karimi Technica Ittihad 3-3 CA Casablanca (3-3 agg)
CA Casablanca 1-1 Karimi Technica Ittihad (4-4 agg) (CA Casablanca wins on away goals rule)

Karimi Technica Itthiad gave CA Casablanca the challenge of their club life never seen before by the dominant club from Casablanca in Gadirya's northern part of Extunis Island. Technica managed to match each blow made by Casablanca and were only denied a spot in the Quarterfinals by Maximilien Jauffret's amazing saves and the away goals rule which saved Casablanca from further drama as Karimi failed to score one last crucial goal to win the tie. Next year Technica!

Aslanlar 0-0 Al Ahly (0-0 agg)
Al Ahly 1-0 Aslanlar (1-0 agg)

Aslanlar, lived up to their nickname of The Lions as they fought admirably and pushed another favorite to the edge as Al Ahly had a tough time breaking down the 2nd Turkish team that managed to make it to the Round of 16. In the first leg neither side was able to score and the Aslanlar fans knew they needed a draw or a win in Charmat in order to advance and pull off a surprising upset. Al Ahly had other plans though and despite another defensively tough match for The Eagles they managed to score the minimum for victory and sent their home stadium in delirium as Al Ahly made it to the next round. It was a heartbreaking way to bow out of the Coupe for Aslanlar as one defensive lapse punished them but there is hope that Aslanlar can remain in the Ligue Élite as they have been solid defensively, even with the big boys.

Altinspor 2-1 Petrosur (2-1 agg)
Petrosur 3-2 Altinspor (4-4 agg) (Altinspor wins on away goals rule)

Petrosur was so close in pulling another wild win but were denied in Saryeh home stadium as Altinspor became the only Turkish side to advance to the Quarterfinals. Altinspor had a solid first leg but their second leg performance will be leaving a lot of questions for the side as their defense leaked goal after goal and were nearly eliminated cause of it. Hopefully they can fix those problems for the next round.

Notable Matches:

Leidon Ittihad 0-0 Altinspor (0-0 agg)
Altinspor 1-2 Leidon Ittihad (1-2 agg)

Many expected this match to be close and exciting and Leidon Ittihad and Altinspor did not deny us that pleasure as both clubs brought their A-game for this Quarterfinal match to decide who would make it to the Semifinals. The first leg was a cagey affair both clubs wanting to test the waters with each other and didn't take too many risks, while that did bore the fans in Leidon it showed that Gadiryan football can be tactical and not just a simple game of putting the ball in the net. The next leg was another example of "Gadiryan Chess" as both sides were tactical with their play and produced a interesting game and this time had goals to show. Leidon opened up the game with a goal and Altinspor responded with a goal of their own a few minutes later. It took a half time substitution for Leidon to eventually win the match as the substitute strengthened the midfield and gave Leidon the edge to score the game winning goal in the 51st minute and deny Altinspor a Semifinal berth.

Club Sportif 0-1 St Simeon (0-1 agg)
St Simeon 0-3 Club Sportif (1-3 agg)

St Simeon's Hamda (ooc: think Cinderella) run ended in their own stadium as Club Sportif, shocked by their narrow home loss, came back with a vengeance and shut down any hopes for a Semifinal appearance for St Simeon in the first half of the second leg in St Simeon. St Simeon did well to win the first leg, but the pressure to get a good result combined with Club Sportif's dominating performance gave the resort town club no chance in advancing. But the fans of St Simeon have nothing to be ashamed of, their club did the impossible and made a deep run the very first Coupe de la Monnarchie, well done St Simeon, well done.

Olympique Charmat 1-1 Jaalbeck Nafit (1-1 agg)
Jaalbeck Nafit 0-1 Olympique Charmat (1-2 agg)

Jaalbeck Nafit had a Hamda run of their own but were more lowkey about it that St Simeon. Blessed with a good draw in the Round of 16 they made a surprising run and were in the thick of it against cross bay rivals Olympique Charmat. Their solid defensive effort kept Jaalbeck in play and it wasn't until a inspired set of passes by Olympique gave Olympique the edge in both of the match and in the leg itself.

Semifinals
Club Sportif 1-2 Olympique Charmat (1-2 agg)
Olympique Charmat 4-2 Club Sportif (6-3 agg)

Olympique Charmat were unfortunate not to draw rivals Al Ahly and same too for Club Sportif as the draw denied them a semifinal meeting with rivals Leidon Ittihad. Regardless, both clubs had a chance to meet their rivals if they won their semifinal matches. Olympique shot first with a victory in Balbay giving Olympique an important edge. Club Sportif, clearly rattled by the narrow loss at home affected their performance in the next leg as Olympique completely dominated the match and won fairly impressively by 4 goals to 2. At one point Olympique scored 3 goals to nil and it wasn't till Club Sportif was one goal away from drawing that Olympique sealed the deal with another goal.

Leidon Ittihad 2-1 Al Ahly (2-1 agg)
Al Ahly 1-2 Leidon Ittihad (2-4 agg)

Al Ahly, like Club Sportif, was never in the match for both legs. While they did manage to keep the matches interesting in the first and second legs they couldn't find a way to breakdown a Leidon Ittihad that retreated after scoring their second goal. This result denied Olympique a chance to meet with crosstown rivals Al Ahly. Likewise Club Sportif failing to show up in the second match denied Leidon Ittihad their chance to make the finals a rival night. Regardless of whether or not the next match was going to be a rivalry, the match between Olympique and Ittihad was setting up to be a classic match between two dominant clubs that brushed aside opposition in any way possible.

Finals
Olympique Charmat 2-1 Leidon Ittihad

This match was the perfect way to introduce to cup final football to Gadirya as the match in a packed King Anwar I National Stadium, Charmat lived up to its finals label and provided a thrilling match for everyone watching the game. The first half was a closely contested affair as both sides wanted to score first but Olympique and Leidon's defenses held firm. It was only when Olympique's Selim Badem fouled Ibrahim El-Mofti outside the box in the 37th minute that Leidon managed to score first via free kick by Hadi Kartal. The goal gave Leidon Ittihad the lead in the first half but the lead only managed to keep it for 7 minutes into the 2nd half as Ishaq El-Hashem managed to score an amazing goal with ease as a volleyed shot went to the top left of the net out of the reach of the goalkeeper. Olympique kept pressing for their second goal and overwhelmed Leidon Ittihad's defense. They held on for minutes on end but eventually were successfully broke down after a string of passes gave Michel Héroux an open chance and the veteran failed to miss and with his 72nd minute goal gave his Olympique Charmat their first ever professional trophy and a berth to the Cygnus Cup, representing Gadirya. Leidon Ittihad would leave saddened but their run was quite remarkable and if they do everything they did this Coupe they surely have a chance to win next edition.

by **Gadirya** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 2:01 pm

Preview to the Ligue Élite (logo coming soon) Season One

Following the end of a successful Coupe de la Monarchie and winning championship run in the Baptism of Fire it is now time for the maiden season of the Ligue Élite where 16 clubs across Gadirya will compete for not only the title of winner of the Ligue Élite but for the important UICA Champions' League spot and three Globe Cup spots. The format of the league is straight forward with each club playing thirty matches each. The first placed team will be crowned as champion, qualify for the preliminary rounds of CEdC, and qualify for the first preliminary round of the Champions' Cup. The second, third, and fourth placed clubs will qualify for the Globe Cup in various stages with the second placed team being closer to the Globe Cup proper than the third and forth placed teams. Clubs that finish in fifteenth and sixteenth place will be automatically relegated to the league below with the thirteenth placed team having a two legged promotion/relegation playoff match with the third place team from the Championnat Nationale. The tiebreakers for the Ligue Élite are as follows: Points, goal differential, matches between clubs, games won, and goals for.

Key: Closed means that the stadium is a domed one, half closed (or half open depending on your philosophical outlook) means that the stadium has a retractable fabric roof, and open means that the stadium is a traditional stadium.

Clubs (16):

Ekmekçispur (Altintop Province) [Rival: Aslanlar, Altinspor, Küçükspur]
Quick Bio: Ekmekçispur is a Turkish working class club from Ekmekçi, an industrial town just south of Altintop. Ultras are (in)famous for their red flares and their passionate support. The Ultras are connected with far-left, anti-monarchical, Turkish nationalism.
Stadium: Türük Stadium (capacity 12,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 [C] Cevahir Teke (Starter) {Age: 27}
RCB: #2 İsmet Kundakçı (Starter) {Age: 30}
CB: #4 Harun Balik (Starter) {Age: 26}
LCB: #5 Danyal Ekmekçi (Young Starter) {Age: 19}
RM: #15 Yusuf Küçük (Starter) {Age: 28}
RCM: #6 Cevdet Terzi (Starter) {Age: 23}
LCM: #8 Şerif Arap (Aging Starter) {Age: 35}, Lut Emre (Promising Prospect) {Age: 18}
LM: #12 Tahir Samara (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
RW: #9 Yasin Badem (Starter) {Age: 24}
ST: #11 Fehim Sadık (Starter) {Age: 23}
LW: #7 Özgür Peynirci (Promising Starter) {Age: 19}
Formation: 3-4-3
Manager: Şukri Macar {Age: 50} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -1
Prediction: 9th

Leidon Ittihad [Rivals: Club Sportif, Taraji Hosmundi]
Quick Bio: Leidon Ittihad is a club based in the Muslim Arab majority city of Leidon in the Northern Island, fans are blue collar. Despises Club Sportif and because of that hooligans are violent during matches with Club Sportif.
Stadium: Leidon Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 20,000) [Open]
GK: #12 Attica Zaman (Aging Starter) {Age: 35}, Salah Al-Din (Backup) {Age: 22}
RB: #22 Erhan Demirm (Starter) {Age: 22}
RCB: #5 Kasto Rahal (Starter) {Age: 26}
LCB: #4 Mümtaz Albaf (Aging Starter) {Age: 34}
LB: #2 Hamed Amiri (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
CDM: #8 [C] Said El-Amin (Solid Starter) {Age: 30}
RM: #6 İsmail Barış (Young Starter) {Age: 19}
CM: #13 Hadi Kartal (Starter) {Age: 28}
LM: #18 Ghassan Muhammad (Starter) {Age: 20}
RS: #7 Ibrahim El-Mofti (Starter) {Age: 27}
LS: #10 Darwishi Tannous (Starter) {Age: 23}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Abdul Azeez Zamani {Age: 59} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +2
Prediction: 5th

Al Taedin (In Taman) [Rivals: Ghazl In Taman]
Quick Bio: n/a
Stadium: In Taman Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 12,000) [Closed]
GK: #12 Saleh Tawfeek (Starter) {Age: 20}
RB: #1 Hamza Samara (Young Starter) {Age: 18}
CB: #3 Hanbal Tuma (Starter) {Age: 28}
LB: #2 Saahir Elbaz (Starter) {Age: 25}
CDM: #16 Yves Comtoi (Starter) {Age: 23}
RM: #5 Amaanullah Jalali (Starter) {Age: 26}
CM: #19 [C] Koc Oztoprak (Aging Starter) {Age: 34}
LM: #8 Furqaan Khan (Starter) {Age: 29}
CAM: #7 Kylian Lapointe (Starter) {Age: 20}
RS: #10 Saahir Elbaz (Starter) {Age: 23}
LS: #25 Husaam Tabet (Starter) {Age: 21}
Formation: 3-4-1-2
Manager: Saeed Bangura {Age: 54} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -2.5
Prediction: 7th

Olympique Charmat [Rival: Al Ahly, CA Casablanca, Al Bani Alssufun, Partisan, Najmat Ahmar, CA Saffron]
Quick Bio: Quickly rose as the most popular club in Gadirya during the semi-pro years playing in the Charmat Metropolitan League due to their success in that league and Charmat's influence on the rest of the nation. Because of those two factors clubs all over Gadirya have a disliking for Olympique. The club has a French influence due to influx of Felixian French immigrants to Charmat. Fans of this club are of middle class origin. Olympique Charmat became the first Gadiryan club to buy a foreign player with the acquisition of Sameban player, Osvaldo Roman.
Stadium: Stade Olympique de Charmat (Capacity: 35,000) [Open]
GK: #13 Hamed Almasi (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
RB: #12 [C] Lütfü Burakgazi (Starter) {Age: 25}
RCB: #4 Selim Badem (Starter) {Age: 20}
LCB: #3 Abel Monet (Starter) {Age: 21}
LB: #5 Amen Laroussi (Starter) {Age: 29}
RM: #22 Mohamet Ebdelkader (Starter) {Age: 25}
RCM: #13 Gaubert Royer (Starter) {Age: 21}, Majed Boumedienne (Aging Backup) {Age: 32}
LCM: #8 Osvaldo Roman (Foreign Starter) {Age: 25}

LM: #10 Sofiane Zekkal (Starter) {Age: 29}
RS: #7 Ishaq El-Hashem (Promising Starter) {Age: 20}
LS: #9 Michel Héroux (Aging Starter) {Age: 32}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Farouk Lakhdar {Age: 45} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +2.5
Prediction: 2nd (Globe Cup berth)

Al-Qasr (Charmat) [Rivals: Al Ahly, Olympique Charmat CA Saffron]
Quick Bio: Al-Qasr, which means "The Palace" in Arabic is, as the name suggests, closely connected with Gadiryan royalty. It is sort of King Anwar's personal club. Fans are middle to upper class and strongly support the monarchy.
Stadium: The Royal Stadium (Capacity: 5,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Basim Mohammed (Young Starter) {Age: 18}
RCB: #30 Abdul Suleiman (Starter) {Age: 30}
CB: #24 Mamdooh Haq (Starter) {Age: 21}
LCB: #20 Kalid Chabani (Starter) {Age: 28}
RM: #22 Ayaan Slimani (Starter) {Age: 25}
CM: #15 Saeed Rasul (Starter) {Age: 23}
LM: #17 Théophile Coste (Starter) {Age: 21}
CAM: #23 [C] Samir Zakaria (Starter) {Age: 26}
RS: #10 Jabbar Benyamina (Starter) {Age: 22}
LS: #12 Barış Katırcı (Starter) {Age: 31}
Formation: 3-3-1-2
Manager: Mansur Boumedienne {Age: 48} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +2
Prediction: 14th (Relegation/Promotion Playoff)

Club Sportif (Balbay) [Rivals: Leidon Ittihad, Taraji Hosmundi]
Quick Bio: Franco-Arab Christian club from Balbay in the Northern Island, fans are blue collar workers. Intense rivalary with Leidon Ittihad. Christian hooligans are a problem when facing their hated rival.
Stadium: Stade de Balbay (Capacity: 15,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 Alim Benayoun (Starter) {Age: 25}
RB: #2 Baheej Saba (Starter) {Age: 29}
RCB: #3 Savas Erden (Starter) {Age: 20}
LCB: #4 Faris Sahnoun (Starter) {Age: 30}
LB: #5 Fabien Patenaude (Starter) {Age: 23}
CDM: #6 Kaseem Fergani (Starter) {Age: 25}
RM: #7 Vahit Küçük (Starter) {Age: 21}
CM: #8 [C] Bashir Nakache (Starter) {Age: 31}
LM: #9 Côme Deforrest (Starter) {Age: 27}
CAM: #10 Rémy Fabron (Starter) {Age: 22}
ST: #11 Fakhir Kateb (Starter) {Age: 28}
Formation: 4-1-3-1
Manager: Candide Bonhomme {Age: 51} <Manager for 0 years>
Prediction: 6th

St Simeon (Casablanca Province) [Rivals: CS Galace]
Quick Bio: St Simeon is a club based in the small, majority French speaking resort town of St Simeon northeast from Casablanca. Fans from all social classes support the club.
Stadium: Stade Municipal de St Simeon (Capacity: 5,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Jean-Charles Crevier (Starter) {Age: 29}
RB: #5 Germain Breguet (Starter) {Age: 24}
RCB: #3 Omar Harbi (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
LCB: #6 André Rigal (Starter) {Age: 28}
LB: #2 Fabrice Jaccoud (Starter) {Age: 21}
RCM: #14 [C] Jean-Christophe Prudhomme (Aging Starter) {Age: 34}
CM: #8 Mathieu Chapelle (Starter) {Age: 20}
LCM: #18 Muhunnad Sidi (Aging Starter) {Age: 25}
CAM: #22 Maxence Lucroy (Starter) {Age: 30}
RS: #12 André Rousselle (Starter) {Age: 31}
LS: #9 Joseph Poullain (Young Starter) {Age: 19}
Formation: 4-3-1-2
Manager: Joffrey Fontaine {Age: 40} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -0.5
Prediction: 12th

El Main Ittihad [Rivals: Al Sekka]
Quick Bio: n/a
Stadium: El Main Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 25,000) [Closed]
GK: #12 Amaanullah Salman (Starter) {Age: 20}
RB: #22 Mernisa Karim (Starter) {Age: 29}
CB: #4 Aiman Farid (Starter) {Age: 24}
LB: #5 Saif Darwish (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
RM: #19 Bahada Rayes (Starter) {Age: 27}
CM: #42 Ali Ghazi (Starter) {Age: 21}
LM: #7 [C] Idmi Sawaya (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
RW: #9 Rashaad Salik (Starter) {Age: 20}
ST: #17 Kamaaluddeen Reza (Aging Starter) {Age: 32}
LW: #10 Luwai Jabbour (Starter) {Age: 28}
Formation: 3-4-3
Manager: Gourane Soltani {Age: 47} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +4
Prediction: 16th (Relegated)

Jaalbeck Nafit [Rivals: Najmat Ahmar]
Quick Bio: Founded by oil workers Jaalbeck Nafit reflects Jaalbeck's hard work ethos and the fans are heavy industry workers from Jaalbeck. Lack of revenue makes this club small compared to nearby Charmat clubs.
Stadium: Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 8,000) [Open]
GK: #1 [C] Rashaad Benbrika (Aging Starter) {Age: 34}
RB: #2 Zahid Benlabed (Starter) {Age: 21}
RWB: #3 Xavier Bourque (Young Starter) {Age: 18}
CB: #4 Mashaal Slimani (Starter) {Age: 22}
LWB: #5 Wafiyy Aruj (Aging Stater) {Age: 32}
LB: #6 Buhasu Barakat (Starter) {Age: 24}
RM: #7 Zuthimalin Aym (Starter) {Age: 29}
CM: #8 Halit Ekmekçi (Starter) {Age: 20}
LM: #9 Sarni Malek (Starter) {Age: 28}
CAM: #10 Martial Boudreaux (Promising Starter) {Age: 19}
ST: #11 Farid Litim (Starter) {Age: 24}
Formation: 5-3-1-1
Manager: Alborz Kouiret {Age: 56} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -5
Prediction: 8th

Taraji Hosmundi [Rivals: Leidon Ittihad, Club Sportif]
Quick Bio: n/a
Stadium: Hosmundi Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
GK: #33 Mudrik Sharifi (Starter) {Age: 25}
RB: #20 Umair Ammar (Starter) {Age: 21}
RCB: #14 Kaarim Neman (Starter) {Age: 30}
LCB: #2 Dalmas Hakim (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #5 Yasul Taheri (Starter) {Age: 31}
CDM: #17 [C] Omar Al Som (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
RM: #13 Mustafa Bassas (Starter) {Age: 25}
CM: #8 Waleed Bakshween (Starter) {Age: 27}
LM: #18 Hibbaan Ansari (Starter) {Age: 28}
RS: #9 Islam Seraj (Starter) {Age: 20}
LS: #19 Mardenic Kader (Starter) {Age: 24}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Motaz Hawsawi {Age: 53} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -1.5
Prediction: 13th

Karimi Technica Ittihad (Batioun) [Rivals: Helwan]
Quick Bio: Karimi Technica is Gadirya's biggest telecommunications, industrial, mining, and chemical conglomerate company and the owner, Mustafa Elbaz, founded Karimi Technica Ittihad in his hometown of Batioun as a way of helping his community. Supporters of this somewhat newly founded club have yet to fully commit to this club but are slowly starting to see the appeal in this club and are beginning to fill in the 20,000 seats of their stadium. Fans come from all walks of life in Batioun.
Stadium: Karimi Technica Stadium (Capacity: 20,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 Islam Halabi (Starter) {Age: 20}
RB: #4 Firdos Nasri (Starter) {Age: 21}
RCB: #5 Kagan Altintop (Starter) {Age: 30}
LCB: #6 Hatem Gaber (Starter) {Age: 24}
LB: #21 Ismael Antoun (Starter) {Age: 25}
RM: #18 Yukyan Hoque (Starter) {Age: 22}
RCM: #7 Azad Dawood (Starter) {Age: 23}
CM: #13 Mass Taheri (Starter) {Age: 29}
LCM: #20 Medo Samaha (Starter) {Age: 21}
LM: #8 Ahmed Moghadam (Starter) {Age: 25}
ST: #11 [C] Mero Sabbagh (Starter) {Age: 28}
Formation: 4-5-1
Manager: David Hanania {Age: 48} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -3
Prediction: 15th (Relegated)

CA Casablanca [Rivals: Olympique Charmat, Partisan, Olympique Lambert, CS Taparura, CS Galace]
Quick Bio: CA Casablanca is the club of Casablanca and was the most successful club in the Casablanca Metropolitan League during the semi-professional years. CA Casablanca developed a friendly but intense rivalry with Olympique Charmat during some club friendlies over the years and will carry that rivalry to the Ligue Élite. The club has the honor of sending some of their most promising players to both the Senior Gadiryan national team and the U-21 side. CA Casablanca's fan base is wide ranging from lower class to upper class, from French to Arab. The only part of Casablanca where they lack support is from the far-left and left wing parts of Casablanca. That is reserved for Partisan, Casablanca's working class/left wing club.
Stadium: Stade Casablanca (Capacity: 25,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Maximilien Jauffret (Starter) {Age: 31}
RB: #21 Sharif Slimani (Starter) {Age: 20}
RCB: #4 [C] Gérard Calvet (Leader Among Men) {Age: 24}
LCB: #5 Yervant Belkacem (Starter) {Age: 30}
LB: #6 Dominique Beaumanoir (Exciting Prospect) {Age: 18}
RDM: #18 Sacha Beauvau (Young Starter) {Age: 19}
LDM: #13 Musa Salem (Starter) {Age: 25}
RAM: #8 Stanislas Dufour (Starter) {Age: 21}
CAM: #17 Muhammad Abujamal (Starter) {Age: 23}
LAM: #7 Simon Cartier (Potential STARter) {Age: 22}
ST: #12 Kamal Saadi (Starter) {Age: 30}
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Manager: Jérôme Bettencourt {Age: 42} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +3
Prediction: 1st (Champion, Champions' Cup berth, CEdC berth)

Aslanlar (Altintop) [Rivals: Ekmekçispur, Altinspor]
Quick Bio: Aslanlar is Altintop's right-wing club supporting the monarchy, Gadiryan nationalism, and is strongly against left-wing causes. Aslanlar's base includes workers in Altinspor and the middle class in the more well to do parts of the city. Aslanlar name derives from the word Aslan, which means lion.
Stadium: The Den (Capacity: 13,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 Efe Marangoz (Starter) {Age: 20}
RB: #20 Abdülkerim Badem (Starter) {Age: 29}
RCB: #3 Rıza Tiryaki (Starter) {Age: 25}
LCB: #5 Fatih Aslan (Starter) {Age: 22}
LB: #33 Saleem Bouchiba (Starter) {Age: 20}
RDM: #8 Mithat Tiryaki (Starter) {Age: 30}
LDM: #6 Nadir Sadık (Starter) {Age: 21}
RM: #10 Ahmed Uzun (Starter) {Age: 29}
CAM: #22 [C] Gyasi Sleiman (Aging Starter) {Age: 32}
LM: #19 Umut Balik (Starter) {Age: 22}
ST: #7 Kıvanç Sadık (Starter) {Age: 30}
Formation: 4-5-1
Manager: Erol Burakgazi {Age: 53} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -5
Prediction: 11th

Al Ahly (Charmat) [Rival: Olympique Charmat, Al-Qasr, Al Sekka, Al Bani Alssufun]
Quick Bio: Al Ahly, which means "The National" in Arabic, is the dominant Arabic club in Charmat. Always competing with rivals Olympique in the Charmat Metropolitan League they have set up themselves as the Arabic club for Charmat. Like their rival they too have sent players to the Senior national team and the U-21 national team. Fans are fiercely patriotic, pro-Arab, and come from all parts of Charmat Arabic society.
Stadium: King Anwar I National Stadium (Capacity: 48,000) [Open]
GK: #1 [C] Aziz Karim (Starter) {Age: 29}, #13 Kamuzu Salib (Promising Prospect) {Age: 18}
RB: #2 Mus'ab Taheri (Starter) {Age: 24}
RCB: #4 Abdul Wadood Mostafa (Starter) {Age: 30}
LCB: #6 Marwan Qureshi (Starter) {Age: 21}
LB: #3 Rodolph Victor (Starter) {Age: 20}
RM: #18 Amir Aswad (Starter) {Age: 23}
CM: #12 Efe Moghadam (Starter) {Age: 27}
LM: #23 Sarni Hakimi (Starter) {Age: 28}
RW: #11 Annnees Hoda (Starter) {Age: 20}
ST: #7 Mustafa Ganim (Club Star) {Age: 25}
LW: #10 Nur Burakgazi (Starter) {Age: 28}
Formation: 4-3-3
Manager: Ari El Sadat {Age: 52} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +3.5
Prediction: 3rd (Globe Cup berth)

Petrosur (Saryeh) [Rival: Nafit Al-Janoub]
Quick Bio: Petrosur was founded by an oil company of the same name, a subsidiary of Stat Oil a Guayablense company. Similar to Karimi Technica Ittihad this club has had trouble in attracting fans but has slowly began to change that. Fans from this club are usually oil workers working for Petrosur and are conservative in political nature.
Stadium: Petrosur Stadium (Capacity: 14,500) [Half Closed]
GK: #20 Omar Hadad (Starter) {Age: 21}
RB: #2 [C] Nik Kaalaagandhi (Starter) {Age: 20}
RCB: #13 Yusuf Litim (Young Starter) {Age: 18}
LCB: #4 Bedario Baz (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #23 Monim Moghadam (Starter) {Age: 25}
CDM: #6 Male Sleiman (Starter) {Age: 20}
RM: #42 Mero Najjar (Starter) {Age: 21}
CM: #23 Malik Hadj (Average Starter) {Age: 22}
LM: #5 Thabit Saliba (Starter) {Age: 25}
RS: #77 Kasiya Cham (Starter) {Age: 24}
LS: #1 Rami Karnaark (Starter) {Age: 21}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Psamtic Hakimi {Age: 59} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: -0
Prediction: 10th

Altinspor (Altintop) [Rivals: Aslanlar, Ekmekçispur, Küçükspur]
Quick Bio: Altinspor is Altintop's main club and is the flag-bearer for Turkish football in Gadirya. This club has sent some plays to both the Senior national side and the U-21 side. Altinspor is politically neutral and the fans reflect that unlike other clubs in the Altintop Province. Fans are from all parts of Altintop society and are mainly Turkish in ethnicity.
Stadium: Altinspor Sports Complex (Capacity: 30,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Abdullah Arap (Starter) {Age: 28}
RB: #4 Halil Karta (Starter) {Age: 24}
CB: #5 Güvenç Uzun (Starter) {Age: 29}
LB: #3 Seyfullah Demirci (Starter) {Age: 20}
RM: #5 Öztürk Yılmaz (Young Starter) {Age: 30}
CM: #14 Timuçin Aslan (Starter) {Age: 29}
LM: #9 Öztürk Barış (Young Starter) {Age: 18}
RAM: #10 [C] Hikmet Kundakçı (Solid Starter) {Age: 27}
LAM: #20 Zahid Hadj (Starter) {Age: 20}
RS: #12 Selâhattin Teke (Promising Starter) {Age: 21}
LS: #7 Abdelrahman Abadi (Starter) {Age: 22}
Formation: 3-5-2
Manager: Talât Aksoy {Age: 52} <Manager for 0 years>
Style: +3
Prediction: 4th (Globe Cup berth)

by **Gadirya** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 5:57 pm

Matchday 1-10

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 0-2 Altinspor

In the most ideal way to start the first season of the Ligue Élite the first Turkish Derby between Ekmekçispur and Altinspor results in a win for away side Altinspor as two late goals in the 79th and 84th minutes gave Altinspor the ideal start to the season and sent Ekmekçispur fans leaving the stadium with sour tastes in their mouths.

Al-Qasr 2-1 CA Casablanca

Despite the fact Al-Qasr was host of their season opener against CA Casablanca few predicted that "The Royals" would pull off an upset against heavily favored CA Casablanca. Yet, somehow, they did with an amazing free kick goal in the 70th minute to send the Al-Qasr fans in delirium and after 20 minutes of brave defending from a spirited Casablanca side they managed the upset. The fans, clearly as surprised as the commentators and pundits rushed the pitch and celebrated with their players, much to CA Casablanca's chagrin.

Notable Matches:

Petrosur 2-0 Ekmekçispur

Predicted mid-table club Ekmekçispur's rocky start continues with another two to nil loss to Petrosur. Ekmekçispur has yet to score a goal in two matches and has conceded four goals. Petrosur's peformance was solid with one goal scored in the first half and the second one late in the second half after Ekmekçispur pressed for a game tying goal and were left exposed.

CA Casablanca 4-0 Al Taedin

CA Casablanca's rebound after their embarrassing defeat to Al-Qasr in matchday 1 was excellent as they easily dispatched Al Taedin with a league record 4-0 win. Al Taedin just didn't seem prepared for CA Casablanca and are now 0 and 2, with two losses against tough opposition Al Ahly and now CA Casablanca.

Karimi Technica Ittihad 0-4 Olympique Charmat

Olympique Charmat, like their Casablancan rivals, CA Casablanca, made history by scoring the most goals in a Ligue Élite match by blasting four goals past Karimi Technica and causing the home crowd, leave before the 60th minute after Olympique scored their 3rd goal. At the end of the match only a few thousand remained and most of them were fans from Charmat. Karimi is still winless after two matches.

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 0-4 Al Ahly

Is it too early to press the panic button at Ekmekçispur? It's another loss for the Turkish club and this time was a drubbing against Al Ahly tying the league record for most goals conceded and scored in a game. With eight goals conceded and zero scored should there be radical change in Ekmekçispur? Al Ahly on the other hand celebrates their second win in league play, oddly enough, both coming away from home.

Altinspor 3-1 CA Casablanca

Casablanca's roar from matchday 2 was reduce to a weak purr as Altinspor beat CA Casablanca three goals to one humbling the Casablancan side. Once again, Casablanca has failed to win away from home but it's too early to say if it's a problem. Altinspor picks up their second win in the season grabbing seven points out of a possible nine, not bad.

Leidon Ittihad 1-2 Karimi Technica Ittihad

Karimi Technica Ittihad, the same Karimi Technica that was crushed last matchday redeemed themselves with a upset win over Leidon Ittihad winning by the slimmest of margins by two goals to one. Leidon Ittihad were booed and jeered by their support after a lackluster performance against what was seen as an easy win for them.

Notable Matches:

Aslanlar 0-2 Ekmekçispur

Finally! Ekmekçispur pulls off a victory against fellow Turkish club Aslanlar. The Red and Blue Derby got ugly as Aslanlar fans began to throw flares on the pitch once the second goal was scored and the match had to be paused as security forces calmed the situation. Despite that respite Aslanlar showed no progress in coming back and did not make a difference in the scoreboard angering the home fans even more because not only did the lose, but they lost to a "left-wing" club. Ekmekçispur now has three points.

CA Casablanca 1-2 Al Ahly

Following this loss CA Casablanca is now in a two game winless streak after losing to tough opposition in the form of Altinspor and now Al Ahly. The match was much closer compared to the previous match but an amazing header from a corner gave Al Ahly the W and got them 3 more points and condemned Casablanca to another defeat and denied them a crucial point.

Karimi Technica Ittihad 3-0 Petrosur

It seems like that 4-0 defeat woke up the squad in Karimi Technica and now are on a two game win streak after easily beating Petrosur three goals to nil and now have 7 points from 4 games and have only one loss in the season so far. Petrosur players, disgusted and frustrated by their performance and the match in general fought with Karimi players. Is this the birth of a new rivalry between two clubs owned by corporations? Maybe.

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 0-2 CA Casablanca

After a two game slide for CA Casablanca they rebounded away from home beating Ekmekçispur by two goals to nothing. While last week gave Ekmekçispur fans some hope for next week another shutout puts Ekmekçispur's goals for to goals against record at a paltry 2 goals for and 10 goals against with a added (or rather subtracted) -8 goal differential. Things need to fundamentally change as performances like this will surely send Ekmekçispur down a rung in the Gadiryan football ladder.

Al Taedin 1-0 Club Sportif

Much to the surprise of many a promising Club Sportif side has under performed so far this season failing to grab a single win in five matches. At least Ekmekçispur won a match so far. But fair play to Al Taedin which played a conservative game and was rewarded when Club Sportif's slipped up and Al Taedin's one of few chances went in.

Olympique Charmat 2-0 Al-Qasr

After a bright start to the season Al-Qasr has yet to win another match and lost to fellow Charmat side of Olympique Charmat. Olympique had a dominating performance and it was only because of Al-Qasr's stout defense that less goals were allowed in. Olympique has now won 4 games in a row and is currently undefeated. Even in this early part of the season Olympique Charmat looks like they are the team to beat as they have yet to lose a match and concede a goal. Brilliant start for the Coupe de la Monarchie champions.

Notable Matches:

El Main Ittihad 1-5 Al Ahly

Al Ahly's dominant and somewhat brutal performance against El Main Ittihad was record breaking as they became the first club to score 5 goals and El Main Ittihad was the first side to concede 5 goals in a lopsided match. Things started out well for El Main scoring first much to the fans delight but after that Al Ahly just scored goal after goal after goal and by half time was already 4 to 1. Al Ahly was not done however and scored yet another goal putting them up by 5 goals to 1 and sending most of the El Main fans home backing. El Main's season, unlike Al Ahly's has been miserable and a blowout loss like that isn't going to help.

Club Sportif 3-0 Altinspor

Club Sportif finally wins their first match and it was against a tough Altinspor that was made to look easy following a 3-0 humbling. Club Sportif came out of the gate running and scored a quick goal to delight the nervous home crowd and shock the visitors. Altinspor tried to tie the game up but two unlucky post shots prevented them from doing so. Club Sportif then scored two more goals in the first half and it was practically over after that.

Olympique Charmat 1-1 Al Taedin

Olympique Charmat continues their undefeated run with a draw against Al Taedin that did a fine job in defending from a relentless Olympique attack that at times seemed to outnumbered Al Taedin defenders as the ball flowed so smoothly from one side to the next. Olympique's draw keeps them in the drivers seat of the league so far but the season is young and there is plenty of time to have slip ups and misfortune.

Notable Matches:

Altinspor 1-4 Olympique Charmat

Olympique continues with their dominant set of performances with another win this time coming against Altinspor that recently suffered a 3-0 loss to Club Sportif. Olympique's 1-4 victory has sent a warning across the Ligue Élite as the margin wasn't a close one for the Charmat side. Olympique started strong and Altinspor soon responded but once Olympique got their gears running it was over and Altinspor never looked like they were going to respond.

Notable Matches:

Olympique Charmat 1-1 Al Ahly

It had to wait, but finally, the first professional meeting between Olympique Charmat and Al Ahly happened and it did not disappoint. Despite the result the match was exciting from start to finish and Olympique's match tying goal sent the fans into dreamland and gave Olympique another point and saved them from losing their first match. Better to lose their undefeated streak to another team than losing it to their most hated rival.

Leidon Ittihad 4-1 Altinspor

This latest defeat is Altinspor's 3rd game in a row that they have been defeated by three goals. Is it time to worry? Right now they are leaking goals when they used to be defensively solid and everyone is taking advantage of them. Leidon Ittiahd wins comfortably and is now making inroads to the top four spots while Altinspor's bright start to the season is now overshadowed by terrible defeats.

Notable Matches:

CA Casablanca 1-1 Olympique Charmat

"The French Classic" as most fans began to call it began at CA Casablanca's home stadium with a tepid one to one draw. The first half was exciting with both teams going for victory but after the halftime break where both teams were tied, neither side wanted to go for the kill as it risked too much and decided to play it safe. Both teams grab a point but Casablanca falls down a spot in the league table as Leidon Ittihad grabs a late win against Al Ahly.

Al Ahly 0-1 Leidon Ittihad

As mentioned earlier, a late game victory for Leidon Ittihad gave them a much needed 3 points and because of that they bounce over CA Casablanca in table. Al Ahly and Leidon Ittihad both tried to grab the lead throughout the match but it was Leidon's late shot that dealt the deathblow to Al Ahly and gave Leidon victory.

Petrosur 3-0 Altinspor

Another heavy loss against an opponent, now 4th game in a row, is sure to send alarm bells ringing back in Altintop as Petrosur, which has had a solid start to the season so far, beat them three goals to nil. Altinspor must review what's going on with themselves if they want to bonus back and get back to this title race after a series of bad games. Petrosur finally win a match after drawing one and losing one match. This solid performance should give them the confidence to grab more points later in the season.

Notable Matches:

Olympique Charmat 0-2 Taraji Hosmundi

Olympique Charmat ends their 9 game unbeaten streak with a shock loss to Taraji Hosmundi as they failed to score a single goal. While the home crowd was shocked by this stinging defeat they have nothing being ashamed of as this club currently leads the table with 19 points in ten games. Not that bad of a haul.

Leidon Ittihad 0-2 CA Casablanca

CA Casablanca jumps ahead of Leidon Ittihad with this win in the table following a draw last week. The comfortable 2 to 0 win give CA Casablanca confidence for the next game and will need to continue this form if they want to stay in this race for first place. Leidon, despite the loss at home can look forward to next week and hope they can rebound and still compete in this already hotly contested battle for the championship.

Altinspor 2-0 Aslanlar

After a terrible four weeks Altinspor finally recovers with a solid two goal win against fellow Turk club Aslanlar condemning the Altintop side to 13th place, two points away from the relegation/promotion zone and the straight relegation zone. Aslanlar will need to put up great performances if they want to recover from this horrible 10 game start. Altinspor on the other hand has righted the ship and is currently in 6th place 5 points, behind league leaders Olympique.

After 10 matches of Ligue Élite lets see how the tables look:

Ligue Élite Standings

    Team                         P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Olympique Charmat           10  5  4  1  18   7  +11  19 Champion, Champions' Cup, CEdC
  2 Al Ahly                     10  5  4  1  17   7  +10  19 Globe Cup
  3 CA Casablanca               10  5  2  3  16   9   +7  17 Globe Cup
  4 Leidon Ittihad              10  4  4  2  11   7   +4  16 Globe Cup
  5 Al Taedin                   10  4  3  3   9  11   -2  15
  6 Altinspor                   10  4  2  4  12  16   -4  14
  7 Jaalbeck Nafit              10  3  4  3   8   6   +2  13
  8 Petrosur                    10  3  4  3  10  10   +0  13
  9 St Simeon                   10  3  4  3   9  10   -1  13
 10 Taraji Hosmundi             10  3  3  4   7   7   +0  12
 11 Club Sportif                10  2  5  3  10  10   +0  11
 12 Karimi Technica Ittihad     10  2  5  3   8  11   -3  11
 13 Aslanlar                    10  2  5  3   5   8   -3  11
 14 Al-Qasr                     10  1  6  3  10  14   -4   9 Relegation/Promotion Playoff
 15 Ekmekçispur                 10  2  3  5   5  14   -9   9 Relegated
 16 El Main Ittihad             10  1  4  5  10  18   -8   7 Relegated

In first place we have Coupe de la Monarchie winning side Olympique Charmat with 19 points, this club has had a wonderful start to their maiden season in the Ligue Élite. Their only blemish came on matchday 10 with a surprise 0-2 loss at home. But if Olympique plays like they did first 9 matches of the season the next 10 will easily be theirs and they will have strengthened their grip in the title race. But for now, the race is tight ten matches in the 9th placed team only 6 points behind. In second place Al Ahly only behind by 1 goal in the goal differential. They too have had a great start to the season only losing one match like their in-city rivals. They would hope that they can continue with their fine form and eventually make a play to grab first place. In third, CA Casablanca which is so far under-performing to their lofty expectations of a first place finish but it's only 10 matches in the season and things can easily change in 20 games. Leidon Ittihad finishes up the International berth spots as they grabbed 16 points from 10 matches only ahead of Al Taedin by one point.

In 5th place we have Al Taedin, and as previously mentioned this side is only one point away from a Globe Cup spot and 4 points away from the championship. While their performances have not been dominant they are still within earshot from making a title challenge. Altinspor finish their rough 4 game losing streak with a win of their own on matchday 10 helping them stop their slide in the table and stabilize their position, like teams from 5th to 9th place they are all within earshot of seriously competing for the title and if a few games goes Altinspor's way they can make a serious title challenge. In 7th, 8th, and 9th Jaalbeck Nafit, Petrosur, and St Simeon are level on points and only slim goal differences separate them. If any of them pull some upsets they have a shot at the Globe Cup spots. Rounding up the clubs that are safe are Taraji Hosmundi, Club Sportif, Karimi Technica Ittihad, and Aslanlar. All four clubs are closer to the relegation battle than they are the Globe Cup/Championship one as they are either 3 or 2 points away from the red zone. The most surprising of the four is Club Sportif which was expected to be at least in 6th place but instead are 5 places below. It's only the first third of the season but Club Sportif needs to improve or else Candide Bonhomme might lose his job. Second most surprising (although not by much) is how Karimi Technica is not in second to last place. While 12th isn't much of an improvement, at least they can say they aren't Ekmekçispur.

And last but not least the last three clubs Al-Qasr, Ekmekçispur, El Main Ittihad are all in the danger zone. While their 14th placed position is expected for a club like Al-Qasr if you were a fan of this club you would have to be disappointed with their showing so far. Showing ability to score is all well and good but they haven't had the killer instinct to win games and that's what got them in this position right now. 3 losses would put them in the title race as outside contenders but it's the draws that have dragged them down. If they don't start winning soon they will get relegated. Ekmekçispur has been one of the most disappointing clubs so far this season. Pegged to be a safe mid-table side they have faltered, giving up goals, and losing matches by wide margins. No one knows what's wrong with the club, it might be psychological, it might be just classic overrating of the club. Either way, this club needs to turn things around or it's off to the Championnat Nationale. Lastly, El Main Ittihad. They are doing what has been expected from them, not good. Experts think this club is going to get relegated and to be honest, maybe that's a good thing. It was mere luck that they managed to get out of the First Round of the Coupe de la Monarchie, maybe that luck ran out.

by **Gadirya** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:46 pm

Matchday 11-20

Notable Matches:

Karimi Technica Ittihad 0-3 Altinspor

Altinspor continues their comeback after that ugly 4 game losing streak with another great win this time disposing Karimi Technica Ittihad by three goals to none. Altinspor has now began their road to recovery and hopefully a challenge for the title. Karimi did not pose a threat to Altinspor in the 90 minutes of football played and the fans of the local side were not happy and continuously booed the home side that didn't put much effort in trying to come. Altinspor on the other hand played a great game scoring early and by halftime basically won the match.

CA Casablanca 2-2 Petrosur

CA Casablanca was held at home as Petrosur managed to respond to every goal made by the Casablancan side and denied the home side a valuable 3 points in a ever tightening race for the championship. The first half was dominated by CA Casablanca but Petrosur kept their nerve and prevented any goals from going in the first half. The second half was a different affair however, Casablanca came out roaring scoring goal in the first five minutes, but Petrosur responded with a goal of their own and Casablanca was back in square one. Casablanca's 81st minute goal was supposed to be the goal that won it but Petrosur did not give up and scored the game tying goal in the 85th minute to the shock of the home fans. Despite this setback hopefully CA Casablanca can win their next match.

Aslanlar 2-1 Al Ahly

Aslanlar upsets Al Ahly with a well deserved victory. They had control most of the match and this result will do them wonders for their effort to get out of the bottom half of the pile. On the other side of the coin this surprise loss damages the hopes for an in form Al Ahly from keeping up with rivals Olympique Charmat.

Notable Matches:

Al Ahly 0-4 Karimi Technica Ittihad

After a sterling start for Al Ahly, The Eagles suffer another shock loss against what was supposed to be easy opposition. This four to zero defeat against a Karimi Technica that was not favored to win must have bruised the pride of not only the players but of the fans. Al Ahly must do something to get them out of this rut that is eerily Altinspor-esque.

Notable Matches:

Club Sportif 0-1 Leidon Ittihad

The first professional game of the rivalry between Christian Club Sportif and Muslim Leidon Ittihad was a close and rough affair with Leidon pulling away with a late goal, much to the despair of Club Sportif fans and their easily agitated ultras. There was some reports of ultras fighting after the game but it was nothing too serious. Going back to football, this victory will give Leidon confidence for next week as they face one of the best clubs in the league Olympique Charmat.

St Simeon 3-1 Altinspor

St Simeon gets the jump over "elite" Turkish side Altinspor with a surprising 3-1 win. Lead by their captain, the St Simeon side were aggressive and caught Altinspor, which was enjoying a three game win streak, off guard and the result was obvious. A 3 to 0 lead by the end of the first half all but dashing any hopes that Altinspor could grab a point, much less three. Their only consolation was a brilliant free kick goal late in the game that saved them face.

Jaalbeck Nafit 1-3 Al Ahly

Al Ahly finally ends their odd two week blip and manages to defeat a promising Jaalbeck Nafit side at their own turf with a convincing three goals for the good against Jaalbeck's solitary one. Al Ahly will look to build from this game as they get their title challenge back on track when they face St Simeon, the same club that surprised Altinspor (shown above).

Karimi Technica Ittihad 0-1 CA Casablanca

Karimi Technica has developed sort of an odd habit, they can challenge the "big boys" of Gadiryan football and yet when they face opposition similar to them they seem to falter. This time they gave CA Casablanca a run for their money as Karimi's defense held firm against Casablanca's attacks. This is the second week in a row that a corporation founded club has given CA Casablanca and unnecessary test. Luckily for the away side, they leave Saryeh with all three points.

Notable Matches:

Leidon Ittihad 0-1 Olympique Charmat

With this win away from home Olympique goes back to business as usual by being undefeated in four matches, making matchday 10's shock defeat a distant memory. if Charmat continues to play like this there is no way anyone else in Gadirya could catch up to them and provide them a title challenge. On the matchday before the official halfway point of the season Olympique looks like they are in control of their own destiny.

Notable Matches:

St Simeon 3-5 CA Casablanca

Shootout in St Simeon! Both St Simeon and CA Casablanca brought their shooting cleats and fired off many goals, 8 to be exact, into the net breaking the match between El Main Ittihad-Al Ahly previous record of goals scored in a match. St Simeon shot first, eager to win their second home match in a row by knocking off superior opposition. Casablanca responded shortly thereafter but St Simeon did not wither after that instead they scored again to take back the lead. A last second first half goal evened up the match and sent both clubs to the locker room fully knowing that each side had two goals apiece. The second half Casablanca scored their 3 goal in the 59th minute only for St Simeon to reply in kind 7 minutes later. By then the Casablancan manager had enough and made some substitutions and that's when Casablanca finally go the upper hand. They scored another goal and with their midfield strengthened there was no way that St Simeon could mount another attack. The final goal came in the 90th minute after a wonderstrike from halfway down the pitch went in as St Simeon commuted all 11 players in a desperate bid to even up the match. It was no good in the end and CA Casablanca left with all three points.

Notable Matches:

Altinspor 3-3 Ekmekçispur

In a rematch of matchday's 1 "Turkish Derby" Altinspor's leaky defense and Ekmekçispur's tenacity and will not to be defeated twice in one season made this game a tied one instead of a 3 point one in Altinspor's favor. Altinspor started out strong with a well earned 2-0 lead but a goal near halftime gave Ekmekçispur some hope coming in to the 2nd half. Altinspor attempted to dash those hopes early with another goal when the second half started but Ekmekçispur wasn't going to lie down like usual. They instead picked themselves up and clawed their way back to even up the score

Al Ahly 4-0 Al Taedin

Al Ahly notches a fantastic win by shutting down Al Taedin, a club that has slipped down the table as of late due to subpar performances and results. One would hope that Al Taedin would improve from this slide but this four to zero loss suggests otherwise. On the other hand Al Ahly's victory shows that the club is still on the right track for the title race. Baring any unlikely disastrous result Al Ahly has a wonderful chance of making this race close with rivals Olympique Charmat and CA Casablanca.

Notable Matches:

Altinspor 8-0 Al Ahly

Words cannot describe what just happened in Altintop other than it was a massacre. Rumors are swirling about that this game was rigged, that no way could Al Ahly play this badly. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. Edit 1: Match currently being investigated by the Royal Gadiryan Football Association. Edit 2: The Royal Gadiryan Football Association has finished their investigation and has concluded that there was no match fixing but instead the lopsided result is due to the fact that Al Ahly just really, really sucks. Edit 3: This win by Altinspor breaks multiple records such as most goal scored in a match (actually draws with another match), largest margin of victory, and most goals allowed in match (Al Ahly).

Notable Matches:

Al Ahly 1-2 Ekmekçispur

Ekmekçispur has been playing badly this season but this win in Charmat against a strong, but recently embarrassed, Al Ahly will prove to be one of the brighter spots of the season. The home fans howled at their club when Al Ahly entered the pitch, the heavy 8-0 loss still reverberating in the minds of the fans. One could say that was the reason why Al Ahly started so dull in the first 30 minutes, the players' confidence was shattered and Ekmekçispur took advantage of that and pilled up two goals just before the half. A Al Ahly goal near the beginning of second half gave the home side some hope but the defense of Ekmekçispur held on and prevented a comeback.

El Main Ittihad 4-5 Al-Qasr

El Main Ittihad, still stuck in the bottom of the table, tried to out gun lower table side Al-Qasr in a classic shootout in their home stadium but came up short. This is one of the games El Main wishes they won, the game started brightly for the home side but when their leaky defense began to concede goals and El Main was playing catch up the whole game, while they were close this loss further cements their place as worst club in the league. Al-Qasr, the victors, move up the table.

Notable Matches:

Ekmekçispur 1-0 Aslanlar

Ekmekçispur defeats Aslanlar in a hotly contested right wing versus left wing grudge match. The vary narrow victory give Ekmekçispur another crucial 3 points as they try to climb their way out of the danger zone. Ekmekçispur is in a 4 game undefeated run which, in the final leg of season, will prove valuable. This defeat ends Aslanlar's brief two game undefeated run.

Al Ahly 0-1 CA Casablanca

Al Ahly's month of misery continues, this time at the hands of CA Casablanca. In the last three games Al Ahly has only scored one goal and conceded 11 making a remarkably bad -10 goal differential. If Al Ahly ever wanted hopes in winning their first title they would have needed to have a good stretch of games, instead, they have been outclassed and their credentials for league challengers have been tarnished.

Olympique Charmat 1-1 St Simeon

Olympique Charmat's draw against St Simeon is a surprise especially considering Olympique dominated the match and were considered heavy favorites for this game. Yet, a surprising free kick goal in the 80th minute doomed the capital club to a draw and put them in a awkward situation with CA Casablanca catching up and is beginning to add pressure with each game.

Notable Matches:

Al-Qasr 3-0 Olympique Charmat

Olympique Charmat had all the ingredients to take the league lead, CA Casablanca was held by Ekmekçispur and all they needed to do was defeat small club Al-Qasr. Instead? They completely messed up the tactics and were shocked with a huge upset/meltdown. Charmat was simply out played by the tricky Al-Qasr side and for that paid the price of conceding 3 goals and come back to the other end of town with no points to show. Will this game be viewed as the tipping point of the season in the title race? Or will Charmat recover?

After 20 matches of Ligue Élite lets see how the tables look:

Ligue Élite Standings

    Team                          P   W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 CA Casablanca                20  12  5  3  35  18  +17  41 Champions, Champions' Cup, CEdC
  2 Olympique Charmat            20  11  7  2  33  13  +20  40 Globe Cup
  3 Al Ahly                      20  10  4  6  32  27   +5  34 Globe Cup
  4 Altinspor                    20   8  7  5  38  30   +8  31 Globe Cup
  5 Club Sportif                 20   7  8  5  21  15   +6  29
  6 Leidon Ittihad               20   7  8  5  22  18   +4  29
  7 Al Taedin                    20   8  5  7  19  22   -3  29
  8 Jaalbeck Nafit               20   7  4  9  16  17   -1  25
  9 Karimi Technica Ittihad      20   5  9  6  18  20   -2  24
 10 Al-Qasr                      20   5  9  6  27  30   -3  24
 11 Taraji Hosmundi              20   7  3 10  14  18   -4  24
 12 Ekmekçispur                  20   5  8  7  17  27  -10  23
 13 Aslanlar                     20   5  7  8  12  16   -4  22
 14 St Simeon                    20   5  7  8  19  25   -6  22 Relegation/Promotion Playoff
 15 Petrosur                     20   3  8  9  16  24   -8  17 Relegated
 16 El Main Ittihad              20   1  9 10  20  39  -19  12 Relegated

The race has gone from a very open one to a two club race with CA Casablanca just edging out rivals Olympique Charmat by a sole point with 41 points to their 40. The last 10 matches will decide the fate of the title push campaigns of both clubs and it will be very crucial for each club to win their matches and not slip up. Al Ahly is outside of the title race but is facing a race of their own as they have 34 points, 3 away from their closest rivals and lead humiliators, Altinspor. Club Sportif, Leidon ittihad, and Al Taedin are clubs that are the cusp of that last Globe Cup and are only 2 points away from Altinspor. They will need to make a final push if they want to get international domestic football competition. In 8th there's Jaalbeck Nafit only one spot down from the last time we check them which isn't bad at all. At this rate they are very much safe from being relegated although their chances at Globe Cup glory is fading with every matchday. Big improvers Karimi Terchnica have gotten out of that relegation zone threat and made a mid-table living for themselves despite the low expectations for them, everyone in the organization has to be proud of the players, pulling fine performances and getting crucial points, continue that and they will be safe. Al-Qasr, that was once in the Relegation/Promotion Playoff is now a lower midtable side as they finally managed to put some wins under their belt, but they need to continue winning in order to secure another season of Ligue football.

Taraji Hosmuni rounds up the clubs that have 24 points only 2 away the danger zone and they, like the two clubs above them, need to continue their form or face relegation from desperate sides. Ekmekçispur, a club that had midtable aspirations has been struggling this season and just got out of the relegation zone but is still way to close for comfort. While the race for the top is tightening the race to get away from the bottom is heating up as Ekmekçispur is only one point away from the Relegation/Promotion spot and 5 points away from the closest relegation spot. Aslanlar another team that has seem to defied expectations the wrong way will need to pull up if they want to stay another season and 13th is the last safe spot in the league and St Simeon, who, after a bright start failed to capitalize on early season victories and now find themselves in deep trouble. Rounding out the table we have Petrosur and El Main Ittihad, the first club needs some help but they can make a last minute push to prevent themselves from being relegated if they choose so while El Main can consider their season pretty much over, since they are 10 points behind the safe spot. We don't have history of "Great Escapes" but if El Main Ittihad wants to be that first club they need to make sure they don't lose not one match.

by **Gadirya** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:26 am

Matchday 21-30 / Review of the Ligue Élite

Notable Matches:

Altinspor 4-2 Club Sportif

Notable Matches:

St Simeon 2-0 Aslanlar

Notable Matches:

CA Casablanca 4-1 Club Sportif

Al Ahly 1-0 Olympique Charmat

Notable Matches:

Olympique Charmat 4-1 CA Casablanca

Notable Matches:

CA Casablanca 1-0 Leidon Ittihad

Notable Matches:

Al Ahly 2-0 Aslanlar

Notable Matches:

Club Sportif 1-0 Olympique Charmat

CA Casablanca 4-0 Aslanlar

Notable Matches:

Olympique Charmat 2-1 Ekmekçispur

Petrosur 3-3 El Main Ittihad

CA Casablanca 1-0 Karimi Technica Ittihad

Notable Matches:

Olympique Charmat 1-1 Leidon Ittihad

Jaalbeck Nafit 1-1 CA Casablanca

Notable Matches:

CA Casablanca 1-1 St Simeon

After all 30 matches of Ligue Élite lets see how the tables look for one last time:

Ligue Élite Standings
    Team                          P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 CA Casablanca                30  18   8   4  53  28  +25  62 Champions, Champions' Cup, CEdC
  2 Olympique Charmat            30  17   9   4  48  21  +27  60 Globe Cup
  3 Al Ahly                      30  16   6   8  45  35  +10  54 Globe Cup
  4 Altinspor                    30  14   8   8  56  41  +15  50 Globe Cup
  5 Club Sportif                 30  12  11   7  31  25   +6  47
  6 Leidon Ittihad               30  11  11   8  36  28   +8  44
  7 Al Taedin                    30  12   8  10  26  29   -3  44
  8 Al-Qasr                      30   9  12   9  37  40   -3  39
  9 Taraji Hosmundi              30  11   5  14  21  24   -3  38
 10 Karimi Technica Ittihad      30   8  13   9  26  27   -1  37
 11 St Simeon                    30   9   8  13  29  36   -7  35
 12 Jaalbeck Nafit               30   8   9  13  21  25   -4  33
 13 Ekmekçispur                  30   6  10  14  22  39  -17  28
 14 Aslanlar                     30   5  11  14  13  30  -17  26 Relegation/Promotion Playoff
 15 Petrosur                     30   4  11  15  26  41  -15  23 Relegated
 16 El Main Ittihad              30   3  14  13  31  52  -21  23 Relegated

The title race was decided on matchday 29 when Olympique Charmat's draw with top of the table side Leidon Ittihad gave CA Casablanca a chance to win their very first title and did so by the absolute bare minimum by drawing against hardy Jaalbeck Nafit side that lead most of the game and their hardy defense was proven to be a challenge for the offensively minded Casablanca side. Olympique will be disappointed with this late season title race loss but they can be proud that they gave Casablanca a good race, beating them 4-1 in the final leg of the season and qualifying for the Globe Cup preliminary rounds. Al Ahly, still stinging over that lopsided defeat against Altinspor still managed to hold on to a Globe Cup spot and secure 3rd place. Altinspor continued to play well in the final stages of the season and shut down Club Sportif's surge to get that final international club football spot. Despite their 5th place finish, just 3 points shy from a Globe Cup, they can be happy to be above their hated rivals Leidon Ittihad and that is just as sweet as a Globe Cup spot. Looking at the top 7 one can admit this league was fairly predictable, all the positions predicted in the preseason actually happened with Casablanca getting first and Al Taedin getting 7th. But as we head further down the league we notice that things got, a bit muddier.

Al-Qasr, predicted to be in the relegation/promotion playoff in the preseason actually had a fantastic season finishing 6 spots better than predicted as they securing an 8th placed finish and fans of the club will hope that they can build off that promising first season next season. Taraji Hosmundi is another club that beat expectations as they were predicted to be near the relegation zone but instead finished in the lower mid table. A great accomplishment. Karimi Technica Ittihad was yet another club that far exceed their expectations finishing 5 spots better than was expected of them, which is great because this club was predicted to be relegated in their first season. Instead they are in a comfortable, 10th place. St Simeon, a club that at one point was in the relegation/promotion battle managed to finish solidly one spot above their predicted finish. For every club that finishes well and way above expectations there are others that have massively underperformed. Jaalbeck Nafit is one of those clubs. Expected to finish in 8th instead they stooped down to a borderline embarrassing 12th place finish. Their manager will probably get the ax and new strikers will be bought for the next season. The last club we review before we head to the relegation zone is Ekmekçispur. While not predicting to have a stellar season (9th place finish) we were expecting this club to compete which it didn't. Barely scraping by through the season is not what the board or the fans want and another manager being fired might be seen.

Aslanlar was supposed to finish 11th, Aslanlar was supposed to have a strong defense, instead fans of the club were greeted by heavy losses, bad play, and just terrible shooting. And yet, despite the calls for the manager to be fired the board has decided to stick with their man and give him one last chance to prove himself. Lose? And he's fired. Win? He will probably keep his job. These are tricky times indeed for the Turkish club. Petrosur has become the dud of the season and oddly enough switched spots with Karimi Technica. They were predicted to finish 10th in a safe, albeit, lower half finish but instead completely falter allowing 41 goals and only scoring 26. There are a few clubs that allowed that many goals but they also scored their share and had Petrosur done that we wouldn't be talking about them getting relegated. The only constant in the lower 8 mess that was Ligue Élite was El Main Ittihad that played so horribly it was a predictable. We are not going to bash a club here but it is safe to say this club did not deserve a spot in Ligue Élite and will now have to play in the lower Championnat Nationale.

Now here are the end of the season statistics/awards:

Goals
1. Selâhattin Teke (Altinspor) - 22
2. Darwishi Tannous (Leidon Ittihad) - 20
3. Simon Cartier (CA Casablanca) - 19
3. Mustafa Ganim (Al Ahly) - 19
5. Fakhir Kateb (Club Sportif) - 18
5. Abdelrahman Abadi (Altinspor) - 18
7. Ishaq El-Hashem (Olympique Charmat) - 15
8. Özgür Peynirci (Ekmekçispur) - 14
9. Michel Héroux (Olympique Charmat) - 13
10. Osvaldo Roman (Olympique Charmat) - 12

Assists
1. Hikmet Kundakçı (Altinspor) - 31
2. Samir Zakaria (Al-Qasr) - 25
3. Osvaldo Roman (Olympique Charmat) - 24
4. Hadi Kartal (Leidon Ittihad) - 20
5. Jean-Christophe Prudhomme (St Simeon) - 19
6. Nur Burakgazi (Al Ahly) - 18
7. Bashir Nakache (Club Sportif) - 17
8. Simon Cartier (CA Casablanca) - 16
9. Ishaq El-Hashem (Olympique Charmat) - 14
10. Martial Boudreaux (Jaalbeck Nafit) - 13
10. Annnees Hoda (Al Ahly) - 13

Player of the Season
Simon Cartier (CA Casablanca)

Manager of the Season
Jérôme Bettencourt (CA Casablanca)

Golden Boot (most goals)
Selâhattin Teke (Altinspor)

Golden Ball (most assists)
Hikmet Kundakçı (Altinspor)

Golden Glove (most clean sheets)
Maximilien Jauffret (CA Casablanca)

Youth Player of the Season (U-21)
Selâhattin Teke (Altinspor)

Team of the Season
GK: Maximilien Jauffret (CA Casablanca)
DEF: Umair Ammar (Leidon Ittihad), Lütfü Burakgazi (Olympique Charmat), Gérard Calvet (CA Casablanca), Fabien Patenaude (Club Sportif)
MID: Hikmet Kundakçı (Altinspor), Samir Zakaria (Al-Qasr), Osvaldo Roman (Olympique Charmat), Simon Cartier (CA Casablanca)
ST: Selâhattin Teke (Altinspor), Darwishi Tannous (Leidon Ittihad)
MANAGER: Jérôme Bettencourt (CA Casablanca)

by **Gadirya** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 3:10 pm

Championnat Nationale (logo coming soon) Season One

Clubs (Predicted Finish):
Partisan (2nd) Series B
Küçükspur (4th)
CA Saffron (5th)
Olympique Lambert (13th)
Ghazl In Taman (7th)
Talaba Rabdir (9th)
University of Gadirya (16th)
University of Casablanca (11th)
Helwan (14th)
Najmat Ahmar (8th)
CS Taparura (13th)
Al Bani Alssufn (10th)
JS Galace (1st) Champion, Series B
Al Sekka (6th)
Al Shabab (3rd) Relegation/Promotion playoff, Series B
Nafit Al-Janoub (15th)

Championnat Nationale Standings

    Team                           P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Partisan                      30  21   4   5  47  21  +26  67 Champions, Promoted, Series B
  2 Al Shabab                     30  12  12   6  38  31   +7  48 Promoted, Series B
  3 JS Galace                     30  12  10   8  33  23  +10  46 Relegation/Promotion Playoff, Series B
  4 CA Saffron                    30  14   4  12  33  26   +7  46
  5 Al Bani Alssufun              30  14   3  13  36  35   +1  45
  6 Najmat Ahmar                  30  12   9   9  22  21   +1  45
  7 CS Taparura                   30  11   9  10  30  31   -1  42
  8 Helwan                        30  11   8  11  23  25   -2  41
  9 Olympique Lambert             30  10   8  12  20  19   +1  38
 10 Küçükspur                     30   8  12  10  26  25   +1  36
 11 Nafit Al-Janoub               30   9   9  12  26  34   -8  36
 12 Ghazl In Taman                30   9   8  13  29  28   +1  35
 13 Al Sekka                      30   8  11  11  20  26   -6  35
 14 University of Casablanca      30   6  13  11  19  24   -5  31
 15 University of Gadirya         30   7  10  13  29  48  -19  31
 16 Talaba Rabdir                 30   7   8  15  41  55  -14  29

Partisan dominated the Championnat Nationale easily beating out any other contender and will for sure handle the Ligue Élite next season if they continue to play like they did this season. Easier said than done, but it is certainly possible with this dominant side. In second Al Shabab barely edged out 4 other clubs and secured the sole automatic promotion place not including 1st place spot. They did better than what was expected and might survive a season in the Ligue Élite. JS Galace was pegged to finish 2nd and will be disappointed not to get an automatic berth as they finished 3rd but they still have a chance to go up the division if they win the relegation/promotion playoff. In 4th CA Saffron will be heartbroken to be denied a third place spot, 4 goals separating them a chance to get promoted. Had Saffron won one more match they would have pipped JS Galace. 5th and 6th placed clubs will be equally be disappointed as a win could have pushed them, Al Bani Alssufun and Najmat Ahmar, to the 3rd place spot. They will have to wait another season to get promoted but they are for sure contenders to do so.

And that raps up the first season of the Championnat Nationale, see you next season!

Relegation/Promotion Playoff

JS Galace 3-1 Petrosur (3-1 agg)
Petrosur 1-4 JS Galace (2-7 agg)

by **Gadirya** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:04 am

Gadiryan Youth Leagues (logo coming soon) Season One

The Royal Gadiryan Football Association (RGFA), in an effort to strengthen the future of football in Gadirya, has established the Gadiryan Youth Leagues in which all the government owned "Training Centres" would compete against each other in order to add much needed match experience for footballers aged 18 and younger. For those that don't know players that are under the age of eighteen are not allowed to play professionally and must focus on graduating high school before they turn professional. Notable U-18 players include national team players Farouk Benita and Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier and both of these players played in the Gadiryan Youth Leagues. The youth leagues are divided into two divisions, North and South. The league winners qualify for a final match between the best in the North and South to determine the best "Training Centre" in Gadirya. Below are the results of the first season, enjoy.

by **Gadirya** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:11 am

And here are the second part of results plus final tables.

Southern Gadiryan Youth League Standings

    Team                                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Charmat Training Centre #3             46  29  10   7  62  24  +38  97
  2 In Taman Training Centre #2            46  26  12   8  99  54  +45  90
  3 Charmat Training Centre #1             46  24  12  10  84  52  +32  84
  4 Charmat Training Centre #2             46  22  16   8  52  28  +24  82
  5 El Main Training Centre #3             46  22   8  16  53  37  +16  74
  6 In Taman Training Centre #4            46  19  12  15  56  54   +2  69
  7 In Taman Training Centre #3            46  18  13  15  48  48   +0  67
  8 Charmat Training Centre #5             46  17  14  15  51  50   +1  65
  9 Charmat Training Centre #6             46  16  16  14  55  47   +8  64
 10 Saryeh Training Centre #1              46  16  16  14  50  54   -4  64
 11 Jaalbeck Training Centre #3            46  17  12  17  52  51   +1  63
 12 Saryeh Training Centre #3              46  15  16  15  53  52   +1  61
 13 Arreridj Oasis Training Centre #1      46  18   6  22  60  63   -3  60
 14 In Taman Training Centre #1            46  15  11  20  39  48   -9  56
 15 El Main Training Centre #2             46  12  19  15  45  50   -5  55
 16 Jaalbeck Training Centre #4            46  13  15  18  47  55   -8  54
 17 Saryeh Training Centre #2              46  14  12  20  40  53  -13  54
 18 Jaalbeck Training Centre #2            46  14  11  21  36  42   -6  53
 19 Charmat Training Centre #4             46  14  11  21  45  54   -9  53
 20 Jaalbeck Training Centre #1            46  13  14  19  43  59  -16  53
 21 El Main Training Centre #1             46  12  15  19  42  57  -15  51
 22 Majdal Training Centre #1              46  12  12  22  44  60  -16  48
 23 Majdal Training Centre #2              46  12  10  24  43  64  -21  46
 24 Qadir Oasis Training Centre #1         46  11   9  26  28  71  -43  42

Northern Gadiryan Youth League Standings

    Team                                P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Altintop Training Centre #3        46  30   9   7  85  37  +48  99
  2 Casablanca Training Centre #1      46  28  11   7  91  43  +48  95
  3 Leidon Training Centre #1          46  27  13   6  64  28  +36  94
  4 Altintop Training Centre #4        46  24  13   9  70  46  +24  85
  5 Balbay Training Centre #1          46  23  15   8  62  40  +22  84
  6 Altintop Training Centre #1        46  19  16  11  42  25  +17  73
  7 Casablanca Training Centre #2      46  21  10  15  50  37  +13  73
  8 Balbay Training Centre #4          46  18  13  15  47  48   -1  67
  9 St Simeon Training Centre #1       46  16  15  15  59  51   +8  63
 10 Hosmundi Training Centre #1        46  17  12  17  50  52   -2  63
 11 Leidon Training Centre #2          46  17  11  18  75  69   +6  62
 12 Casablanca Training Centre #4      46  16  14  16  49  48   +1  62
 13 Balbay Training Centre #3          46  18   7  21  55  63   -8  61
 14 Batioun Training Centre #2         46  14  16  16  45  50   -5  58
 15 Altintop Training Centre #5        46  14  12  20  40  46   -6  54
 16 Balbay Training Centre #2          46  14  10  22  43  59  -16  52
 17 Hosmundi Training Centre #2        46  10  20  16  47  56   -9  50
 18 Hosmundi Training Centre #3        46  11  15  20  45  76  -31  48
 19 Batioun Training Centre #1         46  11  14  21  45  64  -19  47
 20 Batioun Training Centre #3         46  11  11  24  32  52  -20  44
 21 Leidon Training Centre #3          46  10  13  23  38  59  -21  43
 22 Majdal Training Centre #3          46  10  13  23  40  70  -30  43
 23 Altintop Training Centre #2        46   9  14  23  41  72  -31  41
 24 Casablanca Training Centre #3      46   8  15  23  44  68  -24  39

National Championship

Altintop Training Centre #3 1-0 Charmat Training Centre #3

by **Gadirya** » Tue Dec 27, 2016 12:45 pm

Preview to the Ligue Élite (logo coming soon) Season Two

Domestic football in Gadirya started earlier than usual now that Gadirya's domestic league is part of UICA tournaments. CA Casablanca for example played football in the preliminary rounds of the Champions Cup a full four weeks before the domestic season started and a week before their (and Gadirya's) captain, Gérard Calvet, was sold to Osarius side Alissar Phoenix; but more on that later. Along with CA Casablanca playing early, Altinspor and Al Ahly experienced their first tastes of Globe Cup football while Olympique Charmat rested for a few more weeks. Along with UICA participation the graduates of Gadirya's football training centres were up for grabs for both domestic and foreign clubs. While two of Gadirya's most prized footballers were sold abroad a healthy amount of young Gadiryan talent were snapped up by local clubs. Along with local transfers clubs bought foreign talent, many for the first time, and replaced players that either under-performed or retired. The Royal Gadiryan FA placed a strict limit of 3 foreign players per club and the rule was followed by all 32 clubs in both the first and second divisions. Now that the rosters are set for the rest of the season all the clubs in Gadirya are ready for a second season. As of this writing the same rules from last season apply for this upcoming season which includes: the first placed club in the Ligue Élit is crowned champion and is awarded a spot in the CEdC and Champions Cup; second, third, and fourth placed sides are awarded a spot in the Globe Cup. Clubs that finish at the bottom two placings of the Ligue Élite are automatically relegated to Championnat Nationale. A club that finishes third from last has a playoff match with the third placed club from the Championnat Nationale to determine who will either be the Ligue Élite next season.

Key: Closed means that the stadium is a domed one, half closed (or half open depending on your philosophical outlook) means that the stadium has a retractable fabric roof, and open means that the stadium is a traditional stadium.

Clubs (16):

Ekmekçispur (Altintop Province) [Rival: Altinspor, Küçükspur]
Quick Bio: Ekmekçispur is a Turkish working class club from Ekmekçi, an industrial town just south of Altintop. Ultras are (in)famous for their red flares and their passionate support. The Ultras are connected with far-left, anti-monarchical, Turkish nationalism.
Stadium: Türük Stadium (capacity 12,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 [C] Cevahir Teke (Starter) {Age: 29}
RCB: #2 İsmet Kundakçı (Starter) {Age: 32}
CB: #4 Harun Balik (Starter) {Age: 28}
LCB: #5 Danyal Ekmekçi (Young Starter) {Age: 21}
RM: #15 Yusuf Küçük (Starter) {Age: 30}
RCM: #6 Cevdet Terzi (Starter) {Age: 25}
LCM: #18 Kadin Bitat (Young Starter) {Age: 18}^
LM: #12 Cumhur Tiryaki (Young Starter) {Age: 19}^
RW: #9 Yasin Badem (Starter) {Age: 26}
ST: #11 Fehim Sadık (Poor Starter) {Age: 25} , #21 Anwar Kassis (Young Backup) {Age: 19}^
LW: #7 Özgür Peynirci (Solid Starter) {Age: 21}
Formation: 3-4-3
Manager: Reşit Kundakçı {Age: 40} <Manager for 0 seasons>
Style: -1
Preview: From outside hopefulls for the Globe Cup last season to relegation favorites this season. It does not look good for Ekmekçispur and it is easy to see why this club from Altinspor Province had this falling from grace. Firstly, the poor form of last season will most likely carry over this season already putting the whole club at a disadvantage compared to others. Secondly, the club has lost arguably their best player Lut Emre to Osarius side Muirford Athletic. With basically no midfield, a bunch of untested and unproven young starters, and poor form last year it is easy to see why they are relegation favorites. It would take a miracle for Ekmekçispur to stay at Ligue Élite.
Prediction: 16th (Relegated)
^ = New Player

Leidon Ittihad [Rivals: Club Sportif, Taraji Hosmundi]
Quick Bio: Leidon Ittihad is a club based in the Muslim Arab majority city of Leidon in the Northern Island, fans are blue collar. Despises Club Sportif and because of that hooligans are violent during matches with Club Sportif.
Stadium: Leidon Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 20,000) [Open]
GK: #12 Salah Al-Din (Starter) {Age: 24}
RB: #22 Erhan Demirm (Starter) {Age: 24}
RCB: #5 Kasto Rahal (Starter) {Age: 28}
LCB: #4 Richard Auguste (Promising Starter) {Age: 19}^
LB: #2 Hamed Amiri (Aging Starter) {Age: 35} , #11 Askiner Koz (Young Backup) {Age: 18}^
CDM: #8 [C] Said El-Amin (Solid Starter) {Age: 32}
RM: #6 İsmail Barış (Young Starter) {Age: 21}, #23 Qadim Boumedienne (Young Backup) {Age: 18}^
CM: #13 Hadi Kartal (Midfield General) {Age: 30}
LM: #18 Ghassan Muhammad (Starter) {Age: 22}
RS: #7 Ibrahim El-Mofti (Starter) {Age: 29} , #77 Sabaah Rahmani (Young Backup) {Age: 18}^
LS: #10 Darwishi Tannous (Club Star) {Age: 25}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Abdul Azeez Zamani {Age: 61} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +2
Preview: Last season they finished 6th two spots and 6 points away from a Globe Cup spot. This season we predict them to miss out again on the Globe Cup but they will make progress towards reaching that Globe Cup holy land. They have assembled a good squad with a mixture of existing talent with youngsters that will hopefully be critical to the club in the future. One young lad we are gonna have a closer look is center back Richard Auguste from Balbay. Before we start talking about how talented this kid is lets mention that this signing Leidon made for a Balbay player is historic considering the sectarian rivalry Leidon has with Balbay. This is a good step forward in solving the issues facing Gadiryan society today. Going back to football this talented young kid has bags of potential but will have to fill in the shoes of Mümtaz Albaf. If he can be the anchor for this club in defense the manager can worry less about the back and focus in showing off their fantastic attacking front.
Prediction: 5th
^ = New Player

Al Taedin (In Taman) [Rivals: Ghazl In Taman]
Quick Bio: n/a
Stadium: In Taman Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 12,000) [Closed]
GK: #12 Saleh Tawfeek (Promising Starter) {Age: 22}
RB: #1 Hamza Samara (Young Starter) {Age: 20}
CB: #3 [C] Hanbal Tuma (Starter) {Age: 30} , Siddeeqi Uddin (Young Backup) {Age: 19}^
LB: #2 Saahir Elbaz (Starter) {Age: 27}
CDM: #16 Yves Comtoi (Starter) {Age: 25}
RM: #5 Amaanullah Jalali (Starter) {Age: 28}
CM: #19 Samir Fergani (Promising Starter) {Age: 19}^
LM: #8 Furqaan Khan (Starter) {Age: 31}
CAM: #7 Kylian Lapointe (Starter) {Age: 22}
RS: #10 Saahir Elbaz (Starter) {Age: 25}
LS: #25 Husaam Tabet (Starter) {Age: 23}
Formation: 3-4-1-2
Manager: Saeed Bangura {Age: 56} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: -2.5
Preview: To say Al Taedin regressed is not a fair assessment to make. This club has a lot of good things going for them: a talented young goalkeeper, a defense that is solid, and a brand new midfield general prospect at the age of 19. All they needed were new strikers but the club was unable to acquire any this transfer window. So Al Taedin didn't regress instead they stagnated. If Al Taedin can score goals this season, which might be hard to do, they might just be able to get a better spot that 11th. But that's a big if. Hopefully Al Taedin won't be punished too badly and if they stay up hopefully they can invest in some strikers.
Prediction: 11th
^ = New Player

Olympique Charmat [Rival: Al Ahly, CA Casablanca, Al Bani Alssufun, Partisan, Najmat Ahmar, CA Saffron]
Quick Bio: Quickly rose as the most popular club in Gadirya during the semi-pro years playing in the Charmat Metropolitan League due to their success in that league and Charmat's influence on the rest of the nation. Because of those two factors clubs all over Gadirya have a disliking for Olympique. The club has a French influence due to influx of Felixian French immigrants to Charmat. Fans of this club are of middle class origin. Olympique Charmat became the first Gadiryan club to buy a foreign player with the acquisition of Sameban player, Osvaldo Roman.
Stadium: Stade Olympique de Charmat (Capacity: 35,000) [Open]
GK: #13 Hamed Almasi (Aging Solid Starter) {Age: 35}, Darroll Kewell (Foreign Substitute) {Age: 21}^ [Eastfield Lodge]
RB: #12 [C] Lütfü Burakgazi (Leader Among Men) {Age: 27}
RCB: #4 Selim Badem (Starter) {Age: 22}
LCB: #3 Abel Monet (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #5 Amen Laroussi (Starter) {Age: 31}
RM: #22 Mohamet Ebdelkader (Starter) {Age: 27}
RCM: #13 Gaubert Royer (Starter) {Age: 23}
LCM: #8 Osvaldo Roman (Gifted Foreign Starter) {Age: 25} [Sameba]
LM: #10 Sofiane Zekkal (Starter) {Age: 31}, Claudinei (Promising Foreigner) {Age: 16}^ [Matthewsiania]
RS: #7 Ishaq El-Hashem (Gifted Starter) {Age: 22}
LS: #9 Michel Héroux (Aging Starter) {Age: 34}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Farouk Lakhdar {Age: 47} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +2.5
Preview: Olympique Charmat is a fantastically run club and has proven it with smart acquisitions in areas they needed to replace this transfer window. It should also be noted that the performances of Michel Héroux and Lütfü Burakgazi on national team have given many pundits faith that this club could go far this season potentially winning the whole league. The key for all of Olympique's potential successes is that Osvaldo Roman supplies the strikers, if he does that Olympique will be a hard club to beat. Another advantage that should be noted is the fact that compared to the other top sides, Olympique Charmat doesn't play in UICA tournaments until matchday 5. Compare that to CA Casablanca, Al Ahly, and Altinspor that plays in the preseason. Advantage? Olympique Charmat.
Prediction: 1st (Champion, Champions' Cup berth, CEdC berth)
^ = New Player

Al-Qasr (Charmat) [Rivals: Al Ahly, CA Saffron]
Quick Bio: Al-Qasr, which means "The Palace" in Arabic is, as the name suggests, closely connected with Gadiryan royalty. It is sort of King Anwar's personal club. Fans are middle to upper class and strongly support the monarchy.
Stadium: Royal Stadium (Capacity: 5,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Basim Mohammed (Young Starter) {Age: 20}
RCB: #30 Abdul Suleiman (Starter) {Age: 32} , Darwishi Bitar (Promising Prospect) {Age: 19}^
CB: #24 Mamdooh Haq (Starter) {Age: 23}
LCB: #20 Kalid Chabani (Starter) {Age: 30}
RM: #22 Ayaan Slimani (Starter) {Age: 27}
CM: #15 Saeed Rasul (Starter) {Age: 25}
LM: #17 Théophile Coste (Starter) {Age: 23}
CAM: #23 [C] Samir Zakaria (Leader Among Men) {Age: 28}
RS: #10 Jabbar Benyamina (Starter) {Age: 24}
LS: #12 Barış Katırcı (Starter) {Age: 33}
Formation: 3-3-1-2
Manager: Mansur Boumedienne {Age: 50} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +2
Preview: Much like Al Taedin our prediction of 13th despite a surprising 8th placed finish last season is not because the club has gotten worse or lost valuable players, instead it is because they have stagnated and the league itself has become a tough. One great signing though is Darwishi Bitar who will most likely not start this season but will be a fantastic investment for the future. If Al-Qasr invests in both a bigger stadium in the future an a striker Al-Qasr will be in a more stable position for upcoming seasons.
Prediction: 13th
^ = New Player

Club Sportif (Balbay) [Rivals: Leidon Ittihad, Taraji Hosmundi]
Quick Bio: Franco-Arab Christian club from Balbay in the Northern Island, fans are blue collar workers. Intense rivalary with Leidon Ittihad. Christian hooligans are a problem when facing their hated rival.
Stadium: Stade de Balbay (Capacity: 15,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 Alim Benayoun (Promising Starter) {Age: 27}
RB: #2 Baheej Saba (Starter) {Age: 31}
RCB: #3 Savas Erden (Starter) {Age: 22}
LCB: #4 Faris Sahnoun (Starter) {Age: 32}
LB: #5 Fabien Patenaude (Solid Starter) {Age: 25}
CDM: #6 Kaseem Fergani (Starter) {Age: 27}
RM: #7 Vahit Küçük (Starter) {Age: 23}
CM: #8 [C] Bashir Nakache (Starter) {Age: 33}
LM: #9 Côme Deforrest (Starter) {Age: 29}
CAM: #10 Rémy Fabron (Starter) {Age: 24}
ST: #11 Fakhir Kateb (Club Star) {Age: 30}
Formation: 4-1-3-1
Manager: Candide Bonhomme {Age: 53} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +0
Preview: One of the best clubs in the top flight failed to make any investments and there isn't a good reason as to why. Nonetheless we predict a 6th placed finish, just outside the last Globe Cup spot. That will put Candide Bonhomme in the hotseat as the club wants to get out of being in the cusp of UICA competition and in the thick of it. Bonhomme has repeatedly said that he has faith in the team he currently has and thinks they will secure a Globe Cup berth. This is a big risk for Candide but if he can prove both his front office wrong and pundits perhaps he is one of the best managers in the Ligue Élite.
Prediction: 6th

St Simeon (Casablanca Province) [Rivals: JS Galace]
Quick Bio: Small French majority club in the resort town of St Simeon northeast from Casablanca. Fans from all social classes support the club.
Stadium: Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 5,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Jean-Charles Crevier (Starter) {Age: 31}
RB: #5 Germain Breguet (Starter) {Age: 26}
RCB: #3 Omar Harbi (Aging Starter) {Age: 35}, #23 Rodolph Paget (Young Backup) {Age: 19}^
LCB: #6 André Rigal (Starter) {Age: 30}
LB: #2 Fabrice Jaccoud (Starter) {Age: 22}
RCM: #13 Joël De Villepin (Promising Starter) {Age: 18}^
CM: #8 Mathieu Chapelle (Starter) {Age: 24}
LCM: #10 Devon Carranza-Jones (Talented Foreign Starter) {Age: 26}^ [Semarland] , #18 Muhunnad Sidi (Aging Backup) {Age: 27}
CAM: #22 Maxence Lucroy (Starter) {Age: 32}
RS: #12 André Rousselle (Starter) {Age: 33}
LS: #9 Joseph Poullain (Young Starter) {Age: 21}
Formation: 4-3-1-2
Manager: Joffrey Fontaine {Age: 42} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: -0.5
Preview: St Simeon survived despite the odds and now is ready for another season of Ligue Élite football. They lost their talisman Jean-Christophe Prudhomme but to replace him they got local product Joël De Villepin and Semarland center midfielder Devon Carranza-Jones who replaced injury prone Muhunnad Sidi. They have a promising midfielder duo and could prove to be a threat to other sides with their passing skills and ability to dominate the midfield. Yet despite these improvements they are still gonna finish on the lower end of the table due to the strength of the league. St Simeon will need to have a stronger defense this season and hope that an aging André Rousselle can produce goals.
Prediction: 12th
^ = New Player

Jaalbeck Nafit [Rivals: Najmat Ahmar]
Quick Bio: Jaalbeck Nafit was originally founded as an amateur oil workers side back in the semi-professional days. Now it is the face of the oil producing city of Jaalbeck. Fans of this club identify as working class, due to most of them working in the oil industry one way or the other, although they are mostly politically neutral. They despise rival club Najmat Ahmar solely on footballing grounds.
Stadium: Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 8,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Serdjan Aleksovic (Foreign Starter) {Age: 26}^ [Cosumar]
RB: #2 Zahid Benlabed (Starter) {Age: 23}
RWB: #13 Abdülkerim Karga (Promising Starter) {Age: 18}^ , #3 Xavier Bourque (Young Backup) {Age: 20}
CB: #4 Mashaal Slimani (Starter) {Age: 24}
LWB: #5 [C] Wafiyy Aruj (Aging Stater) {Age: 34}
LB: #6 Buhasu Barakat (Starter) {Age: 26}
RM: #7 Zuthimalin Aym (Starter) {Age: 31}
CM: #8 Halit Ekmekçi (Starter) {Age: 22}
LM: #9 Sarni Malek (Starter) {Age: 30}
CAM: #10 Martial Boudreaux (Club Star) {Age: 21}
ST: #11 Farid Litim (Starter) {Age: 26}
Formation: 5-3-1-1
Manager: Sayyid Hussain {Age: 48} <Manager for 0 seasons>
Style: -3
Preview: Last season we predicted that this club would finish 8th and they disappointed and ended 12th. We expected them to fall down like Ekmekçispur but instead the club lifted itself up with two quality signings. Serdjan Aleksovic from Cosumar as goalkeeper and surprise, and somewhat last minute signing, Abdülkerim Karga at right wingback. Karga wasn't expected to sign to a Gadiryan club but since he received no calls from abroad he signed an offer by Jaalbeck Nafit. Hopefully for both sides this proves beneficial for both parties. If Jaalbeck can finish 8th they could build a base for a campaign to nab a Globe Cup spot.
Prediction: 8th
^ = New Player

Taraji Hosmundi [Rivals: Leidon Ittihad, Club Sportif]
Quick Bio: n/a
Stadium: Hosmundi Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
GK: #33 [C] Mudrik Sharifi (Solid Starter) {Age: 27}
RB: #20 Umair Ammar (Promising Starter) {Age: 23}
RCB: #14 Kaarim Neman (Starter) {Age: 32}
LCB: #2 Dalmas Hakim (Starter) {Age: 25}
LB: #5 Yasul Taheri (Starter) {Age: 32}
CDM: #17 Nas Salhi (Young Starter) {Age: 19}^
RM: #13 Mustafa Bassas (Starter) {Age: 27}
CM: #8 Waleed Bakshween (Starter) {Age: 29}
LM: #18 Hibbaan Ansari (Starter) {Age: 30}
RS: #9 Islam Seraj (Starter) {Age: 22}
LS: #19 Mardenic Kader (Starter) {Age: 26}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Motaz Hawsawi {Age: 55} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: -1.5
Preview: Taraji Hosmundi is yet another tale of how a club didn't necessarily regress in skill but has not made any moves to improve their position. With new clubs entering the league and others improving on themselves it is not easy to move up in your placement and it is easy to go down. While Taraji Hosmundi isn't strictly speaking a relegation candidate they are in danger in going down to the Championnat Nationale if they don't perform to their ability. The line between relegation and safety is fine and has little room for error.
Prediction: 14th (Relegation/Promotion Playoff)
^ = New Player

Karimi Technica Ittihad (Batioun) [Rivals: Helwan]
Quick Bio: Karimi Technica is Gadirya's biggest telecommunications, industrial, mining, and chemical conglomerate company and the owner, Mustafa Elbaz, founded Karimi Technica Ittihad in his hometown of Batioun as a way of helping his community. Supporters of this somewhat newly founded club have yet to fully commit to this club but are slowly starting to see the appeal in this club and are beginning to fill in the 20,000 seats of their stadium. Fans come from all walks of life in Batioun.
Stadium: Karimi Technica Stadium (Capacity: 20,000) [Half Closed]
GK: #1 Islam Halabi (Promising Starter) {Age: 22}
RB: #4 Firdos Nasri (Starter) {Age: 23}
RCB: #5 Kagan Altintop (Starter) {Age: 32}
LCB: #6 Hatem Gaber (Starter) {Age: 26}
LB: #21 Ismael Antoun (Starter) {Age: 27}
RM: #18 Yukyan Hoque (Starter) {Age: 24}
RCM: #7 Azad Dawood (Starter) {Age: 25}
CM: #13 Mass Taheri (Starter) {Age: 31}
LCM: #20 Medo Samaha (Starter) {Age: 23}
LM: #8 Ahmed Moghadam (Starter) {Age: 27}
ST: #11 [C] Mero Sabbagh (Starter) {Age: 30} , #22 Salmaan Khalili (Young Backup) {Age: 19}^
Formation: 4-5-1
Manager: David Hanania {Age: 50} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: -3
Preview: Karimi Technica Ittihad was predicted to be relegated in the first season of the Ligue Élite yet exceeded our expectations by finishing 10th. This season we once again predict relegation for this side although the possibilities of Karimi Technica exceeding our expectations again wouldn't be surprising. The key to Karimi not only surviving but thriving in the first season was the fact they came up big in games that they should have not competed. If they can do that this season they will last another season.
Prediction: 15th (Relegated)
^ = New Player

CA Casablanca [Rivals: Olympique Charmat, Partisan, Olympique Lambert, CS Taparura, CS Galace]
Quick Bio: CA Casablanca is [b]the[b] club of Casablanca and was the most successful club in the Casablanca Metropolitan League during the semi-professional years. CA Casablanca developed a friendly but intense rivalry with Olympique Charmat during some club friendlies over the years and will carry that rivalry to the Ligue Élite. The club has the honor of sending some of their most promising players to both the Senior Gadiryan national team and the U-21 side. CA Casablanca's fan base is wide ranging from lower class to upper class, from French to Arab. The only part of Casablanca where they lack support is from the far-left and left wing parts of Casablanca. That is reserved for Partisan, Casablanca's working class/left wing club.
Stadium: Stade Casablanca (Capacity: 25,000) [Open]
GK: #1 [C] Maximilien Jauffret (Gifted Starter) {Age: 33}
RB: #21 Sharif Slimani (Starter) {Age: 22}
RCB: #2 Atmaca Kizilirmak (Exciting Starter) {Age: 18}^
LCB: #5 Yervant Belkacem (Starter) {Age: 32}
LB: #6 Dominique Beaumanoir (Exciting Prospect) {Age: 20}
RDM: #18 Sacha Beauvau (Young Backup) {Age: 21}
LDM: #13 Musa Salem (Starter) {Age: 27}
RAM: #8 Stanislas Dufour (Starter) {Age: 23}
CAM: #17 Muhammad Abujamal (Starter) {Age: 25}, #10 Mazen Bitar (Promising Player) {Age: 18}^
LAM: #7 Simon Cartier (STARter) {Age: 25}
ST: #12 Kamal Saadi (Starter) {Age: 32}
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Manager: Jérôme Bettencourt {Age: 44} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +3
Preview: CA Casablanca this season has a lot on their plate. An early entrance to the Champions' Cup preliminary rounds, CEdC football, and of course have to defend the title effectively. Along with that the season is going to be difficult since Casablanca lost their captain Gérard Calvet to an Osarian club. Calvet and the club mutually split ways and the Casablancan side managed to make a tidy profit but the loss of his leadership will have an impact on the later stages of the Globe Cup preliminary rounds and the season itself. Despite that the club is stacked with talent and is one of the best overall teams in the league. New additions such as Mazen Bitar and Atmaca Kizilirmak will keep CA Casablanca going for seasons to come. If this club can't get 1st this season they will certainly get 2nd place.
Prediction: 2nd (Globe Cup berth)
^ = New Player

Al Ahly (Charmat) [Rival: Olympique Charmat, Al-Qasr, Al Sekka, Al Bani Alssufun]
Quick Bio: Al Ahly, which means "The National" in Arabic, is the dominant Arabic club in Charmat. Always competing with rivals Olympique in the Charmat Metropolitan League they have set up themselves as the Arabic club for Charmat. Like their rival they too have sent players to the Senior national team and the U-21 national team. Fans are fiercely patriotic, pro-Arab, and come from all parts of Charmat Arabic society.
Stadium: King Anwar I National Stadium (Capacity: 48,000)
GK: #1 [C] Aziz Karim (Starter) {Age: 31}, #13 Kamuzu Salib (Promising Prospect) {Age: 20}"
RB: #2 Mus'ab Taheri (Starter) {Age: 26}, #22 Desire Haik (Promising Prospect) {Age: 18}^
RCB: #4 Abdul Wadood Mostafa (Starter) {Age: 32}
LCB: #6 Marwan Qureshi (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #3 Rodolph Victor (Starter) {Age: 22}
RM: #18 Amir Aswad (Starter) {Age: 25}
CM: #12 Efe Moghadam (Starter) {Age: 29}
LM: #23 Sarni Hakimi (Starter) {Age: 30}
RW: #11 Annnees Hoda (Promising Starter) {Age: 22}
ST: #7 Mustafa Ganim (Club Star) {Age: 27}
LW: #10 Nur Burakgazi (Important Starter) {Age: 30}
Formation: 4-3-3
Manager: Ari El Sadat {Age: 54} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +3.5
Preview: The biggest news story isn't that promising goalkeeper Kamuzu Salib was loaned out. No, it is Al Ahly sole acquisition at right back. Desire Haik, the son of the Prime Minister of Gadirya. It is rather interesting that they acquired his services considering they already have a solid right back. What they should have been looking for is one more midfield piece. They get that and they could be a title contender. For now? They are a top four club. Which is rather disappointing because this club is pretty good. Hopefully next season they can acquire those final pieces and maybe compete for a championship.
Prediction: 3rd (Globe Cup berth)
^ = New Player
" = Out on Loan

Altinspor (Altintop) [Rivals: Küçükspur, Aslanlar, Ekmekçispur]
Quick Bio: Altinspor is Altintop's main club and is the flag-bearer for Turkish football in Gadirya. This club has sent some plays to both the Senior national side and the U-21 side. Altinspor is politically neutral and the fans reflect that unlike other clubs in the Altintop Province. Fans are from all parts of Altintop society and are mainly Turkish in ethnicity.
Stadium: Altinspor Sports Complex (Capacity: 30,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Abdullah Arap (Starter) {Age: 30}
RB: #4 Halil Karta (Starter) {Age: 26}
CB: #5 Güvenç Uzun (Starter) {Age: 31}
LB: #3 Seyfullah Demirci (Starter) {Age: 22}
RM: #5 Öztürk Yılmaz (Starter) {Age: 32}
CM: #14 Timuçin Aslan (Starter) {Age: 31}, Melih Yetis (Promising Player) {Age: 18}^
LM: #9 Öztürk Barış (Young Starter) {Age: 20}
RAM: #10 [C] Hikmet Kundakçı (Leader Among Men) {Age: 29}
LAM: #20 Zahid Hadj (Starter) {Age: 22}
RS: #12 Selâhattin Teke (STARter) {Age: 23}
LS: #7 Abdelrahman Abadi (Gifted Starter) {Age: 24}
Formation: 3-5-2
Manager: Talât Aksoy {Age: 54} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +3
Preview: Like their Arabic counterparts Turkish club Altinspor made few moves this offseason and while are still a top four club they have not made any progress in building a title winning squad. Which is frustrating considering the relative weakness of CA Casablanca and that they only competitor, Olympique Charmat could succumb to the pressure. But alas they won't happen. At least this season. Despite that this club will have another good season, locking Gadirya's final Globe Cup spot. And hopefully Altinspor can make a decent campaign in the Globe Cup.
Prediction: 4th (Globe Cup berth)
^ = New Player

Partisan (Casablanca) [CA Casablanca, Olympique Lambert]
Quick Bio: Left-wing club located in the blue collar part of town. Despises rival CA Casablanca.
Stadium: Stade Partisan (Capacity: 10,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Lou Patrice (Starter) {Age: 25}
RB: #2 [C] Kareem El-Hashem (Starter) {Age: 30}
RCB: #3 Daniel Auger (Starter) {Age: 26}
LCB: #4 Gaétan Paris (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #5 Shahnaz Sultan (Starter) {Age: 29}
CDM: #6 Oscar Monet (Starter) {Age: 27}
RM: #7 Paride Adriatico (Starter) {Age: 25}
LM: #8 Bernard Antonin (Starter) {Age: 26}, #66 Camille Grandjean (Young Backup) {Age: 18}^
CAM: #9 Hassan El-Ghazzawy (Starter) {Age: 20}
RS: #10 Auguste Salomon (Starter) {Age: 30}, #12 Hachemi Zabana (Promising Player) {Age: 19}^
LS: #11 Séverin Clément (Starter) {Age: 22}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Félix Rochette {Age: 51} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: +1.5
Preview: Last season Partisan of Casablanca won the very first Championnat Nationale title and are favorites of the promoted class to not only survive the first season in the Ligue Élite but thrive. A prediction of 7th, while seeming to be a bit too optimistic, is totally achievable with the amount of talent this club has at their disposal. Partisan is a balanced club and it showed as they scored the most goals in the division and were tied for conceding the fewest. With a powerhouse attack and a strong defense they have the perfect combo to survive a tough Ligue Élite.
Prediction: 7th
^ = New Player

JS Galace (Casablanca Province) [Rivals: St Simeon]
Quick Bio: JS stands for Jeunesse Sportive. Galace is a middle class club coming from the well to do areas of Casablanca. This club enjoys middle class support.
Stadium: Casablanca Municipal Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) [Open]
GK: #1 Matthäus Wolter (Starter) {Age: 23}
RB: #4 Alexis Plamondon (Starter) {Age: 28}
RCB: #5 Ginton Mammeri (Starter) {Age: 24}
LCB: #3 Claude Belmont (Starter) {Age: 23}
LB: #2 Lamine Seghir (Starter) {Age: 29}
CDM: #6 Hercule Germain (Starter) {Age: 25}
RM: #9 Yardan Partyka (Starter) {Age: 30}
LM: #12 Noé Blanchett (Starter) {Age: 28}
CAM: #8 Yervant Bouali (Starter) {Age: 22}
RS: #10 Sami Brahimi (Starter) {Age: 22}
LS: #11 [C] Théotime Tasse (Starter) {Age: 30}
Formation: 4-4-2
Manager: Jeannot Brisbois {Age: 48} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: 0
Preview: JS Galace is another promoted club ready to start their first season in the Ligue Élite. Unlike Partisan and Al Shabab that were promoted automatically they needed to defeat Petrosur in a playoff in order to get to the next tier. This side from the city of Galace in the Casablanca Province is expected to stay in the top tier of Gadiryan football for another season as they have the squad to compete against all sides of the Ligue Élite and they showed that by dominating a lackluster Petrosur side.
Prediction: 10th

Al Shabab (Majdal) [Rivals: Talaba Rabdir]
Quick Bio: Majdal's club. Attracts everyone from the city to root for them. Only rival is Talaba Rabdir. This rivalry is considered to be the "Friendly Derby"
Stadium: Stade Muhammed I (Capacity: 15,000) [Open]
GK: #12 Reda Mubarak (Starter) {Age: 26}
RB: #2 Achraf Guirguis (Starter) {Age: 29}
CB: #4 Dodo Abadi (Starter) {Age: 27}
LB: #21 Hamid Boulos (Aging Starter) {Age: 32}
CDM: #8 Chigaru Totah (Starter) {Age: 21}
RM: #6 Nino Srour (Starter) {Age: 27}
CM: #18 [C] Haytham Halabi (Aging Starter) {Age: 33}
LM: #11 Nathanaël Coquelin (Starter) {Age: 21}
LW: #7 Ishaq Ghannam (Starter) {Age: 22}
ST: #17 Fahd Ali (Starter) {Age: 20}
RW: #9 Ahmad Nahas (Starter) {Age: 25}
Formation: 3-4-3
Manager: Kareem Rahal {Age: 55} <Manager for 1 season>
Style: -0.5
Preview: Al Shabab is the last club to be previewed and like their promoted brethren they have been predicted to stay in the Ligue Élite. While they managed to win their matches in the second tier one worry is that this side has been conceding goals up on goals. Had a few matches gone the other way there is a chance this club would have not been promoted. That being said this club is not going to be marked off for relegation. The reason why they made it to the promotion spot is because they had a uncanny ability to win close games, if they can tighten their defense and keep that streak of winning close games going they will be more than safe in their first season.
Prediction: 9th

by **Gadirya** » Mon Jan 02, 2017 3:02 pm

Preseason Matches

Preseason Weeks 1 & 2:

CA Casablanca 6–0 Larmana (AZA) 4–0 2–0

CA Casablanca swept through Azeran side Lamana to claim the first Champions Cup victory for a Gadiryan club. The first match played in CA Casablanca's Stade Casablanca and they dominated all 90 minutes and scored the first goal in the 8th minute off a stunning display of passing skill; the series of passes was finished off by a superb strike by Kamal Saadi. The rest of the goals played out in similar fashion as CA Casablanca controlled possession the whole time. They move on to face Eshani side Rosaria United. Funnily enough this club has one of Gadirya's best players at hand. Farouk Benita. It will be an interesting match that's for certain.

(ETN) Blashpool City 1–1 a Altinspor 1–1 0–0

Altinspor moves on to the next second preliminary round with the help of the away goal rule against Blashpool City from Ethane. A crucial goal by Selâhattin Teke in 67th minute at Blashpool plus a very defensive zero to zero draw at Altintop gave the Turkish speaking side the edge. Overall these two matches were a defensive battle with neither side able to take full advantage of one of another throughout the 180 minutes of football played. Both sides played admirably and in a more perfect world both clubs would advance. While Blashpool City's Globe Cup journey ends now Altinspor moves on to the second preliminary round to face off against Club ESF from Valanora.

(CEN) Tir Snake Strike 3–7 Al Ahly 1–5 2–2

Unlike the defensive battle that was the Altinspor versus Blashpool City, Al Ahly of Charmat turned on their attacking power at maximum. In their first match up with Tir Snake Strike from Ceni, The Eagles netted five goals while conceding only one. This match of total domination pretty much wrapped this two legged tie in 90 minutes. The second leg would require a turn around of epic proportions and while Tir Snake Strike started brightly by dominating the ball and scoring two goals Al Ahly came shrieking back with a vengeance and tied up the game at two a piece before putting a surprisingly conservative display for the rest of the match. Al Ahly qualifies for the next preliminary round and will battle Chapeleta de Desportos of Capivara Group.

(ARN) Atlas GIF 2–4 Al Shabab 2–2 0–2

Moving from the Globe Cup we go Series B action. Al Shabab which finished second in the Championnat Nationale battled Atlas GIF of Arondesheim. The first match was a hotly contested affair with both sides claiming two goals in the first match but with Al Shabab having the edge due to away goals. Faced with this fact Atlas GIF went all out on the second leg but Al Shabab punished the opposing side with brilliant counterattacking football. After going down by one Atlas GIF was even more brazen in their play but once again their all out attack punished no one but themselves as Al Shabab put an end for the opposing side's hopes with a deathblow of a goal. Al Shabab will test their skill against Half Boy FC of Eastfield Lodge in the second preliminary round of the Series B.

JS Galace 4–6 Locomotive Wolverton (KRY) 2–2 2–4

The first Gadiryan representative to be eliminated from UICA play is promoted upstarts JS Galace losing to Locomotive Wolverton of Krytenia. The first match was very much like the Atlas GIF/Al Shabab first leg match except JS Galace was at the wrong end of the table. Faced with a 2-2 draw like that Arondesheim club JS Galace had to go on the offensive and just like Al Shabab Locomotive Wolverton exposed JS Galace. However unlike Atlas GIF, JS Galace had a response for every goal until a surprising red card reduced JS Galace to 10 men and once Locomotive Wolverton scored again to take the lead again JS Galace could do nothing. Their Series B journey ends rather quickly but hopefully lessons were learnt in this short but fun trip.

Partisan 0-0 Olympique Lambert
Jaalbeck Nafit 1-1 Najmat Ahmar
Leidon Ittihad 3-1 Sebio City (ESH)
Al-Qasr 2-1 Parisia (ESH)

Multiple Gadiryan clubs played friendlies with both domestic and foreigner ones. Promoted Partisan had a surprising draw against Olympique Lambert, a club Partisan was expected to put away. Another club that failed to meet their expectations were Jaalbeck Nafit who drew one to one against rivals Najmat Ahmar. Leidon Ittihad became the first Gadiryan team to face off against an Eshani side and won by a two goal margin. Lastly Al-Qasr had a pleasant surprise as they too beat a Eshani side.

Preseason Weeks 3 & 4:

(ESH) Rosaria United 1–0 CA Casablanca 1–0 0–0

Unlike their fellow Gadiryans CA Casablanca could not overcome and defeat a Eshani club as a Farouk Benita assisted goal put the nail on the coffin. CA Casablanca lost away by one goal to nil and a frustratingly conservative Rosaria United on the second leg denied CA Casablanca a ticket to the third preliminary round. CA Casablanca is sent down to the Globe Cup third preliminary round where they will face Foxchester Raiders of Starbladyia. Hopefully this time around CA Casablanca can score some goals.

Altinspor 3–4 Club ESF (VAL) 2–2 1–2

In the Globe Cup Altinspor's hopes for qualifying for the next preliminary round were dashed by a harsh and heartbreaking loss against Club ESF of Valanora. Altinspor was put in a sticky situation in their first leg draw and in the second leg facing the home crowd of Club ESF could not succumb over the pressure. With a 1-2 defeat Altinspor bows out of UICA competition and becomes the 2nd club to be eliminated. With their preseason tour over, Altinspor can focus on the upcoming season. Hopefully they will have a bigger impact next season assuming they qualify.

(CPV) Chapeleta de Desportos 4–2 Al Ahly 3–1 1–1

Al Ahly becomes another victim of a rash of Gadiryan club defeats in UICA competition and is eliminated from the Globe Cup. Chapeleta de Desportos was brilliant in their play as they dominated Al Ahly and scored three goals. The sole Al Ahly goal was mere consolation and might have helped them in the away goal front had they won their next match. Which they didn't as Chapeleta de Desportos managed to hold off multiple Al Ahly shots on goal and prevent a victory of two goals or more. Like Altinspor they leave the competition early but now they can invest their remaining time on focusing for the upcoming season.

(EFL) Half Boy FC 2–1 Al Shabab 1–0 1–1

To cap off this horrible week of Gadiryan club football Al Shabab becomes the fourth Gadiryan club eliminated from UICA play as they lost against Eastfield Lodge's Half Boy FC in the Series B. This match was tightly contested from beginning to end and had some calls and shots gone for Al Shabab's way we might be talking about Al Shabab qualifying for the third preliminary round. Unfortunately that was not the case and thus leave the Series B just before the season starts. Al Shabab's fin performances in the Series B will hopefully translate into good league form.

Karimi Technica Ittihad 1-0 El Main Ittihad
St Simeon 0-2 JS Galace
Club Sportif 0-2 Gracemeria (ESH)

The last round of major club friendlies were played and it was Karimi Technica Ittihad that defeated a hapless El Main Ittihad although many expected this margin to be wider due to disparity between the two Ittihads. St Simeon was upset by JS Galace fresh off a Series B elimination as their rivals netted two goals for the good. Lastly we have Club Sportif facing off against Eshani club Gracemeria and following the theme of Gadiryan clubs facing clubs from abroad they lost. Two goals from Gracemeria showed that Club Sportif's lack of investment disturbing and hopefully that won't spell disaster for this side this season in league play.

rgfa.gad.gov [Gadiryan Domestic Football Newswires] (OPEN)

rgfa.gad.gov [Gadiryan Domestic Football Newswires] (OPEN)

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