Djoliba Athletic Club is a Malian football club and one of the two biggest teams in Mali alongside the Stade Malien. The team is based in the capital city of Bamako. It has its headquarters and three training stadia at Complex Sportif Hérémakono, in the Heremakono Quartier. The President of Djoliba AC, re-elected in 2009 to a four-year term, is Karounga Keita a Vice President of the Malian Football Federation, former trainer at the club, who was a player at the founding of the club in 1960. Djoliba or Joliba is the name of the Niger River in the Bamana language. Not only a football club, Djoliba AC is an Omnisports club which fields teams in many sports, and is operated as a membership organisation with an elected board. History The club was created in 1960 by a fusion of "Africa Sport" Bamako and "Foyer du Soudan", two successful teams during French Colonial rule. The team was helped a lot during the 1970s by officer Tiécoro Bagayoko, a prominent member of the ruling military dictatorship of president Moussa Traoré. Many critics of Djoliba AC, especially coming from the rival Stade Malien, claim that the strength of the club was built during that period. However, Tiekoro Bagayoko was gone in 1978 after his arrest, yet Djoliba kept obtaining titles and cups. Today, it is reputed to be the biggest and the most organized soccer club in Mali. Malien Première Division 2007/08 2008 was a year of great success for Djoliba, having finished the year before in second place to their cross town rivals, Djoliba handily took the cup and league double in 2008. Reigning champions from the 2007 Malien Première Division, Stade and Djoliba sat atop the standings the entire season, with Djoliba leading by a small but consistent margin in the run up to the final games. Their 7 July derby match was postponed to August, and although they lost this match their rivals, Stade faltered where Djoliba were consistent, finishing the season 9 points ahead of Stade. The only Cup meeting between the two rivals in the season was in the Semi-finals of the Malien Cup, where Stade faced the humiliation of a 5–0 drubbing by Djoliba. Bamako District Mayor's Cup Djoliba's one failure came at the end of the season, losing the "Coupe du Maire du District": the Bamako District Mayor's Cup to arch rivals Stade Malien. But