ASCK will begin their latest CAF Champions League campaign against ASEC Mimosas on Sunday, with coach Yelato Silue insisting the Togolese champions have the collective strength to make history.
The clubs meet in Lome in the first leg of the competition’s first preliminary round. ASCK are entering their eighth African campaign since reaching Togo’s top flight a decade ago, and Silue believes the time has come for the club to progress beyond the early stages.
“For a club that wants to grow, it is now well overdue that we take this step, and that step is to reach the group stage,” Silue said at Saturday’s pre-match news conference.
“ASCK have been in Togo’s top division for 10 years and this is our eighth participation in African competitions - five in the CAF Confederation Cup and our third in the Champions League. We have put the necessary resources into preparing for this competition. I believe we have learned enough and that we are now in better shape.
“This eighth participation must, and I say must, allow us to move up a level at last.”
ASCK have reached this stage with a clear identity built around teamwork rather than individual talent. Silue says the club will rely on that principle against ASEC Mimosas, one of the most decorated sides in West Africa.
The Togolese champions finished last season with the strongest attack and defence in their domestic championship, a record the coach sees as evidence of the squad’s collective contribution.
“Those who follow ASCK know that we were champions of Togo and that we have never depended on one player,” he said. “We do not have a star in our team. ASCK is first and foremost about our collective.
“The proof is that we ended last season with the best attack and the best defence in the league. When you look at the goals we scored, all my defenders, all my midfielders and all my attackers found the net. That is something we have built.
“We will rely on this collective approach when we face ASEC.”
The first leg in Lome gives ASCK the opportunity to measure their progress against an opponent with greater experience of African competition. The club’s ambition is not simply to add another appearance to its continental record, but to turn this campaign into the one in which it finally reaches the next stage.
ASEC Mimosas will provide the opening test of that ambition on Sunday, when ASCK attempt to establish an advantage before the return meeting. For Silue and his players, the tie represents both a demanding challenge and a chance to show that their preparation and shared approach can carry them further than in previous campaigns.