🇹🇬 Lomé I (Togo)

Lomé I  (Togo)

Lomé I (also known as Déma Club) was a short-lived but successful Togolese football club based in Lomé that existed from 1974 to 1978.

It was created in 1974 as part of a major sports reform by the Togolese Football Federation. The reform forced mergers of existing clubs into larger “superequipes” (super teams), particularly in the capital. Lomé I was formed by combining three established sides: Étoile Filante de Lomé, Modèle Lomé, and Dynamic Togolais. It was one of four such super clubs created in Lomé (the others were Lomé II, Lomé III/Edan, and Lomé IV).

The club quickly dominated domestic football, winning three consecutive Togolese Championnat National titles in 1974, 1975, and 1976. It was the strongest of the four Lomé super teams during this period.

On the continental stage, Lomé I competed in the African Cup of Champions Clubs (the precursor to the CAF Champions League). Its best run came in 1975, when it reached the semi-finals after defeating sides including Barne Monrovia, Djoliba AC, and ASEC Mimosas, before falling to Hafia FC of Guinea. It also appeared in the competition in 1976 and 1977.

In 1978, an “actualisation” (update) of the 1974 reform led to the dissolution of the Lomé-based super clubs. Most of the original clubs that had been merged (such as Étoile Filante, Dynamic Togolais, and others) resurfaced as independent entities, while Lomé I itself ceased to exist.

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