Club World Cup: Wydad bringing Moroccan magic back to the world
Wydad Casablanca enter the Club World Cup at a low point but hope to repeat the feat of the Atlas Lions and shock the world
Let me take you back three years.
Arguably the greatest footballing World Cup, upsets, shocks and thrilling football.
If you ask anyone who watched that World Cup what their greatest memory was, they’ll likely tell you it was that blistering final. If you as a Saudi, they’ll tell you it was seeing them beat those same Argentinians, likewise Tunisia, Ghana and Japan had memorable giant killings.
But if there was one, just one, team that people would say was there favourite team, there would only be one answer.
Morocco.
The Atlas Lions captured the imagination of the world. Not only did they become the first African nation to qualify for the World Cup but they dispatched European giant after European giant in their quest to capture the hearts of the world. Off the pitch the world was introduced to the Maghrebi fans who turned the streets of Qatar into the medina of Marrakesh.
Walid Regragui became an icon of a coach as he masterminded the success of the North African nation, but most of those who fell in love with his Morocco team didn’t know that just six months prior, he was working his magic with a certain Moroccan club, Wydad Casablanca.
Thanks to Regragui’s work, Wydad won the Champions League and booked their place in the Club World Cup. Now they’re aiming to become the second Moroccan team to shock the world at a World Cup.
The Season(s)
While the spirit of that 2022 Champions League winning side remains, there is very little that is recognisable between that team and the one now faced with the gargantuan task of playing Manchester City.
After that 2022 victory Wydad were set to become a dominant force in Africa and be a side that could compete with Al Ahly, who they beat in that final. But that dream slowly faded as mismanagement, internal squabbling and poor appointments has left Wydad not only outside the race for the best in Africa but even far off the pace to be the best club in Morocco.
Despite losing Regragui to the national team and a few key players like Achraf Dari (now at Al Ahly), the side maintained its momentum, reaching the Champions League final again 2023. This time Al Ahly got their revenge, winning narrowly 3-2 on aggregate.
Just six months later, Wydad again found themselves in a final, this time in the inaugural African Football League.
For those unfamiliar, the African Super League was a closed shop “Super League” designed by Gianni Infantino. Like the Club World Cup, it massively over stated its importance but hopefully unlike the World Cup, died a quiet death and CAF seemingly pretends it never happened.
Another two finals in a year, that doesn’t sound too bad does it? But those near-successes were papering over some pretty wide cracks that would emerge.
Just a couple weeks after the African Super League final, Wydad club president Saïd Naciri was arrested and implicated in one of the highest profile cases of drug trafficking in North Africa, involving Moroccan-Malian drug dealer El Hadj Ahmed Ben Brahim known as the "The Pablo Escobar of the Sahara".
According to prosecutors, Naciri is being charged with "possession, marketing and export of drugs," as well as corruption. For those following Naciri’s presidency it is not an entirely new surprise.
Naciri was known as a dominant figure in Moroccan football and political circles. The successful businessman was renowned for demanding results at any costs as well as well was regularly accused of manipulation of manipulation of players.
He has been accused repeatedly of not paying player wages and even using his political influence to freeze bank accounts of players that he has fallen out with. In fact at the time that they won the CAF Champions League in 2022, Wydad were under a transfer ban from FIFA over unpaid wages to former players.
After slipping to second in the Botola Pro in 2023, the collapse came the next season with the club finishing sixth place, their lowest finish in a decade.
The summer of 2024 brought about major changes. The club elected a new president Hicham Ait Menna who has attempted to restore Wydad’s reputation on and off the pitch.
On the pitch that meant a change of culture and direction. Moving away from the club’s culture of defensive, pragmatic “helicopter” football, they instead hired Rhulani Mokwena.
Mokwena is the antithesis of all those things. Known as the “African Guardiola”, Mokwena is the most progressive coach on the African continent. Inverting fullbacks, positionalism, total football, Mokwena is the tactico’s coach.
With a restricted budget, Mokwena’s task was to get the club back into the Champions League while building towards the Club World Cup. After a decent start, it looked like a marriage would work, and when Wydad were drawn in a group with Manchester City it seemed like destiny. Mokwena could finally face his hero on the pitch.
But the cultural shift was just too much for Mokwena to overcome. After a string of five games drawn in a row and Champions League football slipping away from the club, the board made the difficult decision to sack Mokwena.
With just three games remaining, they turned to former Wydad player Mohamed Amine Benhachem as interim coach. He guided the team to wins in all three games, securing third place and a slot in next season’s CAF Confederation Cup and the full-time gig as manager.
The one benefit of having Benhachem in situ is that he is a Wydad man, he understands the club, and it’s unique mentality.
As mentioned early, Wydad is unique in that it is a club that dominates domestic football, and yet their identity is built on a defense foundation. They are not a club that wants attractive football, if anything Wydadis are suspicious of free-flowing football. Walid Regragui is perhaps the best example of this. Taking both Wydad and Morocco to new heights in a defensive and pragmatic style.
Wydad in the last couple years have been left behind by their continental rivals but maybe that change in coaching style will suit them in a tournament where they will be doing a lot of defending.
The other ace in their sleeve is the ridiculous support that they will bring with them. Reports have between twenty and thirty thousand Wydadis will make the journey from across North America and the world to come roar them on.
The Squad
After Wydad’s most recent transfer ban was lifted ahead of the Club World Cup, there were a flood of rumours that Wydad were going to bring in some superstars. Hakim Ziyech was credibly linked with a move to his home country, but perhaps incredibly, Wydad made contact with Cristiano Ronaldo after he hinted at departing Al Nassr.
While they didn’t sign any stars, Wydad did bring in some much-needed reinforcements. At the back they signed Brazilian defender Guilherme Ferreira from FC Felgueiras in Portugal and Dutch centre back Bart Meijers from this season’s Europa Conference League participants Borac Banja Luka.
Further up the pitch the Moroccans brought in African club favourite Stephane Aziz-Ki. The Burkinabe has become a club favourite at Young Africans. A magician on the ball, he is in the mould of a Juan Roman Riquelme. Not the most mobile, but give him space and he will punish you.
On the right wing they’ve brought in Moroccan veteran Nordin Amrabat, brother of former Manchester United midfielder Sofyan. Despite being 36, he is expected to slot in immediately into the starting XI as well as bring bags of experience.
Up front they have signed Omar Al-Somah from Saudi side Al-Orobah. Like Amrabat, Al-Somah is not a young soul, but the 36 year old brings plenty of experience and is the record goal scorer in the Saudi Pro League.
Elsewhere, eyes will be on the youthful midfield duo of Mehdi Moubarik and Oussama Zemraoui. Both are former Morocco youth internationals are bring energetic running paired with technique.
The Coach
While most of us on the continent are devastated that we didn’t get to see Rhulani Mokwena have his show down with Guardiola, Mohamed Amine Benhachem’s story is equally heart warming.
Benhachem is a Wydadi through and through. His father player played for the club and Benhachem himself came through the academy, representing the club through all the age groups but was released before he could play for the senior side.
He moved across town to rivals Raja Casablanca and enjoyed a solid playing career in Morocco as well as stints in Belgium, Dubai and Canada. Since then he has returned to Morocco where he has managed a handful of lower league teams and been assistant at Wydad.
After leaving his role at Wydad in 2023 he took over second division side RCA Zemamra who he won promotion to the Botola Pro with last season. This season he enjoyed even more success with the club, taking them as high as second in the table back in December before eventually taking over Wydad in May.
A player and coach raised in the Wydadi ways, he' brings a defensive stability to a team that has struggled to adapt to a more attacking approach and will not be looking to do anything against Manchester City aside from defend and play on the break.
The Group
Wydad not only are comfortably seen as the weakest of the African sides coming into the tournament, they’ve been dealt the toughest group of the lot. Manchester City, Juventus and Al Ain, in that order.
At the moment a good result against City would be a respectable loss, winning is pretty much out of the occasion and a draw is a fanciful dream. In reality, Wydad will do well to come third in this group.
Key Player
Rhulani Mokwena may have left but his imprint has remained in the form of the two South Africans Thembi Lorch and Casius Mailula.
Mailula in particular has been the young star of this team. The elusive playmaker can play virtually anywhere across the front as well as in behind a more conventional striker. He’s the top assister in the team and is only beaten for goals by Mohamed Rayhi. If this team is going to get any joy against Manchester City, it will likely be through Mailula.
Predictions
Despite making some good signings and finishing the season strong, this Club World Cup has come three years too late for Wydad. If they only lose by one goal to both City and Juventus, it will be considered a success and a realistic goal would be coming third. Sadly I think they’ll loose 4-0 to City and come bottom of the group.