Wydad Casablanca
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| Full name |
Wydad Athletic Club of Casablanca نادي الوداد الرياضي | |||
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| Nickname(s) |
WAC Rouges et Blancs (Reds and Whites) Wydad al Oumma (وداد اﻷمة) | |||
| Founded | 8 May 1937 | |||
| Ground | Stade Mohamed V | |||
| Capacity | 67,000 | |||
| Chairman | Abdelilah El Akram | |||
| Head Coach | Abderrahim Talib | |||
| League | Botola Pro | |||
| 2011–2012 | 3rd | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) (Arabic: نادي الوداد الرياضي) is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca, Morocco, best known for its football team.
History
The first section of the Wydad Athletic Club ("WAC") to be created was the swimming section on May 8, 1937. The members of the first management committee of Wydad was Haj Mohamed Benjelloun (President), Maitre Mohamed Zarouk, Mohamed Ben Lahsan, Haj Mohamed Ben Mohamed Ben Lahsan Benjelloun, Ralph Botbol, Charles Benchetrit, Bienvenu, Lucien Bilikrinieu, Pierre André, Boravel, and Croné Vivirel.
Other sections where created for the club as time went by, such as tennis in 1938 and football, created by Haj Tounsi alias Père Jégo in 1939. Today, there are a total of fourteen sections, including Basketball, Handball, Boxing, Wrestling, Cycling, Badminton, Track and field, Waterpolo, and Hockey.
There are several versions of the story of the origin of the club's name, but the version found in Ahmed Lahrizi's book Wydad Volume 1 is the most widespread and the most plausible. According to the book, during the frequent meetings which led to the creation of the club, one of the founding members arrived late after watching the latest film of the legendary Egyptian actress and singer Oum Kaltoum, Wydad (in Arabic, "Wydad" means "Love"). This incident inspired the founders to give the name to the club.
Creation and early Wydad (1937–1939)
The creation of Wydad was very difficult at the time. Indeed, the context was marked by the French protectorate of Morocco. The origin of its creation is synonymous with the club omnisport indeed because during this time the port of Casablanca was surrounded by swimming pools and access to it should be part of a club, but clubs were all directed by settlers. From the 1935–1936 season, several Moroccan Muslims and Jews were able to enjoy the swimming pools of the city registering well on its clubs. But when the number of Muslims grew rapidly worried that the French authorities sent him the natives clubs. It was after this came the idea of creating a club for Moroccans. But it was not easy because after several requests to the French authorities for the creation of the club, whenever requests were unanswered, future presidents Wydad decided to contact the Franco-Moroccan and this is where the resident General Nogues personally intervened to allow the creation of Wydad. Thus was created the Wydad Athletic Club on 8 May 1937. The name Wydad is unknown to this day, in fact many historians bring their explanations, but the historian Ahmed Lahrizi, author of the epic Wydad is the best known is widespread as this, when the first meeting of the first committee of Wydad, a person wanting to call, Mohamed Benjelloun who arrived late because he watched the last film of the great singer Arab Oum Kalthoum entitled Wydad (Love) and thus the first Moroccan club history was called Wydad Athletic Club. The first section of the Wydad Casablanca was that of water-pollo and after a proposal by the first President Wydad Mohamed Benjelloun, it was decided to set up several other sections and this is through this initiative that the football section Wydad was created in 1939. Wydad Casablanca played his first match against defending champion what the USM Casablanca as part of the first day of the championship in what is a criterion of war in September 1939. This meeting was the first of Wydad ended in defeat with a score of two goals to one. The first scorer was Wydad Abdelkader Lakhmiri. During this first season Wydad it was not a championship that was played but a true test of war called cutting war because of the Second World War. The first edition of this competition was played so in the context of the 1939–1940 season and ended with a victory for the USM Casablanca facing the new team what Wydad. One who had played his first match against USM and had also faced rematch is still faced in the final after an incredible journey that has to qualify. The meeting was ended with a score of one goal to nil at Stade Philippe to Casablanca.
The following season was also a criterion of war except that this time Wydad fails the same course as in the previous season. The Reds began the competition in a group comprising a total of nine groups or they managed to skilled in the finals. The final phase started from the quarter-finals where finally, the WAC is beaten by the Olympic Khouribga to score a goal to nil. And finally, as in the last season, this is the USM Casablanca who won the competition.
Promotion and Honour Division d'Honneur (1941–1947)
After playing two seasons in cutting the war, the French authorities under the orders of the Vichy regime decided to play the championship again at war. Despite the very good performance of Wydad, the French authorities decided to Wydad play in the second division and not first. One of the main reasons is the fact that the federation at the time was managed by teams of 1st Division. Despite these injustices, Wydad managed to be the first in their pool and in the context of a game between the dam at Ittihad Ribati, he succeeds in beating up the latter by a goal to nil. For fear that Wydad up in the first division, the federation decided to play another game the opponent this time in the Athletic Union of Meknes. This encounter was played behind closed doors in Meknes and during the month of Ramadan. The team was composed meknassis majority of non-Muslims opposed to Wydad. But finally Wydad thanks to a goal from Ben Messaoud to 12 minute first successful rising after receiving a letter from the federation confirming the rise in 1st division.
The next season after winning the championship promotion honor is the 2nd level football league in Morocco and after winning his matches dams, Wydad newly promoted division plays of honor is 'equivalent of first division football league in Morocco. During this season, Wydad had a good run, finishing in the top three of their group to play the final round, which begins from the second round. And after a very good run, Wydad reached the final of the chicken and confronts the USM Casablanca club already encountered in regional chickens. Wydad fails to win his first title in this competition and was beaten on the score of two goals to zero.
During the season 1943–1944, the red and white ends the year with a balance of the quarter-finals after several victories, the club face Fedala score on the river ten goals to nil. Also noteworthy during this season package of USM Casablanca. In 1944–1945, the club managed the final qualification in the pool but was eliminated by the Association Sportive Marrakech Marrakech often called SAM despite a victory in the second round against the ASM score of three goals to nil.
The 1945–1946 season is one of the best in the club since its inception as Wydad successfully won the regional championship with a total of more than 62 points or 19 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw. After winning the title, Wydad qualifies for final round where he was defeated by the USM Casablanca final score of three goals to one. Despite this defeat, the balance of the season is rather positive. During the 1946–1947 season, the club honors its first participation in the North African Cup but failed to move beyond sixteenth-finals following a defeat club Fedala the most minimal scores a goal to nil. In the league, the WAC failed to win the title.
Early titles and independence (1947–1956)
It will took more than nine years for Wydad can finally win his first championship first division. In a group of eight clubs, Wydad played fourteen matches and won six, lost two and drawn six transfers. He scored a total of over 47 goals. During the same season Wydad participates in the North African championship football championship with the title won and even managed to win by beating the U.S. Athletic score of four goals to two. Wydad will also participate in the African Cup of Northern football season 1948–1949 is a competition organized by the Union of North African league football that it is made up of five leagues is that of the Morocco, Tunisia, Algiers, Oran and Constantine. The competition began for Wydad in the knockout final against Red Star of Algiers. The match ended in a victory for Wydad Casablanca score of three goals to one. Then, in the quarterfinals, he must face the USM Bone or he managed to climb in the semifinals with a victory on the score of two goals to one. Continuing his journey, he must then face the Olympic Hussein Dey, club league Algiers. This meeting was a massacre ending with a victory on the score of three goals to nil while the club qualified for the finals is a club and even Casablanca Moroccan who managed to beat the Sports Club Hammam Lif on the modest score of one goal to nil. this club is in fact the U.S. Athletic. The final was held in Casablanca in 1949, is opposed both clubs are Wydad Casablanca that and the U.S. Athletic and after 90 minutes of play, Wydad won the competition for the first time in its history with a victory on the score of two goals to one. During the same season he also managed to win a Championship North African football when editing played as mini-league since it was the team with the most points wins the championship, he also won another championship, so it is the first club which has successfully tripled that nobody has succeeded throughout history. During the following season Wydad fails to succeed on a hat-trick but doubled. So he won the Moroccan championship for the third time in its history and a row with a total of more than 57 points and won the championship of North African football by beating the Athletic Union Muslim Oran on the score four goals to nil in Algiers on 28 May 1950.
During the 1950–1951 season, Wydad continues its momentum by winning the national championship but was beaten in the final of the African Cup North face SC Bel-Abbes on the score one goal to nil. It also managed not to win the championship of North Africa that it was under the control of Wydad three seasons.
During the last season played before independence, Wydad won his fifth and last championship title before Moroccan independence. Participating teams in this championship was twelve in number counting Wydad. During the same season, the Reds were beaten in the final of the championship of North Africa to Casablanca in the face of Esperance Sportive de Guelma score of two goals to one.
Honours
- Winners (17) : 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1966, 1969, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2006, 2010
- Runner-up (9): 1958, 1959, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002
- Moroccan Cup
- Winners (9): 1970, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2001
- Runner-up (6): 1957, 1958, 1961, 1964, 2003, 2004
- Winners (1): 1992
- Runner-up (1): 2011
- CAF Cup Winners' Cup
- Winners (1): 2002
- Runner-up (2): 1993, 2003
- Winners (1): 1994
- Arab Champions League
- Runner-up (2): 2008, 2009
Direction
| Name | Post |
| Abdelilah el-Akram | President |
| Idriss Benhima | Vice President / Disciplinary Commission |
| Jamal Rahmani | Vice President |
| Said Naciri | Vice President |
| Othmane Chrif Alami | Vice President |
| Maati Warit | Deputy Secretary General |
| Salaheddine Chenguiti | Legal Commission |
| Nouredine Benkiran | General Treasurer |
| Abdelkader Kadiri Hassani | Assistant Treasurer |
| Ramzi Berrada | Organizing committee |
| Idris Slaoui | Committee and Strategy and Development |
| Mohamed Gayate | Infrastructure Commission, human and material resources |
| Salaheddine Aboulghali | Commission Rules and Regulations |
| Karim Benchekroune | Marketing and Communications Committee |
| Otmane Cherif Alami | Commission for External Relations |
| Hafid El Akram | Commission Technical Team |
| Karim Fath | Finance Commission |
| Rachid Chrifi Alaoui | Commission and media relations |
| Amina Lamrani | Commission Fair Play |
| Fatima Aouam | Women's Commission |
Recent performance in CAF competitions
- CAF Champions League: 7 appearances
- 1987 – Second Round
- 1991 – Quarter-Finals
- 1992 – Champion
- 1993 – Second Round
- 1994 – Second Round
- 2007 - Second Round
- 2011 - Finalist
- CAF Confederation Cup: 4 appearances
- CAF Cup: 3 appearances
- CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 3 appearances
- 1998 – Semi-Finals
- 2002 – Champion
- 2003 – Semi-Finals
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Managers
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Presidents
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Sponsors
References
External links
- (Arabic)/(French) Official club website
- (French) News website
- (French) Wydad website
- (French) Ultras website
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