Wydad's Summer Turmoil: FAR Rabat Hijacks Karmoun Deal
Wydad’s summer, already tense and tangled, has taken another sharp turn. On the pitch, they have just seen a key defensive target slip through their fingers. Off it, FIFA has tightened the noose.
FAR Rabat land decisive blow in Karmoun chase
For weeks, Wydad believed they were in control of the Ferji Karmoun saga. They moved early, convinced the defender, and secured approval from Olympic Safi’s management. The path looked clear: Karmoun to Casablanca, a timely reinforcement for a squad trying to rebuild.
Then FAR Rabat walked through the door.
The military club, stung by the departures of Yunis Abdelhamid and Nouh El Abd, needed to rebuild their back line with authority, not hesitation. They stepped into the race for Karmoun and immediately changed the dynamics of the deal.
Where Wydad had laid the groundwork, FAR Rabat brought the money.
They tabled a financial offer that surpassed Wydad’s proposal, according to Moroccan outlet “Sport7”. The effect was brutal and swift: Karmoun’s expected move to the red club collapsed.
Sensing the new landscape, Olympic Safi shifted stance as well. No more gentleman’s path to Wydad. The club decided to hand Karmoun to whoever submits the strongest financial offer. Pure market logic. No room for sentiment, and no advantage left for Wydad.
For a club already fighting on multiple fronts, it felt like another punch to the ribs.
FIFA rulings pile up and tighten transfer ban
The blow in the transfer market arrived just as more trouble came from Zurich.
FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber has issued a fresh ruling against Wydad in a case involving one of the club’s former foreign players. It is not an isolated setback; it is part of a pattern.
That decision takes the number of final FIFA rulings against Wydad to five. Five cases that must be settled in full before the club can lift its transfer ban and register any of its new signings.
The timing could hardly be worse. The new season is approaching, the squad needs clarity, and yet the legal and financial clouds keep thickening.
President Brahim El Assri has walked into a storm not of his own making. He inherited it.
The previous administration, led by Hicham Ait Menna, left behind a trail of disputes and unresolved files. Now El Assri is forced into a race against time, pushing through intensive efforts to close these cases one by one.
According to “Sport7”, Wydad must now resolve five files with FIFA, plus more than seven cases lodged before the National Disputes Committee. Each file carries its own weight: unpaid dues, contract rows, players seeking unilateral termination. Each one chips away at the club’s freedom to act in the market.
The transfer ban is no longer an abstract threat. It is a very real barrier standing between Wydad and the squad renewal they desperately need.
Fight to keep Benabid as dressing room nerves grow
Amid the legal chaos and failed pursuits, Wydad cannot afford to lose their core.
That is why El Assri is working just as hard on the inside as he is in front of FIFA. One of the key priorities: keeping goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid.
According to “Le360 Sport”, Wydad have opened advanced negotiations with Benabid, determined to convince him to renew and stay. The club moved quickly to settle all his outstanding financial dues, a necessary gesture in a dressing room where trust has been tested.
A new offer is now on the table. The decision rests with the goalkeeper, who is expected to make up his mind in the coming days. His choice will send a clear signal: either faith in the new management’s project, or another warning sign for a club already under pressure.
Behind the scenes, El Assri is facing a tangle of legacy problems. Several players have already turned to the disputes committee, either to claim unpaid salaries or to push for unilateral termination of their contracts. Each case threatens to drain not only the budget but also the squad’s stability.
The clock is ticking. Wydad must untie this knot of FIFA rulings, national disputes, and contract stand-offs while trying to build a competitive team and fend off rivals like FAR Rabat in the market.
One question now hangs over Casablanca: can Wydad clear their name and rebuild in time, or will this summer mark the start of a deeper decline?
