A disappointing season marks the outcome of “Tetouan”

A disappointing conclusion to a season marked by conflicts and successive crises for the Moghreb Tetouan football team, as these factors did not prevent the team from maintaining its position among the first-class clubs in the national championship by occupying ninth place with a total of 35 points.

The unfortunate reality of the “White Dove” team this season embodies the reality of the crisis that national football is experiencing, especially at the level of sports management and administration.

At a time when the Tetouan fans were hoping to achieve positive results to compensate for the disappointments of the past seasons, “Al-Mat” faced a series of internal and external challenges that directly affected its performance and results.

Inability to register new players

The Moghreb Tetouan team, led by the temporary committee charged with managing the team’s affairs, recruited several players in the previous summer Mercato. These include veteran players Abdel-Ilah El-Hafidi and Mohsen Yagour, and young winger Abdallah Farah.

The aforementioned committee failed to qualify the three players, as the professional league refused to qualify them because “Al-Mat” exceeded the financial ceiling specified for summer contracts, which amounts to one billion and 600 million centimes. This led to the departure of the trio without playing any matches in the team’s jersey.

Disputes with players over financial dues

Like many national championship teams, Moghreb Tetouan has been involved in disputes with several players over financial dues. The most prominent of these disputes was with former player Mohamed Kamal, where the Conflicts Committee of the Professional League ruled that an amount of 467 million cents be paid to him. This ruling greatly complicated the team’s affairs.

A disappointing exit from the Throne Cup

Despite the team’s inconsistent performance in the tournament, the Throne Cup represented a beacon of hope for the fans, especially after reaching the 2022 final, where Moghreb Tetouan was close to the title.

The team’s journey in the Throne Cup started well, by overcoming the teams of Setad Morocco and Chabab Sportive Soualem, to face Moghreb Fes in the quarter-finals.

This match was a golden opportunity for the team to achieve an important victory that revived the hopes of the fans, especially after “Fondo Norte,” the faction supporting the team, returned to cheering after its dispute with the interim committee. The team disappointed its fans once again, and was eliminated from the tournament after a harsh 4-2 defeat at home and among its fans against Moghreb Fes.

The crisis of former President Abdelmalek Abron

The management of the Interim Committee of Moghreb Tetouan received a slap from former president Abdelmalek Abron, who seized the bank accounts of the team’s treasury and took all measures to prevent the management from transferring the team’s budget to another account.

This action came due to an amount the team owed to Ebron amounting to 700 million cents, which increased the “Mat” crises. But it was later agreed between the committee members and Abron to resolve the dispute.

Delay in paying players’ salaries

Due to the financial crises that the “White Dove” team suffered from, the interim administration of Moghreb Tetouan was unable to pay the players’ salaries for many months. This led to the players going on strike from training, demanding their outstanding dues.

The main reason for the inability to pay salaries, according to a member of the interim committee, is due to former president Abdelmalek Abron’s seizure of the team’s treasury. This plunged the club into a stifling crisis.

The departure of the pillars of the team

At the end of the season, Moghreb Tetouan will lose many players whose contracts with the team will expire, as the interim administration was unable to convince them to continue due to financial and sporting instability.

The most prominent of these players is the creative midfielder Hilal Al-Firdawsi, who joined the Raja team, and the right-back Hudhaifa Al-Mahasni, who also approached the “green” team. This will require the Tetouan administration to move in the market to compensate for the departure of these pillars.

*Trained journalist