NO LOVE LOST IN CASABLANCA
A beautiful friendship? Not quite. Morocco’s biggest city hosts drama from stadiums to streets
Why all the fuss?
The Casablanca rivals are two of Morocco’s oldest clubs, doing battle in front of crowds of up to 80,000. Raja have won the CAF Champions League three times, while Wydad can boast a record 18 Moroccan league titles – the most recent coming last season under John Toshack.
Reasons for aggro
Traditionally, Wydad are the glamorous team of the middle class, while their city rivals represent the industrial grit and people power that helped gain independence. One of Wydad’s founders, Pere Jego, left them controversially in 1952 to join Raja after an internal dispute.
Maddest moment
Raja walked off in protest at a referee’s decision in a match against Wydad in the 1970s. In 2010, more than 100 people were arrested after a derby when violence resulted in considerable damage to nearby shops and cars, as well as an attack on a taxi carrying fans.
Cult gures
Former West Ham and QPR flop Modibo Maiga scored a superb bicycle kick as Raja came from behind to beat Wydad 21 in 2005. Later in the same season, Hicham Louissi’s 96thminute 25yard stunner tied the derby to help Wydad end a 13year wait for another title triumph.
Brazil Ibis the selfproclaimed world’s worst team, as previously featured in FFT offered Jose Mourinho the chance to become their new boss. He hasn’t accepted so far...