Have Wydad Casablanca found a new coach for struggling Rhulani Mokwena? - Rumoured candidate speaks out

Rhulani Mokwena has led Wydad Casablanca to two successive defeats in the Botola Pro league.

That has attracted the wrath of the club’s fans who pelted him and his players with missiles following last Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to 10-man RS Berkane.

With Mokwena having South Africans as his lieutenants in his technical team, there has been talk that Wydad are planning to have a Moroccan assist him.

The name of former Napoli and Morocco defender Abdelilah Saber has popped up as a candidate to work with Mokwena. 

"I have not been contacted by the Wydad administration regarding any position, and any news about my refusal to take on the position of assistant coach or my desire for the position of first coach is incorrect and does not conform to my sporting principles,” Saber told Sport7 as per Soccer Laduma.

"On previous occasions, I sacrificed my professional and personal commitments for the sake of Wydad and currently I am committed to my duties as a technical advisor outside Morocco and I am keen to fulfil my professional responsibilities in a manner that is consistent with my principles."

As it stands, Mokwena’s future at the Moroccan giants is at risk, given the club’s history of impatience with coaches.

Saber has deep knowledge of the culture at Wydad, having played for the club between 1993 and 1996 before going on to play in Portugal and Italy for seven years.

He has also previously been an assistant coach at the Red Castle, working with Juan Carlos Garrido and Zoran Manojlovic in 2019 and 2020.

It remains to be seen if Wydad will go on and hire a local to help Mokwena and improve the team’s fortunes in their title bid.

They currently are ninth on the table with six points fewer than log leaders Berkane.