Raja coach Nasreddine Nabi has been dealt an unexpected blow just days before an anticipated friendly against Valencia. The Tunisian's trip to Spain is now at risk of cancellation after delays in issuing travel visas for players and members of the technical and administrative staff.
According to Moroccan website "Le360 Sport", the Raja administration is racing against time to find a swift solution. The failure to complete the administrative procedures tied to the visas has placed the team's preparatory programme before an unexpected test.
Raja had scheduled their delegation to travel to Spain next Thursday to face Valencia, part of the second phase of their preparations for the new season.
Those procedures remain incomplete, which threatens to scrap the trip entirely and drop the Valencia fixture from the programme should the delegation fail to obtain the necessary documents in time.
Officials hope the visas arrive within the coming hours so the team can stick to the set travel date and play a match the technical staff rate highly, viewing it as a stern test against a high-level European opponent.
Nabi awaits resolution of the crisis
The visa crisis lands at a sensitive time for Nabi, who is still putting the finishing touches to Raja's preparations and wants to squeeze value from every scheduled friendly to assess his players' readiness.
Valencia offer the Tunisian an important chance to test his group against a strong European side, especially with his aim of building as much harmony as possible between the old and new faces before official competitions begin.
Losing the trip to Spain would disrupt Nabi's calculations. The match falls within the second phase of the preparatory programme, which is meant to raise the level of competition and pit the team against stronger opponents.
First friendly test against Chabab Mohammédia
While the visa crisis rumbles on, preparations continue as normal inside the club's complex. Raja play the first of their friendly matches next Tuesday, when they face Chabab Mohammédia.
That fixture should give Nabi a first look at his players' readiness, as well as a chance to gauge how well the new arrivals are blending in before the tougher phase of preparation.
Nabi will try to use the match to test a number of technical and tactical options and to see how his players respond to his methods, especially given the changes the squad has undergone during the summer transfer window.
New signings: Nabi demands more
Raja moved during the summer mercato to strengthen their ranks, signing Ishaq Al-Zaidani, Chamseddine Kanidil and Younes Al-Dahmani as part of the administration's efforts to prepare the team for the new season.
Those additions have not satisfied Nabi. The Tunisian is still pushing the administration to conclude further deals, having told officials he needs to reinforce a number of positions with the team eyeing a strong campaign next season.
Nabi hopes the administration can complete his requirements before the window shuts, so Raja enter the new season with a squad capable of implementing his ideas and achieving the club's ambitions.