The Club World Cup has, at times, been a farce. You don’t need me to tell you that. But don't let anyone tell you that it doesn't matter. Just ask Simo, who, along with four friends, drove ten hours from Ottawa, Canada, to Philadelphia to watch his beloved Wydad Casablanca play against Manchester City. Straight after the game, he drove back to Ottawa, but he was back for their second group game against Juventus on June 22, and then for their final group stage clash with Emirati side Al Ain in Washington, DC.
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“It's not important to us if the team is good or not,” Simo told me with a smile ahead of the Juventus game. “Since we knew that we were playing in this World Cup, everybody knew we were going to come here to watch the games.”
By the end of his team’s tournament, Simo had driven around 3,000 miles and spent more than 60 hours on the road in the full knowledge that his side were favourites to lose every game.
Let me be clear, Simo was not travelling these distances because he thought Wydad were going to win the Club World Cup. They have had a dreadful couple of seasons and came into the tournament having sacked their manager just a month ago. Losing 2–0 to Manchester City was ostensibly a great result for the Red Castle.
He came to Philly to watch because he’s a Wydadi, and that’s the level of commitment Wydad inspires.
“For us, as long as Wydad are playing in official competitions, we will be there to watch them.”
And stories like Simo's can be found all over the Club World Cup.
