Wydad Faces Setback as FAR Rabat Secures Karmoun Deal
Wydad’s turbulent summer has taken another hit. Just when the Casablanca giants thought they had secured defender Ferji Karmoun, rivals FAR Rabat stepped in with a heavier punch – and walked away in pole position.
FAR Rabat land the first blow
Karmoun was supposed to be a Wydad player. The red club moved early, reached an agreement with the defender, and received the green light from Olympic Safi’s management. On paper, the deal looked done.
Then FAR Rabat arrived.
With their backline stripped by the departures of Yunis Abdelhamid and Nouh El Abd, the military club went aggressively into the market. They joined the race for Karmoun and immediately changed its pace. A stronger financial offer hit the table, bigger than Wydad’s proposal, and the balance swung.
The result was brutal for Wydad: the move collapsed.
According to Moroccan outlet “Sport7”, Olympic Safi reacted quickly. With two heavyweights now circling, they raised their demands and made the situation crystal clear – Karmoun will go to the club that pays the best price. No sentiment. Just numbers.
FIFA rulings tighten the noose
While Wydad were losing ground in the market, another wave crashed in from Zurich.
FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber issued a new ruling against the club in a case involving a former foreign player. It is not an isolated incident. This latest decision takes the number of final FIFA rulings against Wydad to five.
Each one carries a cost. Together, they form a wall.
Until those files are settled in full, Wydad cannot lift their transfer ban or register new signings. For a club trying to rebuild a squad and keep pace with domestic rivals, the timing could hardly be worse.
President Brahim El Assri is now working under intense pressure. He has inherited a legal minefield from the previous administration led by Hicham Ait Menna, whose tenure left a trail of disputes and unpaid dues.
“Sport7” reports that Wydad must resolve five cases with FIFA and more than seven others before the National Disputes Committee. Each one is a separate battle, but together they define the club’s immediate future.
Benabid renewal becomes a priority
With the market complicated and a transfer ban looming, Wydad’s strategy has shifted. If they cannot move freely outside, they must protect what they already have inside.
At the top of that list stands El Mehdi Benabid.
The goalkeeper has become a central figure in the club’s plans, and Wydad have opened advanced talks to convince him to renew his contract and stay. According to “Le360 Sport”, the club rushed to settle all of Benabid’s outstanding financial dues before putting a fresh offer on the table.
The decision now rests with the player, who is expected to give his final answer in the coming days. His choice will say a lot about how the squad views the current project – and the club’s ability to hold onto its core.
A race against the calendar
Behind the scenes, El Assri is juggling more than just transfer targets and contract talks. He is firefighting.
A number of players have already taken their cases to the disputes committee, either to claim unpaid wages or to seek unilateral termination of their contracts. Every file threatens to open another crack in the structure, just as the new season approaches.
Wydad are trying to reinforce a squad, lift a transfer ban, keep their best players, and close a backlog of legal and financial cases – all at once, all under the glare of domestic rivals ready to exploit any weakness.
FAR Rabat have already done so with Ferji Karmoun.
The question now is simple, and unforgiving: can Wydad clear the decks in time to compete, or will this summer of disputes define their entire season before a ball is even kicked?
