His appointment ahead of the current season was met with immense excitement and expectations from the Wydad Athletic family. They got their dream coach after a disastrous 2023-24 season.
From the playing body to the coaching staff to the fans to the club leaders, they were all optimistic about the club returning back to its glorious days, even though it was Rulani Mokwena’s first season.
WAC of Morocco has suffered from the first day of the 2024-25 season and is still struggling with just four games to end the Moroccan Botola PRO League.
The 38-year-old South African master tactician has been at loggerheads with most of the Moroccan press after facing severe criticism almost every day since his first game.
Wydad’s 1-1 draw in week 26 of the Botola PRO League against perennial rivals Raja Casablanca has almost ended the club’s dream for next year’s CAF Champions League.
The club is 3rd on the league log, trailing second-placed FAR Rabat by four points with just four games to end the season.
In their last 8 games, the club has won only one game making the fans very unhappy and disappointed. They are a whopping 16 points behind already Champions RS Berkane, unbelievably.
Rulani Mokwena has confirmed that he will leave at the end of the season but will actually be available for the remaining 4 games.
It is 90% likely that Mokwena will not take Wydad to the imminent FIFA Club World Cup to be played in the USA in June 2025 as the club is expected to name a new head coach for the tournament.
So many factors are leading to the stepdown of the South African coach as the head coach of Wydad Casablanca. It was revealed last week that Rulani and his coaching staff have not received their salaries for months.
Mokwena believes that the club has not supported and defended him enough from pressure from both fans and journalists.
The club will target finishing ahead of FAR for the final CAF Champions League slot.
Rulani Mokwena has coached Mamelodi Sundowns and is considered probably the best young coach on the continent; hence, he doesn’t expect to lack offers from the big boys across the continent when he steps down at the end of the season.
