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| Full name | Wydad Athletic Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | وداد الأمة (Wydad of the Nation)[1] وداد المقاومة (Wydad of the Resistance) القلعة الحمراء (The Red Castle) عميد الاندية (Dean of clubs) | ||
| Short name | WAC[2] | ||
| Founded | 8 May 1937[3] | ||
| Stadium | Stade Mohammed V | ||
| Capacity | 45,891 | ||
| President | Hicham Ait Menna | ||
| Manager | Rhulani Mokwena | ||
| League | Botola | ||
| 2023–24 | Botola, 6th of 16 | ||
| Website | wacofficiel | ||
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Wydad Athletic Club (Arabic: نادي الوداد الرياضي, Arabic pronunciation: [naːdiː‿l.widaːd arrːiyːadˤiː]), commonly shortened to just Wydad AC or Wydad, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. They are one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight.
It was founded on 8 May 1937 by seven Moroccans belonging to the national movement for independence, led by Mohamed Benjelloun Touimi. They initially focused on water polo to give indigenous Moroccans the right to access swimming pools before Mohamed Ben Lahcen Affani – also known by the nickname of "Père Jégo" ("Father Jégo") – created the football section in 1939. He was the first manager of the team. The club has traditionally worn a red home kit since inception.
Domestically, Wydad has won a record of 22 Moroccan league titles, 9 Moroccan Throne Cup and 4 Moroccan Elite Cup, becoming the most titled club in Morocco. In continental, international and regional competitions, the club has won three CAF Champions Leagues, one African Cup Winners' Cup, one CAF Super Cup, one Afro-Asian Club Championship, one Mohammed V Cup, one Arab Club Champions Cup, one Arab Super Cup, three North African Championship, three North African Super Cup and one North African Cup.
The club also competes in basketball, Water polo, handball, volleyball, table tennis, field hockey, fencing, cycle sport, rugby, futsal and women's football. The club holds many long-standing rivalries in Morocco with Raja CA,[4] and with the capital side AS FAR.[5]
- ^ "Casablanca, more than a movie". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "WAC 1-0 TP Mazembe: Red Devils pip Ravens to win 2018 Caf Super Cup". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "History | Wydad Athletic Club". wac.ma. 27 March 2016. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "The Casablanca Derby: the world's best atmosphere!". www.copa90.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "كلاسيكو المغرب.. تاريخ من الصراع بين الكبار". كووورة. 4 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.