Wydad AC
Morocco
Botola Pro
Est: 1937
Wydad Athletic Club (Arabic: نادي الوداد الرياضي, Arabic pronunciation: [naːdiː‿l.widaːd arrːiyːadˤiː]), often known outside Morocco as Wydad Casablanca, 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 19 June 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 and other titles, 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 Wydad Women's football. The club holds many long-standing rivalries in Morocco with Raja CA, and with the capital side AS FAR.
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