Wydad Faces Setback as FAR Rabat Hijacks Karmoun Deal

Wydad’s turbulent summer took another sharp turn as rivals FAR Rabat stepped in to hijack a deal for defender Ferji Karmoun, piling sporting frustration on top of an already heavy legal and financial burden.

For weeks, Wydad believed they had done the hard work. They moved early, reached an agreement with Karmoun, and secured the approval of his club, Olympic Safi. A much-needed defensive reinforcement seemed within reach for the Casablanca giants, who are desperate to reshape their squad before the new season.

Then FAR Rabat arrived at the table. And everything shifted.

FAR Rabat outmuscle Wydad in Karmoun chase

With their backline weakened by the exits of Yunis Abdelhamid and Nouh El Abd, FAR Rabat went aggressively into the market. Karmoun quickly emerged as a priority target.

The military club did not bother with half-measures. They presented a financial offer that surpassed Wydad’s proposal, turning what looked like a done deal into a collapsing one. The move to the red club fell apart, and the balance of power in the chase for the defender swung decisively towards Rabat.

Sensing the moment, Olympic Safi changed its stance. According to Moroccan outlet "Sport7", the club responded to the late twist by raising its demands and making the race for Karmoun purely financial: the defender will go to whichever club puts the biggest offer on the table.

For Wydad, already operating under pressure, it was another blow at the worst possible time.

FIFA rulings tighten the noose

While they wrestle with rivals in the market, a more serious battle is unfolding in the corridors of FIFA.

The Dispute Resolution Chamber has just issued a fresh ruling against Wydad in a case involving a former foreign player. That decision pushes the total number of final FIFA rulings against the club to five.

Each one carries a price. Until Wydad settle these cases in full, the transfer ban hanging over them will not be lifted. Without that, new signings cannot be registered. Targets like Karmoun become not only expensive, but potentially unusable.

President Brahim El Assri is now racing against the calendar. He inherited a club weighed down by a backlog of disputes from the previous administration under Hicham Ait Menna, who left behind what has become a maze of legal and financial cases.

"Sport7" reports that Wydad must close five files at FIFA and deal with more than seven additional cases lodged with the National Disputes Committee. Each file represents money owed, contracts contested, or players seeking to break free unilaterally.

The clock to the new season keeps ticking. The paperwork keeps piling.

Fight to keep Benabid

Amid the chaos, Wydad are trying to protect what they still control: their core players.

At the top of that list stands goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid. The club have opened advanced talks to convince him to renew his contract and stay in Casablanca, aware that losing their No. 1 would deepen an already delicate situation.

According to "Le360 Sport", Wydad have tabled a new offer after rushing to clear all of Benabid’s outstanding financial dues. With that step taken, the ball is now at the goalkeeper’s feet. He is expected to make his final decision in the coming days.

El Assri finds himself juggling urgent priorities on all fronts: settle disputes to lift the transfer ban, fend off claims from players at the disputes committee, keep key men like Benabid on board, and somehow remain competitive in a market where rivals like FAR Rabat can still outbid and outmanoeuvre Wydad.

The new season is approaching fast. Whether Wydad arrive at the starting line reinforced and unshackled, or weakened and restricted, will depend on how quickly – and how decisively – this tangle of files is finally cut through.