Several current and former players of Wydad Athletic Club have expressed their reactions to the crisis involving the arrest of Saeed Naciri, the president of the club, in connection with the case known as the “Sahara Escobar,” following a decision by the investigating judge at the Court of Appeals in Casablanca to remand him into Akasha prison.
In response to this development, players have taken to their social media accounts to share messages of solidarity with their president, Saeed Naciri.
Accompanied by pictures of moments shared with Naciri, the messages conveyed sentiments such as “May God guide you to goodness” and “God be with you.”
Among these players are former Wydad captain Salaheddine El Saidi, Jalal El Daoudi, Ismail El Haddad, Ayman El Hassouni, Badii Aouk, and Algerian Hussein Benayada, along with Abdelatif Naseer.
As details of the case continue to capture public attention in Morocco, the investigating judge at the Court of Appeals in Casablanca decided on Friday, December 22, 2023, to detain 21 individuals, including Wydad Athletic Club’s president Saeed Naciri and the president of the Eastern Region Council, Abdelnabi El Bayoui, in preventive detention at Akasha local prison. The charges relate to the “Financial Drug Baron” case.
The public prosecutor’s office requested the investigating judge to examine the accused for “acts of forgery in an official document, participation in the forgery of a register, direct administrative work, bribery, facilitating the exit of individuals from Moroccan territory as part of a gang and conspiracy, participating in the possession, transportation, and export of drugs, concealing items obtained from a crime, forgery of official and customary documents, and the use of motor vehicles.”
Wydad players’ expressions of support illustrate the impact of Naciri’s arrest on the football community in Morocco and the resonance of the case beyond the sporting arena.
