Hakim Ziyech and Wydad head for showdown after public rebuke

Hakim Ziyech has publicly accused Wydad president Ibrahim Al-Assri of lying, intensifying an increasingly bitter dispute over the player’s absence from the club’s training camp in Agadir.

The Morocco international responded to an Instagram post by a Wydad supporters’ page which discussed his omission from the squad for the closed camp. The post claimed that Ziyech had asked Wydad head coach Paulo Sergio why he had been left out, and that the manager told him the decision had been taken for administrative reasons.

According to Moroccan outlet Radio Mars, Ziyech replied: “Go and ask your president why he refused to let me play the match (the Renaissance Zemamra friendly) and why I did not go to Agadir. Perhaps he will lie about it as he always does.”

The public nature of the comment has prompted questions among Wydad supporters about Ziyech’s future at the club. The exchange suggests that relations between the player and the club’s administration have reached a particularly difficult stage.

Ziyech’s absence from the Agadir camp follows a disagreement over his salary. Wydad’s administration, led by Al-Assri, had held talks with the player about reducing his wages.

However, Ziyech rejected the proposal and did not accept the various financial approaches and suggestions put forward by the club. He maintained his position during the negotiations, leaving the two sides at an impasse.

The dispute now centres on more than the player’s omission from a training camp. Ziyech’s response directly challenged the explanation circulated about the decision and placed responsibility on the club president, further exposing the tension between the player and Wydad’s leadership.

Ziyech joined Wydad in October 2025 on a two-year contract. His move was completed during the presidency of Hicham Ait Menna, who was in charge of the club before Al-Assri took over.

The former Chelsea and Ajax player remains at the centre of the uncertainty surrounding the relationship between Wydad and one of their most prominent players. For now, neither the disagreement over his wages nor the argument over his involvement in the friendly against Renaissance Zemamra has been resolved.

His latest comments have raised further doubts over whether the relationship can be repaired, with his future at Wydad now a major talking point among the club’s supporters.