Nasreddine Nabi faces race against time to take Raja to Valencia

Raja manager Nasreddine Nabi has suffered an unexpected setback, with the club’s planned trip to Spain for a friendly against Valencia at risk because travel visas for players and technical and administrative staff have not yet been issued.

According to Moroccan website Le360 Sport, Raja’s management is working urgently to resolve the problem after the administrative procedures required to obtain the visas were not completed. The delay has placed the club’s pre-season programme under immediate pressure.

Raja are scheduled to travel to Spain next Thursday for the match against Valencia, which is intended to form part of the second phase of their preparations for the new season.

However, unless the necessary documents are secured in time, the entire trip could be cancelled and the Valencia fixture removed from the team’s schedule. Raja’s officials are hoping the visas will arrive within the next few hours so the delegation can leave as planned.

The match is considered an important test by Nabi and his coaching staff because it would give Raja the opportunity to face a strong European opponent. The Tunisian coach is continuing to make final adjustments to his squad and wants to use every available friendly to assess the players’ fitness and development.

A meeting with Valencia would also allow Nabi to evaluate his group against high-level opposition while he works to build cohesion between the established members of the squad and the new arrivals. Cancelling the journey to Spain would therefore disrupt his plans, particularly as the fixture is scheduled for the second stage of the preparation programme, when the level of competition is expected to increase.

While Raja attempt to resolve the visa issue, preparations are continuing as normal at the club’s training complex. The team are due to play their first friendly of pre-season next Tuesday against Roches Noires.

That game will provide Nabi with an initial opportunity to judge the condition of his players and assess how well the new signings have integrated into the group. He is also expected to use the fixture to test different tactical and technical options and examine how the squad responds to his methods.

The need to evaluate those choices has been heightened by changes to Raja’s squad during the summer transfer window. The club have strengthened their ranks by signing Ishaq Al-Zeidani, Chamseddine Qandil and Younes Dahmani as they prepare for the coming campaign.

Despite those additions, Nabi is still asking Raja’s management to complete further transfers before the window closes. He has informed club officials that several positions require additional reinforcement as the team targets a strong challenge during the new season.

The coach hopes the club can address those remaining needs before the end of the transfer period, allowing Raja to begin the campaign with a squad capable of carrying out his ideas and competing for the objectives set by the club.