Raja Casablanca set to review Paco Jemez position after three straight league draws

Paco Jemez is expected to leave his position as Raja Casablanca head coach after the club’s board lost patience with a decline in results and mounting pressure from supporters.

Moroccan website Hesport reported that Raja officials had decided to end their association with the Spanish coach following the latest draw against Hassania Agadir. Jemez has been unable to deliver the results expected of him or produce performances that match the ambitions of the club and its fans.

The club’s management is expected to meet Jemez in the coming period to discuss the terms of ending his contract. The two sides are understood to be seeking an agreement to terminate the deal by mutual consent, allowing Raja to begin its search for a new head coach.

Raja have already started examining potential alternatives as they look for a manager capable of stabilising the squad and lifting the team from its current position. The club wants to challenge strongly for honours and restore its status among the leading sides in Moroccan and African football.

The draw with Hassania Agadir at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca intensified the scrutiny surrounding Jemez. Concern has grown within the club as Raja continue to drop points, with few clear signs that their performances are improving.

Supporters’ anger has also moved beyond the results. Fans have increasingly called for the Spanish coach to be dismissed and have held the club’s management and sporting company responsible for the team’s poor run and unconvincing displays.

Raja now face pressure to make decisive changes, with the team needing to rebuild confidence before a demanding sequence of domestic and continental fixtures.

Three consecutive draws deepen Raja’s problems

Raja’s league record underlines the scale of their difficult start. They have failed to win any of their past three matches, drawing with Maghreb de Fes, Fath Union Sport and Hassania Agadir in that order.

The team began the campaign with a victory over Renaissance Zemamra but could not build on that result. Raja have since slipped to 11th in the Moroccan league with six points, prompting questions over their ability to compete at the level expected of them.

Their next fixture is a difficult meeting with RS Berkane on Sunday in the sixth round of the Moroccan league. The match could carry considerable significance for the coaching staff, given the increasing pressure on Jemez and Raja’s urgent need to return to winning ways.

Al Ahly meetings add to the pressure

Any change in the dugout would also affect Raja’s preparations for the CAF Confederation Cup. The Moroccan side are in the same group as Al Ahly, Togo’s Kara and Angola’s Primeiro de Agosto.

The two meetings between Raja and Al Ahly are scheduled for the third and fourth rounds of the group stage. Al Ahly will host Raja at Cairo International Stadium between 18 and 20 December, before the Egyptian club travels to face its Moroccan opponents between 8 and 10 January.

Raja have not officially confirmed the details of a separation from Jemez or identified a replacement, but the coming hours could bring important developments as the club seeks to ease supporter unrest and correct its course before the next domestic and continental commitments.