Gathered for the club’s ordinary general assembly for the 2025–26 season, Wydad members first reviewed the moral and financial reports. Debate quickly centered on the club’s finances, with tensions running high over the outgoing committee’s management. Ultimately, the financial report failed to win the assembly’s approval.
The meeting then shifted into an extraordinary general assembly following the resignation of Hicham Aït Menna’s committee. Members were subsequently called on to choose between Ibrahim El Assri, Yassine Saadallah and Anas Korami.
In the first round, El Assri finished ahead with 62 votes, followed by Saadallah with 43 and Korami with 27. As no candidate secured the required majority, a second round was held between the top two contenders.
El Assri eventually prevailed with 72 votes against 56 for Saadallah. The result officially ends Hicham Aït Menna’s tenure and ushers in a new era for the red-and-white club.
The new president takes charge after two trophyless seasons. Under the outgoing committee, Wydad played 84 matches, recording 39 wins, 20 draws and 25 defeats—results that fueled growing frustration among members and supporters alike.
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Financial report rejected
The club’s financial situation dominated the assembly’s discussions. The rejected report showed a surplus of 2.3 million dirhams for the association, representing an increase of 38.9% compared with the previous financial year. Its assets stood at 59.1 million dirhams, with no financing debt.
The picture was less encouraging for the club’s sports company (S.A.S.), which oversees Wydad’s professional football operations. According to the report, the company carried liabilities totaling 115.8 million dirhams, including nearly 41 million owed to other clubs in transfer-related payments. That amount had risen by 138% in a single year.
The report also indicated that 30.75 million dirhams were owed to staff. The figure includes 18.8 million in signing bonuses, 7.5 million in unpaid salaries for May and June, and 4.45 million in performance-related bonuses.
Of the 40.96 million dirhams owed to clubs, 28.2 million stemmed from cases before FIFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The most significant disputes involve Fluminense, FC Lugano, Rodez and Sevilla FC.
The S.A.S. generated operating revenues of 127.4 million dirhams, while expenses reached 145.9 million. Details of the contracts of Hakim Ziyech and Nordin Amrabat were absent from the report, which also noted that the sports company’s accounts had yet to receive final approval from its board of directors.
El Assri therefore inherits a club facing major challenges on several fronts. His first task will be to rebuild trust among members and supporters while providing answers regarding the club’s finances and the commitments of the S.A.S.
The sporting challenge is equally pressing. With only a few weeks left before the start of the new season, the new president will need to make key decisions on the coaching staff, the squad and Wydad’s ambitions. After two seasons without silverware and an especially turbulent general assembly, the club’s new leadership is already under pressure to deliver.
