Raja Casablanca has parted ways with Nasreddine Nabi, ending his time in charge of the first team.
The club announced the decision on Monday, August 31, stating that the separation occurred “in full compliance with the contractual provisions governing the relationship between the two parties.”
The club also thanked Nabi for his work with the team and wished him success in the next stage of his professional career.
Paco Jémez has been chosen to replace him. The 56-year-old Spanish coach is expected to be officially introduced on Tuesday, September 1, as the new coach of the Greens.
Known for his strong personality and attacking philosophy, Jémez has built his reputation around a style based on possession, high pressing, and playing aggressively.
Born on April 18, 1970, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Francisco Jémez Martín — known as Paco Jémez — spent much of his playing career in Spanish football.
A central defender, he played for Córdoba, Real Murcia, Rayo Vallecano, Deportivo La Coruña, and Real Zaragoza. With Deportivo, he won the Copa del Rey in 1995 and the Spanish Super Cup a few months later. He won another Copa del Rey title with Zaragoza in 2001.
His club performances also earned him a place on the Spanish national team. First called up in 1998, he made 21 appearances for La Roja and played in Euro 2000, starting in Spain’s quarterfinal loss to France. He retired from playing in 2006 after a final stint with CD Lugo.
His breakthrough at Rayo Vallecano
Jémez quickly moved into coaching. He began at RSD Alcalá, then took charge of Córdoba, Cartagena, and Las Palmas.
However, it was at Rayo Vallecano, a club he had also played for, that he established himself as one of Spain’s most distinctive coaches.
After taking charge in 2012, Jémez swiftly implemented his strategies. His Rayo team aimed to dominate possession, play out from the back, and press high, maintaining this approach even against Spain’s biggest clubs.
In his first season, he led the Madrid-based club to an eighth-place finish in La Liga, the best in its history.
It was not only the results that attracted attention. Despite having far fewer resources than Spain’s leading clubs, Rayo played fearlessly.
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernández was among those who praised the team.
“Right now, I watch Rayo Vallecano matches. I enjoy watching them. They don’t lose the ball; they go forward. They play the way I like,” Xavi told So Foot.
Former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti also praised Jémez’s work: “I like what Rayo does with Paco Jémez. They have a playing identity.”
More than a tactical system
Jémez has often used a 4-2-3-1 formation, but he has never presented himself as a coach tied to one fixed system.
For him, movement, pressing and the way a team occupies the pitch matter more than the formation displayed on paper.
“What matters is where and when a team presses, how it reorganizes itself. It’s about how and in what position you arrive in the opposition’s penalty area,” he told L’Équipe in 2014.
His coaching ideas were shaped by the managers he worked under during his playing career, including José Antonio Camacho, his former Spain coach.
One principle has remained central to his philosophy: entertainment should not be sacrificed for results.
“I want to give the public something to enjoy,” he said in the same interview.
After four seasons at Rayo, Jémez left in 2016 to take charge of Granada. He later moved to Mexico with Cruz Azul before returning to Las Palmas and then Rayo for a second spell. He subsequently coached UD Ibiza and Iran’s Tractor SC.
In January 2026, he also joined Nuno Espírito Santo’s coaching staff at West Ham as the club fought to avoid relegation from the Premier League. His spell in England ended on July 6, when his contract with the Hammers expired.
A new challenge in Casablanca
Raja will now hand their team over to a coach who has never hidden his football beliefs.
After working in Spain, Mexico, and Iran, as well as serving as an assistant coach in England, Jémez is set to experience African soccer for the first time.
At Raja, he will enter an environment where patience is often in short supply. Results are essential, but the way the team plays also matters to a fan base with high expectations for the club’s identity.
For a coach who has repeatedly said he wants to entertain the public, Raja offers a platform for his ideas and one of the biggest challenges of his career.
