The sixteen clubs in the championship, driven by divergent ambitions, will thus have the task of offering football fans a spectacle that will allow the export of the beautiful image of Moroccan football.
For this 15th season after the transition to professionalism, Botola Pro must begin a new phase, after the validation, last March, by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) of the proposal of the National Professional Football League (LNFP) to set up a system of play-offs for relegation or promotion to Botola Pro D1 “Inwi”.
Thus, the proposal to play the play-offs in two-way matches from this season for the maintenance or promotion to the first professional division was approved, where the teams ranked 13th and 14th in the first division will face those ranked 4th and 3rd in the second national division. This measure is likely to offer more chances to the clubs of the Botola Pro D2, four of which can move up to the first division.
If the big names in Moroccan football such as Raja Casablanca, AS FAR, Wydad Casablanca or Renaissance Berkane seem determined to maintain the same hierarchy in Botola and cut off any competition, the other protagonists plan to avoid the mistakes of the past in order to ensure their survival early, or even play the spoilsport or even aspire to a qualifying place in African competitions.
For their part, the newly promoted teams, COD Meknes and Difaa El Jadida will have in their sights to keep their place among the elite for as long as possible, armed in this by their large public and the desire to write glorious pages in the history of the two clubs.
The other highlight in Botola this season is the mass arrival of foreign coaches, who have come to work in Morocco. Indeed, out of the sixteen coaches of the Botola Pro D1 clubs, half are foreigners. In addition to Raja, who will be coached by the Bosnian Rusmir Cviko and Wydad, whose technical helm has been entrusted to the South African Rulani Mokwena, AS FAR has set its sights on the Polish Czeslaw Michniewicz while Renaissance Berkane is still coached by the Tunisian Mouain Chaabani.
COD Meknes has secured the services of Tunisian coach Abdelhay Ben Sultan, Maghreb Fez will be led by Italian Arena Guglielmo, Moghreb Tetouan by Croatian Dalibor Starcevic, while Portuguese Jorge Da Silva will coach Difaa El Jadida.
Furthermore, the draw for the general Botola program revealed that the “derby” between Raja and Wydad Casablanca will take place on the 11th (first leg) and 26th days (return leg).
Here is the program for the first day:
Friday August 30
5:00 p.m.: Difaa El Jadida – Soualem Sports Youth
7:00 p.m.: Chabab Mohammedia – AS FAR
21h00 : Union Touarga – FUS Rabat
Maghreb Fez – Wydad Casablanca
Saturday August 31
5:00 p.m.: Raja Casablanca – Renaissance Berkane
7:00 p.m.: Moghreb Tetouan – Olympic Safi
COD Meknes – Renaissance Zemamra
21h00 : Hassania Agadir – Ittihad Tanger
2024-08-26 12:46:32