The Casablanca curse topples Sergio from Wydad: former Ismaily coach as replacement
Wydad did not wait long. Just four weeks were enough to bring down the curtain on Portugal's Paulo Sergio, whose disastrous start dumped the red side out of the title race early and ignited the fury of supporters at the Mohammed V Complex.
The club confirmed the news today, Thursday, announcing the official end of its association with Sergio after only four rounds of the 2026-2027 professional league season.
Wydad entered the new campaign with a single slogan: to return to the podiums of glory. The dream collided with a bitter reality from the very first round, a resounding three-one defeat to Wydad Témara.
Negative results piled up from there. The team managed only a single win in its first four matches, against one defeat and two draws, collecting just 5 points out of a possible 12. That tally hardly befits the ambitions of a club the size of Wydad.
In its official statement across its social media accounts, the club confirmed that it had "reached an agreement to end the association with the Portuguese coach Paulo Sergio and to terminate the contract binding the two parties by mutual consent", thanking the coach for the period he spent at the helm of the technical staff.
The axe fell straight after Sunday's disappointing draw with Amal Tiznit at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca, a result that detonated the anger of the Wydad faithful.
The Casablanca curse: no win on home soil
Here lies the shocking paradox of Sergio's spell: he never won on his own turf. Three matches at home brought a defeat to Wydad Témara and draws with Meknès Club and Amal Tiznit. His only victory came on the road, at the expense of Difaâ Hassani El Jadidi.
That inability to win in its historic stronghold proved the straw that broke the Portuguese's back, piling fresh pressure on the management.
Sergio now joins a long list of coaches who have come and gone at Wydad since last season, including Amine Benhachem, Patrice Carteron, Mohamed Bencherifa and Adel Harmach. The revolving door lays bare the technical instability gripping the team.
El Nabi is next
Moroccan press reports that Wydad's management has finalised its agreement with Tunisian coach Nasreddine El Nabi, formerly of Egypt's Ismaily, to lead the Moroccan side through the next phase. An official announcement is expected within the next few hours, with El Nabi set to embark on a new and exciting experience in the Moroccan league.
