The two football clubs have millions of fans scattered across the globe.
Rabat – Moroccan football clubs Raja Club Athletic (RCA) and Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) are collecting donations for Morocco’s Special Fund for the Management and Response to COVID-19, each selling tickets to a virtual game between the respective team and COVID-19.
The unprecedented initiatives, launched on Monday, April 6, aim to encourage the teams’ fans to contribute to Morocco’s efforts to combat the coronavirus crisis.
WAC announced the sale of 60,000 tickets for their game against COVID-19 on their website. Wydadi fans can purchase the tickets for a unit price of MAD 30 ($3).
في إطار مساهمته في المجهودات الوطنية للحد من انتشار و آثار جائحة كورونا كوفيد 19، سيطرح نادي الوداد الرياضي تذاكر مباراة…
Posted by Wydad Athletic Club – WAC on Monday, 6 April 2020
Wydad’s initiative would generate up to MAD 1.8 million ($180,000). However, fans on social media are already calling for the sale of a second batch of tickets to maximize their contribution to the special fund.
Meanwhile, RCA have also made their tickets available on their website, for the unit price of MAD 50 ($5). However, the team did not specify if there is a limit to the number of tickets available for sale.
جميعا من أجل هزم كوفيد-19✊
Posted by Raja Club Athletic on Monday, 6 April 2020
The two Casablanca-based teams are some of the most famous clubs in Africa. On Facebook alone, the two clubs together have over six million followers.
The clubs were also making headlines in international competitions before their coronavirus-related suspension. While Wydad qualified for the semifinals of the CAF Champions League, Africa’s top tier club competition, Raja equaled its neighbor’s achievement in the African competition and also reached the semifinals of the Mohammed VI Arab Champions Cup.
Through their latest initiative to take part in the fight against COVID-19, the two teams have proven that they are leading Moroccan football through both their competitive performances and their civic engagement.
While the virtual games against COVID-19 are expected to generate millions of dirhams for the special fund for the response to the pandemic, it remains to be seen if other clubs will launch similar initiatives and help multiply the contributions of Moroccan football fans.