Rabat – Moroccan football club Rabat’s AS FAR cruised past Wydad Athletic Club in the Botola Pro 1 (Moroccan football’s top-tier league) on Thursday, grabbing a comfortable 3-0 victory in a game that saw WAC’s goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouiti lose his temper in an incident involving FAR’s Lamine Diakite.
Upon colliding with Diakite, who was trying to score his team’s fourth goal in the 94th minute of the game, Tagnaouti demonstrated his frustration with the match result and brutally punched FAR’s midfielder in the face. The goalkeeper was immediately given a red card and sent off the field.
Tagnouti’s behavior left football flabbergasted, with many taking to social media to express their shock and denounce the goalkeeper’s act. The goalkeeper deserves to be severely punished, they suggested, describing his act as a “lack of sportsmanship” and an “immoral behavior.”
Many fans of Wydad AC took to social media to condemn the player’s behavior. “The best thing that happened in the match was that Tagnaouti was kicked out … We hope that the committee [of the Botola Pro 1] punishes him for his behavior,” said a Facebook user.
The incident came 10 days after Tagnaouiti, who also plays for the Moroccan national team and was part of Morocco’s World Cup squad, received a royal wissam (medal) from King Mohammed VI. The monarch had decorated the Atlas Lions with the royal medals in recognition of their historic achievements in Qatar.
Even though Tagnaouti was among the players called up for the global tournament, he did not feature in any of the Atlas Lions’ games as he was number 3 — behind Yassine Bounou and Munir Mohamedi — in the pecking order.
Tagnaouti’s behavior was not the only downside of yesterday’s game, as violent riots erupted in the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, as well as in the neighboring areas.
Local authorities announced the arrest of a total of 37 suspects on charges of sports-related riots, possession of weapons, and vandalizing public property, including police vehicles.
