Reda Tagnaouti Fined, Handed Three-Match Ban for Punching Opponent

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s (FRMF) Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday announced a three-match suspension for Moroccan footballer and Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, and ordered him to pay a fine of MAD 20,000 ($1,915).

Rabat – The Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s (FRMF) Disciplinary Committee on Tuesday announced a three-match suspension for Moroccan footballer and Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, and ordered him to pay a fine of MAD 20,000 ($1,915).

The suspension comes after Tagnaouti punched AS FAR’s player Lamine Diakitite in the face during WAC and FAR’s game in the Botola Pro 1 (the top-tier Moroccan football league) last week.

Tagnaouti, who also plays as a goalkeeper for the Moroccan national team, had lost his temper after colliding with Diakate, who was trying to score his team’s fourth goal during the game’s added time.

It seemed that WAC’s goalkeeper acted in frustration due to the match result. He was given a red card, and the game ended with the Rabat-based club FAR winning 3-0.

Tagnaouti has received immense criticism for his behavior, with many football fans taking to social media to express their shock and disappointment with the goalkeeper’ act.

Others stressed that the goalkeeper needs to receive the harshest punishment for his behavior, saying that it “lacks sportsmanship.”

A day following the incident, Tagnaouti took to social media to address the situation and said that he “apologizes to Moroccan football fans in general and Wydad fans in particular for the behavior that does not live up to the standards of sports.”

He added, “I admit that I have committed a mistake because of the pressure I was experiencing at that moment.”

This was not the first time that Tagnaouti has been suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct.

In 2019, the FRMF banned the goalkeeper from playing for three months after he faked an injury to avoid playing as a substitute for Morocco’s local national team.

Besides Tagnaoui’s fine and suspension, FRMF’s ruling announced that AS FAR is ordered to pay a fine of a total of MAD 55,000 ($5,266) due to the behavior of its fans during and after last week’s game. The charges include throwing water bottles on the field, causing property damage, and storming the pitch, among others.