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Rabat – Mohamed Al-Haidawi, president of Olympique Safi football team, was arrested in Casablanca, according to converging news reports.
His detention comes as a result of his alleged involvement in a case of manipulating tickets for the Qatar 2022 World Cup and selling them on the black market.
The case revolves around the sale of tickets that were originally meant to be distributed free of charge to the public for the Morocco-France match in the World Cup semi-final.
Authorities took action once the National Judicial Police concluded a thorough investigation following the eruption of the ticket-selling scandal. The investigation was launched to determine the circumstances and details surrounding the unauthorized sale of the tickets on the black market.
A member of the ruling party RNI, Mohamed Al-Haidawi was referred to his party’s disciplinary committee in December 2022 over his involvement in the World Cup tickets scandal.
Al-Haidawi was first suspected of using his position to illegally sell World Cup tickets at an overpriced rate when a series of audio clips went viral on social media.
The audio clips document Al-Haidawi’s attempt to offer a person individual tickets to the World Cup.
Regarding the authenticity of the audio recording related to World Cup ticket sales, the politician has acknowledged its legitimacy but contends that it was taken out of context, according to local reports.
Various sources have quoted El-Haidawi as asserting that “the person who leaked it did not publish the content of the first call.”
He stated to a local media outlet that the individual had initially contacted him, requesting two tickets. El-Haidawi claims to have informed the person that he did not possess the tickets and instead suggested that they purchase them from another seller at a price of 6,000 dirhams ($600) per ticket.
He maintains that the shared recording was an attempt to “tarnish” his reputation and insists that his role was solely that of a “mediator” between the two parties involved.
Read Also: Moroccan Politician Facing Disciplinary Action for Illegally Selling World Cup Tickets
