DailySun
Moine Chaâbani, the head coach of RS Berkane, cleverly took a light-hearted jab at Wydad Casablanca’s coach Rulani Mokwena, playfully calling him “famous” during a pre-match press conference in Durban.
Chaâbani extended his good wishes to Mokwena as the Moroccan club aims to reclaim its stature in the Botola League.
Mokwena assumed his role at Wydad during the off-season, and the South African coach is presently encountering difficulties, with his team sitting in fifth place in the league. They have already amassed four losses this season, including one against Chaâbani’s Berkane in October.
“He will naturally be a competitor, just like last year,” Chaâbani remarked, using a translator at Moses Mabhida Stadium after Berkane’s 3-1 win over Stellenbosch in the CAF Confederation Cup. “When I was with Esperance, I often faced Mokwena, as I had known him from his time as an assistant coach at Mamelodi Sundowns.”
Chaâbani, who has clinched the CAF Champions League title twice with Esperance and was a finalist in last year’s Confed Cup, wrapped up the press conference with a mysterious “All the best to him,” which drew laughter from the audience.
Wydad’s underwhelming performance in the previous season, which hampered their chances of qualifying for this season’s Champions League and saw them exit in the knockout rounds last year, led to Mokwena’s hiring. The club is now working towards a top-four finish to secure a place in CAF club competitions.
On the other hand, Berkane is currently leading the Botola League, amassing 27 points from 12 games, eight points ahead of Wydad. Chaâbani expressed the team’s ambition to either clinch the league title or secure second place for Champions League qualification.
“Last season, Raja and FAR Rabat made qualification incredibly tough for us,” Chaâbani, who hails from Tunisia, explained. “They occupied the two qualifying spots for the Champions League, leaving us in third, which allowed us to enter the CAF Confed Cup. This year, our goal is to finish either first or second to qualify for the Champions League.”
Berkane, who triumphed against Pirates in the 2022 Confed Cup final via penalties, secured their top position in Confed Cup Group B with six points from two matches after defeating Stellenbosch 3-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday. Stellenbosch, under the management of Steve Barker, currently sits at the bottom of the group with no points.
Berkane is set to host Stade Malien Bamako in their next Confed Cup group stage match at Stade Municipal de Berkane on Sunday at 21:00.
