Wydad Casablanca appoint Garrido as new coach ahead of Etoile du Sahel tie

The Spaniard joins the Lions of Africa, having previously been in charge of rivals Raja Casablanca

Wydad Casasblanca have appointed Juan Carlos Garrido as their new head coach.

Garrido takes over from Sebastien Desabre and is back in , having previously coached Wydad’s city rivals where he spent close to two seasons.

The Spaniard inherits a Wydad side that is on top of the Moroccan Botola Pro League table and his first match in charge of the club would be Saturday’s Caf quarter-final clash against at home.

Interestingly before joining Wydad, Etoile were Garrido’s last club and he spent nearly three months at the Tunisian giants who sacked him earlier this month.

“Following the signing of the contract, [Garrido] completed his tasks today by conducting the training camp currently set for the first team in preparation for the quarter-finals of the Caf Champions League on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca,” Wydad said in a statement.

His predecessor Desabre left the club after a two-month stint in which he helped them qualify for the Caf Champions League quarter-finals as well as leading the Botola league.

“During this transitional period where I agreed to help the club, we were able, despite the difficulties encountered, to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and continue to stay at the top of the championship,” Desabre wrote on social media.

“I mostly want to thank President Said Naciri and his committee for the confidence, the fans for their unconditional support and especially my players with whom I spent wonderful moments. I am convinced that the best is yet to come for the club. I also wish good luck to Coach Garrido for the upcoming assignments.”