Ziyech’s Wydad Standoff Exposes the Club’s Clash Between Ambition and Financial Reality

Hakim Ziyech has been excluded from Wydad Casablanca’s matches and training camps after rejecting a pay cut pushed by president Ibrahim El Asri, in a dispute the player insists breaches a contract running through 2027.

New president Ibrahim El Asri has pushed for a salary reduction, arguing the figure agreed under previous leadership is unsustainable given the club’s finances. Wydad has proposed revised terms, including pay cuts and installment payments of signing bonuses, but Ziyech has rejected each offer, insisting on full enforcement of his contract, which runs until 2027.

The dispute has moved beyond financial negotiations. Ziyech was excluded from a pre-season friendly against Renaissance Zemamra and left out of the squad for Wydad’s training camp in Agadir. The club described these as administrative decisions, but Ziyech has publicly disputed that framing, accusing the president of lying and of personally blocking his participation in matches and travel, with responses posted directly to club-affiliated social media pages.

In a notable development, Ziyech recently attended training accompanied by a bailiff to formally document his presence and training conditions, a step that suggests preparation for legal action.

The standoff unfolds against a backdrop of serious financial strain at the club. Wydad’s professional entity reported expenses of roughly 145.9 million MAD against operating income of 127.4 million MAD in a recent season.

Transfer-related debts jumped 138% in one year, from 17.2 million MAD to about 40.96 million, while internal debts between the association and its professional arm rose nearly 86%. The club also owes tens of millions of MAD in unpaid salaries, signing bonuses, and performance bonuses to staff.

Total debts reportedly exceed 1.1 billion MAD. Management has acknowledged the difficulty of the situation and entered talks with league authorities and creditors to restructure repayments.