Raja of Casablanca: Anas Zniti, a legend who leaves through the back door

Having won every trophy possible with the RCAexcept the Champions Leaguethe goalkeeper remained hopeful of seeing this team achieve the feat this season in C1. Disillusionment finally occurred last Saturday following the draw againstAS FAR (1-1) and Zniti announced his departure three days later. If the timing chosen by Anas did not fail to surprise the supporters, the departure itself was very predictable, given the deleterious atmosphere which has reigned within the Raja locker room since the start of this season. The club has evolved under the leadership of four coaches since last September (Rusmir Cviko, Abdelkarim El Jinani, Ricardo Sa Pinto and Hafid Abdessadeq) and none of them has really succeeded in bringing the necessary cohesion to the ranks of the club. team. This chaos first precipitated the departure of Yousri Bouzok, the Algerian striker who finished as top scorer last season. Bouzok and Zniti, two players in high demand in the Arab Gulf, therefore left the Raja fortress for free, without the club benefiting from a single dirham. Another proof of the amateurism of Adil Hala’s management office, around ten members of which have already resigned.

An exemplary journey and a captain in adversity

In ten years at the Al Oasis complex, Anas Zniti will have experienced everything: the lying promises of presidents who did not last long, sit-ins by enraged supporters demanding the departure of leaders, altercations in the locker room, months of cumulative unpaid debts, but also explosions of joy and unexpected consecrations, like that in the Arab Cup of Champion Clubs in 2020. Despite all the hassles, the captain remained straight in his boots… and in his gloves. With the Raja of CasablancaZniti won nine trophies: two Botola Pro Inwi D1, two CAF Cups, two Throne Cups, a North African Champion Clubs Cup, an Arab Champion Clubs Cup and an African Super Cup.

A flamboyant record, which places Zniti in the category of legendary players of the Moroccan championship, like Mustapha Chadli, Abdellatif Jrindou, Yahya Jabrane, Reda Tagnaouti and Redouane El Himer. Anas is also the ninth player in the club’s history to exceed the 300-match mark after Saïd Ghandi, Abdelmajid Dolmy, Abdelhak Fethi, Omar Nejjary, Abdellatif Jrindou, Mohamed Oulhaj, Mohsine Moutouali and Abdelilah Hafidi. Tuesday, after announcing his signing in the UAE (Al Wasl FC), the goalkeeper sent a long message to RCA supporters, taking care to emphasize that it was a “goodbye” and not a a “farewell”. Anas Zniti leaves behind a club in ruins, which is drowning in debt and which could still let other executives slip away during this international transfer window.