Rulani Mokwena's Wydad Athletic played out to a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening, their second this season, but the coach's post-match comments could land him in hot water with the Moroccan FA.
Read: 'How Football Saved Me From Gangsterism'
There was not much Mokwena could do to help his side rack up three points as they had to settle for just one point against Hassania Union Sport Agadir away from home.
Mokwena's Wydad sit in fifth position after five matches played, having managed two wins, two draws and one defeat in their opening five fixtures.
However, it was the coach's post-match comments that raised eyebrows after the match.
The former Sundowns man questioned not only the absence of the Wydad fans from the club's matches, but also the quality of the facilities in Morocco, bearing in mind that the country are set to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup in 2030.
"I am very concerned about the impact of the continued absence of fans in many matches," Mokwena told journalists.
"We have followers from England, approximately 2.4 million followers, and they do not understand why we play some of our matches without fans, especially in the first round match against Maghreb de Fes. We are in a country that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, took third place in the Olympic Games, is always present in major competitions, and will organize the African Cup (2025) and the World Cup (2030), and we present this image to nearly 3 million who follow Wydad from different parts of the world?"
The young coach stressed that football loses its excitement and enjoyment if there are no fans, explaining, "Luis Enrique (former coach of Paris Saint-Germain and Spain) says that when football is played without fans, it is like dancing with one of your relatives. Therefore, when the fans are not present, football loses something big.
"I hope that the authorities will reconsider this matter (banning fans) because we need our fans, and football as well,we are stronger with our fans, and today they did not come, and we missed them a lot," he said.
The coach's comments, according to insiders, could land him in trouble with the Moroccan FA's ethics committee who do not take kindly to the kind of statements made by Mokwena after the match, with scores of coaches before him sanctioned for making similar utterances.
Read: McCarthy's Desire For African Adventure
