The Moroccan Bado Zakia, the new head coach of the Jordan national football team, visited Wydad Casablanca before heading to the capital Amman to begin his official duties with the 'Shamans'. During the visit, Zakia showed high morale to support Wydad players who are preparing for the start of the national professional league in September. He met with Jordanian player Nizar Al-Rushdan, who recently joined the team officially with a one-year contract, extendable.
This visit comes as part of the symbolic and historical relationship that exists between Zakia and Wydad. Zakia was part of Wydad's golden generation, playing as a goalkeeper in 340 matches between 1978 and 1986, before embarking on his famous European career with the Moroccan national team. He has also coached Wydad in multiple training periods, successfully leading the team to the Moroccan Royal Cup in 2008-2010, which strengthens his close ties with all components of the red fortress.
On the national Jordanian level, the Jordan Football Federation set the arrival date of Bado Zakia in Amman on the coming Wednesday, succeeding his compatriot Jamal Salem, and a large press conference is scheduled for the following day to introduce him to the media and the assistant coaching staff.
The public and sports circles are heavily relying on Zakia's experience in leading the 'Shamans' towards the 2027 Asian Cup, which is set to be held in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that the new coach will closely observe the local players' performances through attending the opening of the Jordan Super Cup at the weekend, which will feature matches between Al-Faisaly and Al-Wahdat, and Al-Quseir and Ramtha.
