"Star Boys" Revolt Against Moving Raja Beni Mellal - Wydad Match to Casablanca
The "Star Boys" ultras group, which supports Raja Beni Mellal, has voiced its strong condemnation of the decision to hold the Throne Cup match against Wydad Athletic at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca, describing the move as a "forced sporting relocation" that undermines the club's identity and violates the principle of equal opportunity.
In a strongly worded statement, the group stressed that the team found itself in an illogical situation, as it will play a match in which it is supposed to be the host on the opponent's pitch and in front of the opponent's fans, in what it described as a "murky equation" that reflects the extent of the randomness and poor organization in national football.
The statement added that justifying the decision on the grounds that Beni Mellal's stadium does not meet the required standards amounts to "an explicit admission of accumulated managerial failure," placing the blame on a number of officials who have succeeded one another in running the city's sporting affairs without achieving any notable improvement, settling instead for promises never delivered on the ground.
In a striking paradox, the group expressed surprise at the continued use of artificial turf at Beni Mellal's stadium, even though the city is among Morocco's richest regions in water resources, questioning officials' failure to provide a natural-grass pitch worthy of the team's history and the city's standing.
The group also condemned what it called "systematic alienation," noting that this scenario is being repeated for the second year in a row, after previous matches were moved out of the city, which deprives the team of its fans' support and robs it of home advantage.
The "Star Boys" considered that the persistence of this situation reflects an "ominous outlook" that entrenches the sporting marginalization of Beni Mellal, despite it being a regional capital, demanding that sporting infrastructure befitting its status and history be provided.
Concluding its statement, the group denounced what it described as the "systematic crackdown" on fans under the pretext of the security approach, affirming that such decisions strip national competitions of their value, since the public is the main driving force of football.
It ended with a powerful message stating that "the Beni Mellal public demands the restoration of its dignity, squandered on the doorsteps of failed offices."
