The Tangier Union Club witnessed rapid developments in recent hours that stirred widespread controversy on a national level, culminating on Friday morning with the announcement of the final resignation of Vice President Yassine Tamssani.
The statement from Tamssani followed a series of announcements from the Tangier Union, which caused a major crisis, linking the distribution of tickets for the match against Raja with attendance at the match against Nahda Zemamra. Despite retracting this idea and confirming that it was “merely a message and would not prevent anyone from purchasing the tickets they wanted,” the situation spiraled out of control with the announcement from the “Hercules” group that they would boycott the match against Raja in protest against what they described as “diminishing the audience” and “a logic of orders and threats.”
Tamssani’s resignation: “I served the club honestly and sincerely”
In an emotional statement published today, Yassine Tamssani announced his irrevocable resignation from his position as a member of the Board of Directors of the Tangier Union Club. He described his decision as having come “after deep and long reflection, filled with much emotion,” affirming that belonging to the club was not “just an administrative responsibility or a passing position,” but rather “a great honor and an emotional bond.”
Tamssani reviewed the past two years as an “exceptional” period filled with challenges, pressures, and sacrifices that affected him personally, familiarly, and professionally, but he expressed pride in what the club has achieved in gradual progress in regaining its status and prestige. He said: “I am leaving this responsibility today with a calm heart knowing that I tried, as much as possible, to serve the Tangier Union with all honesty and sincerity… We may have succeeded in some aspects and made mistakes in others; perfection belongs to God alone, but what has never changed is the sincere intention.”
In closing his statement, he called for the continued support of all components of the “Union family” around the team, “away from narrow calculations, with a spirit of unity, responsibility, and sincere love,” affirming that “men come and go, positions disappear, and circumstances change, but Tangier Union remains bigger than everyone.”
It is worth noting that Tamssani did not disclose the reason for his decision nor linked it to the reports published overnight on the club’s official page. However, the man’s oversight of updating the club’s image, logo, visual identity, and marketing led followers to confirm that he was dissatisfied with what had happened.
Tickets Statement: From “Extraordinary Measure” to Clarification and Partial Retraction
Hours before, Tangier Union became the talk of Moroccans, as it issued an official statement announcing an extraordinary measure regarding ticket purchases. It mentioned directly: “Anyone who has not purchased their ticket for the Tangier Union match against Nahda Zemamra… will be unable to benefit from the right to purchase tickets for the upcoming match against Raja Sports.”
The club justified the step as aiming to “encourage fans to continue supporting the team in all its matches, not just during matches that see a large audience turnout,” while emphasizing that “true belonging does not just show in major matches, but is manifested in constant attendance.”
The statement sparked a major uproar and widespread criticism on a national level, as many considered it a “threat” and “punishment” for the audience. The club later responded with clarifications affirming that it was “just a message” to emphasize the importance of supporting the team against all opponents “whether they are major or minor,” and that it “would not prevent anyone from tickets,” denying that the decision was a punishment or a strict condition.
Hercules’ Response: Boycott of Raja and Refusal to “Diminish the Audience”
The statement did not go unnoticed by the fans, especially the “Hercules” group (Ultras Hercules), a prominent faction supporting the club. The group issued a fiery statement describing the decision as “a precedent in the history of Tangier Union,” accusing the management of “diminishing the audience” and “forcing them to attend” through a logic of orders and threats of penalties.
The Hercules statement read: “We chose to support the union and imposed on ourselves to be loyal to it, and we will not allow anyone… to diminish the great Union audience. We attended under storms and were the only ones behind the team during the coronavirus period… thus we announce our attendance at the Nahda Zemamra match due to its great importance, and we declare our boycott of the Raja match because it has become an ordinary match after this decision.”
The group added: “Loyalty cannot be bought with a ticket, and the audience is not servants,” calling on the club’s fans to join in the boycott. They considered that the decision has turned the match against Raja into an “ordinary” match after it was highly anticipated.
