Moine Chaâbani, the head coach of RS Berkane, playfully offered a light-hearted comment about Wydad Casablanca’s coach Rulani Mokwena, dubbing him “famous” during a pre-match press conference held in Durban.

Chaâbani extended his well wishes for Mokwena as the Moroccan team aims to reclaim its standing in the Botola League.

Mokwena stepped in as the head coach at Wydad in the off-season, and the South African manager is currently encountering difficulties, with his squad sitting in fifth place in the league. This season, they have faced four defeats, one of which was against Chaâbani’s Berkane in October.

“He will undoubtedly be a competitor, just as he was last year,” Chaâbani commented, utilizing a translator at Moses Mabhida Stadium following Berkane’s 3-1 victory over Stellenbosch in the CAF Confederation Cup. “During my tenure with Esperance, I frequently went head-to-head with Mokwena, having known him from his time as an assistant coach at Mamelodi Sundowns.”

Chaâbani, a two-time CAF Champions League victor with Esperance and a finalist in last year’s Confed Cup, ended the press conference with a mysterious “All the best to him,” which elicited laughter from those present.

Wydad’s lackluster performance in the previous season, which resulted in their failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League and a disappointing exit in the knockout stages last year, led to Mokwena’s hiring. The club is currently aiming for a top-four finish to secure a spot in CAF club competitions.

Meanwhile, Berkane is leading the Botola League with 27 points from 12 matches, holding an eight-point advantage over Wydad. Chaâbani articulated the team’s ambition to either clinch the league title or secure second place to qualify for the Champions League.

“Last season, Raja and FAR Rabat made the qualification process incredibly tough for us,” Chaâbani, a native of Tunisia, explained. “They occupied the two Champions League qualification spots, which led us to finish third and qualify for the CAF Confed Cup. Our objective this year is to finish either first or second for Champions League qualification.”

Berkane, who triumphed over Pirates in the 2022 Confed Cup final via penalties, has consolidated their top position in Confed Cup Group B with six points from two matches after defeating Stellenbosch 3-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday. Stellenbosch, under the management of Steve Barker, is currently at the bottom of the group without any points.

Berkane will welcome Stade Malien Bamako for their upcoming third Confed Cup group stage match at Stade Municipal de Berkane on Sunday at 21:00.