Wydad Athletic Club (, ), commonly referred to as Wydad AC and known as Wydad, Wydad Casablanca, or simply as WAC, is a Moroccan professional sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football league system, they are one of three clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight. Founded on 8 May 1937 by seven Moroccans belonging the national movement for independence, led by Mohamed Benjelloun Touimi. They initially focused on water polo to give indigenous Moroccans the right to access swimming pools before Mohamed Ben Lahcen Affani – also known by the nickname of "Père Jégo" ("Father Jégo") – created the football section in 1939, he was the first manager of the team. The club has traditionally worn a red home kit since inception. Domestically, Wydad has won a record of 22 Moroccan league titles and 9 Moroccan Throne Cups, becoming the most titled club in Morocco. In continental and international competitions, the club has won three CAF Champions Leagues, one African Cup Winners' Cup, one CAF Super Cup, one Afro-Asian Club Championship, one Mohammed V Trophy, one Arab Club Champions Cup, one Arab Super Cup, three North African Championships and one North African Cup. The Reds shares rivalry with Raja CA, named the Casablanca derby. Wydad also holds rivalry with AS FAR. The club also competes in basketball, handball, field hockey, cycle sport, volleyball, and rugby. History Before independence (1935–1955) Creation and early Wydad (1937–1940) The origin of the establishment of Wydad Athletic Club on resistance the colonialism that was imposed by the French authorities during the era of protectorate in Morocco, since before the independence of Morocco, the port of Casablanca was surrounded by a large number of swimming pools that were dedicated to clubs and sports associations only, and the Europeans were the ones who can supervising them. In beginning of the year 1935, many Moroccan Muslims and Jews joined several clubs to take advantage of the private swimming pools, but they were soon expelled by the colonizer because of their fear of an increase in their numbers later, and from here came the idea of establishing a Moroccan club by Moroccans only, so that the club can benefit of the swimming pools and participate in water polo competitions. The idea of establishing Wydad Athletic Club