A Moroccan club that is playing an entire season in the Spanish championship. The perspective may seem a-geographic but this has already happened in the history of the liga. In 1952, Atlético Tetuán played the 21stth Iberian championship season which then brought together 16 teams, recalls the site of the specialized magazine So football. The rest is less glorious for the club but it will have the merit of leaving historical anecdotes.
“Chicha” hit the bull’s eye despite a deplorable performance of the club
Atlético Tetuán is the champion’s red lantern and is relegated to the second division. He recorded a first defeat 1 goal to zero against Zaragoza. Then he wiped another 4 -goal defeat to 2 against Real Madrid before undergoing an overwhelming 8 to zero defeat against Atlético Madrid. Atlético Tetuán also lost to Santander. But his victory 2 goals to 1 against the Celta de Vigo and his draw snatched 3 goals everywhere against Real (return match) come to save face. Nevertheless, the Moroccan club arrived in the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup before being eliminated by Barça.
Result, he ended last in the 16 team championship with 19 points in the ranking, 51 goals scored and 89 collected. But dazzled by the performance of Mohamed Lahcen alias “Chicha” of the Tétouana club, FC Barcelona made feet and hands to count the Moroccan player in his workforce. With the exception of László Kubala, the Catalan club is even ready to exchange any of its players for the arrival of “Chicha” at the Blaugranas. But the Moroccan player, popular for his penalties drawn blind, refuses the proposal of the Catalans.
The origins of the club would explain the presence of the Moroccan club in La Liga
Far from the negotiations of the Mercato 1952, why therefore a Moroccan club ended up in the first division of the Spanish national championship? To answer this question you have to go back to the origins of the Tétouana club. The book “Tetuán on Atlético” de Julio Parres Aragonés brings two avenues for the origins of the Moroccan club.
The first would like the Spanish club to been created in 1933 by the former Atlético Madrid player, Fernando Fuertes de Villavicencio. Proof of this would be that the first jersey of the Moroccan club would curiously resemble that of the Spanish club: a top in red and white and blue shorts. Less likely but to take into account, the second version would like the club to be a creation of Sergeant Lorite. The latter would have taken advantage of the presence of several soldiers in faction in Ceuta to compose the workforce of the club.
The fact remains that the Moroccan club began to play his first games in 1933. He even played a friendly match with the Spanish national selection in 1938. Then thanks to his title of champion of northern Morocco, the Tetouan Athletic Club entered the Spanish Cup. In the process, the North African Football Federation is created. It is affiliated with the Spanish Football Federation.
And war and then independence changed everything
But things are spoiled very quickly when the Second World War exploded (1939-1945). The Franco regime prohibits all club names with foreign sounding. The Athlétic Tétuàn Club becomes Club Atlético de Tetuàn and participates in 2th Division of the Spanish national championship alongside Ceuta Sport, Escuela Hispano Árabe de Tánger, all 3 Moroccans.
Then it’s the tumble. Atlético Tetuán is demoted in 3th Division in 1943. In 2 seasons, the Tétouana club plunges at the bottom of the abyss to find itself at the Division of Regional Clubs. But in the 1945-1946 season, he succeeded in the start to go up in 3th division. In 1949, he took the elevator to go in 2th Division… then 2 years later in the first. He then became the first African club to meet in the Spanish first division. This explains the presence of the Moroccan Liga club.
In 1956, it was the end of the protectorate, Morocco became independent. The club changes once again. He becomes the Moghreb Athlétic de Tetouan. It is with this new name that the club wins in May 2012 the first title in its history. A story that was crossed by its surprising participation in a foreign championship.
