Moroccan Ultras Civic Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Winners 2005 of Wydad Athletic Club of Casablanca

This paper explores the culture, characteristics, and composition of organized groups of Moroccan young football fans called Ultras. Football Ultras is an increasingly prominent phenomenon in the world of Moroccan sport. Ultras groups are loyal fans to football clubs that created an entire culture surrounding teams of allegiance, and football in general. Ultras groups have always found stadiums an ideal place to express their happiness or resentment through elaborate displays. However, according to (Guschwan, 2007), these groups represent much more than allegiance to a club, or a positive, unified front supporting a team. In the Moroccan context, Ultras groups represent a section of the population with their social manifestations, including their view on politics and social issues. In this line, the paper also sheds light on the civic engagement of Winners 2005, the outstanding Ultra group affiliated to the Wydad Football Club (WAC) in Casablanca. The focus was on the solidarity shown by the group during the covid-19 pandemic lockdown, as well as all the joint activities performed in this period. To reach a better understanding of the civic engagement of Ultras in Morocco during the covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the researcher collected data from social media, especially Youtube and the Facebook official page of the targeted group: Winners 2005, the Ultra group of Wydad athletic club of Casablanca. Beside social media, the researcher also used interviews as a research instrument. The interviews targeted the Capo of the Winners 2005 and some of the members of the group.