Former AmaZulu Coach Lands New Club
Former AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin has found a new home in the Botola Pro League, after parting ways with Saudi First Division side Al-Faisaly on the back of helping the club escape relegation last season.
The Spanish tactician was tasked with steering the Harmah-based outfit away from the relegation zone, with the club in 15th place and level on points with the first relegation spot when he took over in December 2024.
Before his project in the oil-rich kingdom, Martin was relieved of his duties at Usuthu in September last year due to a string of poor results that left the KZN team languishing at the bottom of the Betway Premiership standings.
In the wake of his exit in the Middle East, the 45-year-old mentor was linked with a return to South Africa with Orlando Pirates, who have since appointed ex-Marumo Gallants coach Abdeslam Ouaddou as Jose Riveiro’s successor.
Now, ‘Cijimpi’, as the tactician was fondly known at AmaZulu, has taken over the reins at Maghreb Fes ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 campaign, penning a one-year deal with an option to extend his stay with the Moroccan top-flight outfit.
MAS Fes finished in eighth place with 46 points amassed from 30 games in the Botola Pro League last season. Under a new leader in the dugout, the club will hope to replicate its form from the 2021/22 season, when it registered an impressive fourth-place finish.
Martin will finally get to test his tactical prowess in Morocco, as he was previously linked with a host of clubs in the country, including the two Casablanca giants, Wydad Athletic Club and Raja Club Athletic, among others.
The well-travelled coach also worked in his native country in Spain, serving as an opponent analyst at Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid between July to November 2018, and as a head coach at Getafe CF in 2015.
