Moghreb Athletic Tétouan
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| Full name | Moghreb Atlético Tetuán |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
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| Founded | 1922 |
| Ground |
Saniat Rmel, Tetouan, Morocco |
| Capacity | 15,000 |
| Chairman | Abdelmalek Abroun |
| Manager | Sergio Lobera |
| League | Botola, La Liga (formerly) |
| 2015–16 | Botola, 5th |
| Website | Club home page |
Moghreb Atlético Tetuán (Arabic: المغرب أتلتيكو تطوان; acronym MAT) is a Moroccan football club based in Tetouan. The club was founded in 1922 and used to compete in the Spanish leagues under the names Athletic Club Tetuán (1922 -1947) and Club Atlético de Tetuán (1947–1956) till 1956 when Morocco gained independence from Spain as the club made the transition to the Moroccan league after the club split in two forming Moghreb Atlético Tetuàn (Moroccan) and AD Ceuta (Spanish)
In 1917, Tetouan saw the appearance of its first clubs of football, "Sporting of Tetuán" and "el Hispano-Marroquí" ("The Spanish-Moroccan"). One year later these two club, and a third one called "el Radio", merged and that gave the birth to the "Athletic Club Tetuán". The new club was established in 1922 by Basque Atletico Madrid fans who lived in Tetouan (Morocco). In the early days it was known as Athletic Club Tetuan—based on the Spanish spelling of the city. but after the Spanish Civil War and according to General Franco's demands (banning non-Spanish names) as Club Atlético Tetuan. That is why the team has always played in red and white stripes and blue shorts, just like the big brothers from Madrid they were supposed to emulate. Under Spanish Protectorate of Northern Morocco, Tetuán were a part of Spanish Liga for 33 years until independence was achieved in 1956. The highlight of that era was their surprising win of Spanish Segunda División (the southern group) in the 1950–51 season. and promotion to the Primera Division of 1951–52, and the club remain, to this very day, the only African team ever to play in a top division in Europe.
That was a season to remember. Tetuán's away form was dreadful—they lost 14 out of 15 games on their travels—but on home soil in Morocco they were a force to be reckoned with. Atlético were thrashed 4–1 in a rather weird "derby," and six more wins were achieved, while the mighty Real Madrid could only draw 3–3 on their visit to North Africa. Sadly that wasn't enough as Tetuán finished bottom of the table and were relegated, but such heritage has never been forgotten.
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