Tarik Sektioui (; born 13 May 1977) is a Moroccan professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former player who currently manages the Morocco national under-23 team. He spent most of his professional career in the Netherlands and Portugal, amassing

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...

totals of 142 games and 29 goals over the course of eight seasons for Willem II,

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...

and RKC in the former, and winning several honours with

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

in the latter. A full international for

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

, he represented the side at the

2008 Africa Cup of Nations The 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the MTN Africa Cup of Nations due to the competition's sponsorship by MTN, was the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football tournament for nations affiliated with the Confede ...

. Sektioui began managing in 2013 in his first of three spells at Maghreb de Fès, winning the

Moroccan Throne Cup The Moroccan Throne Cup or the Throne Cup () is a knockout football tournament in Moroccan football, organized by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.The first club to win this cup was Mouloudia Oujda. Since the inception of the cup, the sy ...

with them in 2016 and the

CAF Confederation Cup The CAF Confederation Cup, known as the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual association football football team, club competition established in 2004 and organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF ...

with RS Berkane in 2019–20. He led three other clubs in the

Botola The Botola Pro (), officially known as the Botola Pro Inwi for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Morocco and the top tier of the Moroccan football league system. Organized by the Ligue Nationale de Football Prof ...

and had a brief spell in the

UAE Pro League The UAE Pro League (), also known as the ADNOC Pro League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the highest level of the Emirati football league system. The first team to w ...

with

Emirates Club Emirates Club () is a professional Association football, football club based in the city of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. They play in the UAE Pro League after being promoted from the UAE First Division League. They play their home game ...

Playing career

Club

Born in Fez, Sektioui played two seasons at French club

AJ Auxerre Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise (), commonly known as AJ Auxerre or by the abbreviation AJA, is a French professional association football, football club based in the Communes of France, commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club plays in L ...

, failing to establish with the first team and also appearing sparingly for the reserves during his spell. He arrived at the Netherlands and

Tilburg Tilburg () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. With a population of 22 ...

's Willem II in January 2000 from Swiss side

Neuchâtel Xamax Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, the city has ap ...

, going on to play a major role and eventually gaining

captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...

. In the 2004–05 campaign, Sektioui switched to

thus returning to the

. During his two-year tenure, he scored some vital goals and formed an efficient attacking partnership with Shota Averladze. After an uneventful loan stint in 1999 with C.S. Marítimo, Sektioui returned to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in July 2006 after

Co Adriaanse Jacobus "Co" Adriaanse (born 21 July 1947) is a Dutch association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a centre-back. Playing career As a professional player, Adriaanse played for six seasons ...

(also his coach at Willem II) signed him for

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...

. He would find the adjustment difficult, and spent the second half of the season on loan to another Dutch team,

RKC Waalwijk RKC Waalwijk () is a Dutch professional association football, football club based in Waalwijk. They currently play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football league system, Dutch football, following relegation from the Eredivisie i ...

. On 3 February 2007, he played his first game, against

NAC Breda NAC Breda (), often simply known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Eredivisi ...

. Even though Adriaanse was gone, Sektioui was recalled for 2007–08, and was a key member of the squad coached by Jesualdo Ferreira that retained the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

title with five matches remaining. On the fourth day of the group stage of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

, he scored arguably the best goal of the night after overtaking five

Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; , ), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional Association football, football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top f ...

defenders before hitting home beyond the goalkeeper; Porto eventually reached the round-of-16, ousted by

Schalke 04 Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as Schalke 04 (), and abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional sports club from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its football team, w ...

on penalties. On 2 July 2009, after having featured rarely for Porto during the campaign – 17 appearances all competitions comprised – Sektioui moved to Ajman Club in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, on a one-year deal. He retired after one season aged 33, but later went back on his decision and joined his very first professional club, his hometown's Maghreb de Fès.

International

A Moroccan international since 2001, Sektioui represented his nation in the

, scoring a penalty in the 5–1 rout of

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Managerial career

After coaching at the Mohammed VI Football Academy, Sektioui was hired on a three-year deal at Maghreb de Fès, after

Azzedine Aït Djoudi Azzedine Aït Djoudi (; born January 24, 1967) is an Algerian football manager. Managerial career From a young age (10 years), he began a football career at JS Kabylie in which he moved up the levels to reach the status of the ISTS professionnel ...

left for

JS Kabylie Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (Kabyle grammar, Kabyle: Ilemẓiyen inaddalen n leqvayel; Berber languages, Tamazight: ⵉⵍⵎⵣⵢⵏ ⵉⵏⴰⴷⴰⵍⵏ ⵏ ⵍⵇⵠⴰⵢⵍ; ), known as JS Kabylie or simply JSK, is an Algerian profession ...

. After a spell at

Wydad AC Wydad Athletic Club (, ), often known outside Morocco as Wydad Casablanca, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional Association football, football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of th ...

he returned to his relegated local club for two years in July 2016. On 20 November, he won the

with a 2–1 victory over Olympic Club de Safi in the final in

Laayoune Laayoune or El Aaiún (, Latn, ar, al-ʕuyūn , , ) is the largest city of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, with a population of 271,344 in 2023. The city is the ''de jure'' capital of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, though it ...

. In February 2019, Sektioui moved to

Moghreb Tétouan The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

on an 18-month deal for a salary of 120,000

Moroccan dirham The Moroccan dirham (, ; Currency symbol, sign: DH; code: MAD) is the official monetary currency of Morocco. It is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco. One Moroccan dirham is subdivided into 100 ''santimat'' (singular: santi ...

s. The northern club was ranked in 14th. He was dismissed in July for undisclosed breach of contract. Sektioui signed a two-year deal at RS Berkane in September 2019. On 25 October of the following year, his team won the

with a 1–0 win over Egypt's

Pyramids FC Pyramids Football Club ( or ) is an Egyptian professional football club based in New Cairo, Cairo that competes in the Egyptian Premier League, the highest league in the Egyptian football league system. Formed in 2008 as Al Assiouty Sport in Ass ...

in the final in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. He resigned on 7 March 2021 after a 2–1 defeat to AS FAR. He moved to his first foreign managerial job at newly promoted

side

for the 2021–22 season. He resigned on 27 December, having taken one point in 12 games for the last-placed club. In 2022, Sektioui returned to his country's top flight, at Union de Touarga. In July 2023, he returned to Maghreb de Fès. On 29 February 2024, Sektioui was appointed head coach of the

Morocco national under-23 football team The Morocco national under-23 football team, also known as the Morocco Olympic football team, represents Morocco in international football competitions in the Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except during th ...

by the

Royal Moroccan Football Federation The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (; Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵙⴷⴰⵡⵉⵜ ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏⵜ ⵜⴰⵎⵖⵔⴰⴱⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵡⵊⴰ ⵏ ⵓⴹⴰⵔ) is the governing body of football in Morocco. It was established in 1956. It beca ...

to replace Issame Charaï.

Personal life

Sektioui's older brother, Abdelhadi, was also a footballer and manager. He was employed by Maghreb de Fès in both roles too.

Honours

Player

;Porto *

: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 *

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; ) is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...

: 2008–09 *

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

;Maghreb de Fès *

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

;Morocco U20 * U-20 Africa Cup of Nations:

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Individual * U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Best Player:

Manager

;Maghreb de Fès *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

;RS Berkane *

: 2019–20 ;Morocco U23 * Olympic Bronze Medal:

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

References

External links

*
PortuGOAL profile
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sektioui, Tarik 1977 births Living people Footballers from Fez, Morocco Moroccan men's footballers Moroccan football managers Men's association football wingers Botola players Maghreb of Fez players Ligue 1 players AJ Auxerre players Primeira Liga players C.S. Marítimo players FC Porto players Swiss Super League players Neuchâtel Xamax FCS players Eredivisie players Willem II Tilburg players AZ Alkmaar players RKC Waalwijk players UAE Pro League players Ajman Club players Morocco men's under-20 international footballers Morocco men's international footballers 2008 Africa Cup of Nations players Moroccan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in France Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands Moroccan expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates Botola managers Maghreb of Fez managers MA Tétouan managers RS Berkane managers Emirates Club managers UAE Pro League managers Moroccan expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in the United Arab Emirates Coaches at the 2024 Summer Olympics