After initial pressure for Rulani Mokwena to be relieved of his duties, Wydad Casablanca players showed where they stand with the South African following his absence.
Mokwena has been away from Morocco and back home in South Africa since the beginning of last week.
He had been given compassionate leave owing to his grandmother's passing.
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The 38-year-old could not conduct training sessions for the first time since his arrival in Casablanca and was not on the bench when Wydad hammered Chabib Mohammedia 5-1 in the Botola Pro on Sunday.
He had been under pressure to vacate his position, with results not forthcoming early in the season.
However, Mokwena appears to have built a lasting bond with his players, who, statistically, had one of their best games against Mohammedia, playing in honour of the erudite tactician.
Wydad assistant coach Sinethemba Badela revealed as much.
"Look, coach Mokwena, he trusts his staff. Of course, we have to follow the lead of the head coach, he is our leader," Badela said in his post-match press conference, standing in for the former Mamelodi Sundowns mentor.
"It was a very difficult week for us emotionally, mentally, because when one of us is in pain, we're also in pain. We also had to do it for Simo our kit manager, who also lost his father.
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"So, it's been a very emotional week for us and the players, in the first day of training, they didn't show that the coach is not there. In fact, the players themselves, they said: 'We have to do it for the coach'.
"If you look at the data, they were running more than ever and it's good for the club also to win five games in a row, for the first time since 2019. So, congratulations to the club, the staff and players and definitely we missed coach Mokwena," Badela added.
The Red Castle climbed up to second spot in the standings with nine matches remaining.