Mohammed Ali Bemammer has been signed by NorthEast United FC for the 2023–24 Indian Super League (ISL) season, the club announced on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Moroccan joins forces once again with head coach Juan Pedro Benali and is the campaign’s fifth foreign player.
At Maghreb de Fes in Morocco, Bemammer made his debut in football. Interestingly, he signed his first professional contract in 2009 when Benali was the club’s CEO at the time. After that, the defensive midfielder played for Raja Casablanca, Difaa Hassani El Jadidi, FAR de Rabat, and Ittihad Tanger until last year’s comeback to his childhood team.
At Ittihad Tanger, where the Spaniard helped the team escape relegation, Benali and Bemammer were also temporarily reunited.
“Ali is an excellent player. He and I go back to when he was an academy student. He also participated in and contributed significantly to the Moroccan national team. He is a great leader both on and off the field. The club will benefit greatly from his presence, knowledge, and leadership skills this year, according to NorthEast United FC head coach Benali.
Bemammer has achieved success in a number of important tournaments, including the 2021 African Nations Championship at the international level and the 2011 CAF Confederation Cup, Moroccan Throne Cup, North African Club Cup, and CAF Super Cup at the club level.
He remarked, “I’m delighted to come to India and make the Indian Super League my first experience outside of Morocco,” when asked about taking on a new task. Juan gave me support, and I appreciate that he took the time to explain everything to me about the new league. I am quite forward to work with the coach once again. We can communicate more easily since we’ve already worked together. I think we can accomplish a lot at the club together.
The deal was discussed by Mandar Tamhane, CEO of NorthEast United FC.
Mohammed Ali Bemammer is a welcome addition to NorthEast United FC, and we are happy to have him. He adds value to our squad because of his track record and familiarity with head coach Juan Pedro Benali’s coaching philosophy. We anticipate working well together, and we wish him well in the future campaign,” Tamhane stated.
