Raja Replace Nabi With Jémez Before a Competitive Ball Is Kicked

Raja Replace Nabi With Jémez Before a Competitive Ball Is Kicked

Raja Club Athletic have made a dramatic change in the dugout, appointing Spanish coach Paco Jémez as their new head coach ahead of the upcoming season.

Jémez succeeds Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi, whose time at the Moroccan giants has come to an abrupt end before he could even take charge of a competitive match this season. Reports indicate that Nabi’s departure followed disagreements surrounding the club’s recent transfer activity.

According to Al-Botola, Raja finalised their agreement with Jémez as they look to bring stability to the technical side and prepare for the various competitions on the horizon.

Jémez brings plenty of experience from Spanish football and is particularly known for his possession-based, attacking approach. During his time at Rayo Vallecano, he guided the club to an impressive eighth-place La Liga finish in the 2012/13 season.

Nabi’s Exit: One of Football’s Quickest?

While Nabi’s departure is certainly an unusual one, he’s not quite in record-breaking territory when it comes to football’s shortest managerial reigns.

Here are a few of the most infamous quick exits:

Leroy Rosenior – Torquay United: approximately 10 minutes. Rosenior was reappointed in 2007, only for a takeover to take place almost immediately. The new owners decided to appoint their own manager, making his second spell last just minutes.
Dave Bassett – Crystal Palace: 4 days in 1984, one of the shortest managerial spells in English football before Rosenior’s extraordinary 10-minute stint.
Tommy Docherty – QPR: 28 days in 1968. His brief spell ended after he resigned following a disagreement with the club chairman over a proposed transfer.
Ange Postecoglou – Nottingham Forest: 39 days in 2025, becoming the shortest reign by a permanent Premier League manager.
Igor Tudor – Tottenham Hotspur: around 43–44 days in 2026, making his spell one of the shortest in Premier League history.

So while Nabi’s Raja stint may not have broken the all-time record, leaving before overseeing a single competitive match is certainly a remarkable way to start — and end — a managerial tenure.

Now the question is whether Paco Jémez can avoid becoming another name on football’s revolving managerial door.