Père Jégo

Mohamed Ben Lahcen Affani (Arabic: محمد بن الحسن العفاني; 15 April 1900 – 31 August 1970), known as Père Jégo, was a Moroccan football manager and player who managed both Casablanca's clubs Wydad and Raja.^[1][2][3]

Père Jégo

Père Jégo being awarded by Sultan Mohammed V in 1956
Personal information
Full name	Mohamed Ben Lahcen Affani
Date of birth	(1900-04-15)15 April 1900
Place of birth	Tunis, French Tunisia
Date of death	31 August 1970(1970-08-31) (aged 70)
Place of death	Casablanca, Morocco
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1922–1930	US Athlétique [fr]
Managerial career
1929–1936	OCS
1936–1938	US Athlétique
1939–1952	Wydad
1952–1957	Morocco
1957–1968	Raja
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Père Jégo was regarded as one of the most decorated managers in Moroccan football history.^[4][5][6][7]

Early life

Père Jégo was born in Tunis, French Tunisia. His father, Lahcen Affani Soussi, originally from the Issafen tribe in the Souss region of Morocco, moved to Tunis to trade and study at Zitouna University. His mother Jenina was Tunisian; at her death, the family returned to Morocco, when he was only five years old. In 1918, he became the first student of Moroccan origin to obtain a baccalaureate at Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca.^[5]

Career

Père Jégo played for US Athlétique [fr] from 1922 to 1930; meanwhile, he started his managerial career in 1929 with OCS. In 1939, he became the first manager for Wydad in their history.^[8] In 1952, he left Wydad to coach Morocco national team until 1957, when he joined Raja, a position he held until his retirement in 1968.

Honours

Player

US Athlétique

• Moroccan League: 1926–27, 1928–29

Manager

US Athlétique

• Moroccan Cup: 1936–37

Wydad AC

• Moroccan League: 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1954–55