Houssaine ANAFAL

Houssaine Anafal was a Moroccan international between 1973 and 1979. He began his playing career in his hometown club, with KAC Kénitra. He went on to play for them for four seasons, picking up a Moroccan Championship winners' medal in 1973. Unfortunately, his team completely failed the following season, and they were relegated to the Moroccan Second Division. The talented striker decided to leave his first club to try his luck in France, signing for Stade Rennais in 1974. He had a decent first season playing alongside Laurent Pokou in the Rennes attack, but that didn't stop the Red and Blacks from finishing 19th in the First Division, and they were thus relegated to the second tier of French football. 1975/1976 turned out to be his best season in a Rennes shirt, playing a key role in helping Rennes bounce back at the first time of asking. Playing in a new role in midfield, Anafal was regularly a decisive player, scoring several goals, and weighing in with numerous assists. At the beginning of the 1976/1977 season, however, he began to feel homesick, and decided to return to Morocco after cancelling his contract with Rennes in October 1976. He rejoined his original club, KAC Kénitra, where he would be part of a top-of-the-table side for three seasons. In 1979; he returned to Brittany, and to Rennes, where he would quickly regain his place in the starting line-up, and have a good season all-round. Alas, he was brought back down to earth by a serious knee injury after just 13 matches of the 1980/1981 season. It not only proved to be the end of his season, but also the end of his time with Rennes, as he never really recovered from his injury setback, and would not make another appearance in a Red and Black shirt. He tried for one last hurrah in Morocco with KAC Kénitra, but would only make the odd appearance. Unable to recapture his old form, he ended his playing career in 1983. He subsequently went into coaching at Stade Rennais and then looked after the KAC Kénitra youth teams in Morocco in 2008. Sadly, he passed away in 2012 as a result of a heart ailment.