Omar Bennis, president of the sporting company of Moroccan club MAS Fez, has revealed that he deliberately used a negotiation tactic to push Al Ahly into improving their offer for striker Soufiane Benjdida.
Speaking to Moroccan outlet Info Sports, Bennis explained that he sought to provoke the Egyptian club after being dissatisfied with their initial proposals.
“I have spent my entire professional career negotiating,” Bennis said. “We were in talks with Al Ahly, but the offers they submitted were not convincing. So I told them, ‘Why should Sofiane leave for a club playing in the CAF Confederation Cup when we are competing in the CAF Champions League?'”
Bennis admitted that the remark was intended to provoke Al Ahly into returning with a better proposal.
“That statement irritated them. It spread across television programs and newspapers, and in the end, the offer we received and accepted was excellent. The negotiation strategy I adopted worked perfectly,” he added.
The comments provide a rare behind-the-scenes insight into the negotiations that eventually led to Benjdida’s move from MAS Fez to Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
