photo source, Average AP
Moroccan fans wept after the final whistle
After becoming the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, Morocco’s first attempt to advance to the final ended in a 0-2 loss to France in the early morning of the 15th (Korean time).
Football fans gathered in Morocco, as well as in Europe and other regions, including Qatar, the host country, hoping that Morocco could beat France, which was colonized in the past.
However, Frenchmen Theo Hernandez (AC Milan) and Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain FC) played an active role in Morocco’s dream of reaching the final.
However, a football fan I met in Casablanca, Morocco told the BBC: “I’m proud of the loss.”
Meanwhile, a large police force has been mobilized in Paris, France to prepare for an emergency. There are hundreds of thousands of Moroccans living in France.
Citizens gathered on the Champs-Élysées in Paris cheered by waving Moroccan and other North African flags.
Not only in France, but also in other European cities such as Brussels, Belgium, Moroccan fans have witnessed self-celebration events with firecrackers and rockets at every previous match.
In The Hague, Netherlands, fans were unable to actively participate in post-match activities due to bad weather. Of course, failure to make it through to the final could also be to blame.
Although flares were lit in the streets after the match, Moroccans in the Netherlands told the BBC they were working to keep the peace.
Moroccan fans gathered in the center of The Hague in the Netherlands
Meanwhile, a soccer fan I met in the fan zone of Casablanca’s “Mohammed V Stadium” said, “It’s okay” about the match against France, adding, “It’s just a (sports) match.”
Many Moroccans who attended this match said that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is only just beginning and they believe that the future of Moroccan footballers is bright.
Football fans gathered in Casablanca’s oldest café began to feel increasingly anxious as the Moroccan national team rarely scored.
A fan who grew up in France but was born in Morocco said he hoped Morocco would win because he thought it was “time for Africa to lift the World Cup trophy”.
Meanwhile, Moroccan soccer fans gathered in a large tent built at the ‘Casa Arabe Cultural Center’ in Madrid, Spain to cheer and share traditional Moroccan snacks.
“I am proud of our national team,” said Inas, an English teacher from Morocco’s northern Rif region.
“The Moroccan national team represented more than football. It was a symbolic victory in many ways, including international interest and respect for Morocco.”
Casablanca native Munir, who works at a gas station, sang cheers throughout the game with his friends. When the French team scored their second goal, he was angry but still brilliant.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing” for Morocco to reach the semi-finals, Munir said.
Moroccan fan Inas says Moroccan team gave people ‘symbolic victory’
Meanwhile, the Moroccan cheering team in Cricklewood, northwest London, England cheered one another even louder as the whistle blew to end the match.
The football fans I met here said they feel very proud of their national team’s game. Due to the freezing weather, Moroccans drank tea and smoked hookah under the blankets.
As well as Moroccans, Tunisians, Algerians and Egyptians also gathered at Café Frego in Cricklewood.
