Brussels, Belgium – When Morocco scored the second goal and secured it win Overtaking Belgium at this year’s World Cup, a crowded youth center in Brussels burst into cheers and hugs.
The Belgian capital is home to a sizable Moroccan community and on Sunday some 50 teenagers, young adults and volunteers gathered at the Capital’s three-story art deco headquarters to watch the match.
Young men and women, many of whom are of Moroccan descent, sat on chairs in front of a large screen in the building’s atrium to watch the match at Qatar’s Al Thumama Stadium.
A few teenagers sold Coca-Cola, chips and bags of Skittles for one euro near the entrance to the room, and before the game started, there was a lot of chatter and cheers as the Moroccan team showed up. on the screen.
University students Omayma Mesmaoui and Basma Abajadi, both 20, came with friends because they wanted a safe space to watch the match.
Holding a Moroccan flag, Mesmaoui said the match was “very important because my home country plays against the country I live in”. Even so, she still wants Morocco to win and predicts a 2-1 win.
Abajadi, who carried the Berber flag for the indigenous group in North Africa, said: “I was a bit lost because my two countries were competing.
Abajadi said she didn’t know which team to support. But after hearing Belgium captain Kevin De Bruyne say in an interview that his team is “too old” to win the World Cup, she was now hoping for a draw because of his pessimism.
“Thanks to Kevin, I changed my mind,” she said.
When the game started, the crowd fell silent.
“Allez Ziyech!” Teenage boys in black and hoodies sitting in the back shouted, alluding to Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech.
Hassan al Hilou, the founder of the Capital’s youth center, 23, who is of Dutch-Iraqi descent, said one of the center’s functions is to act as a safe space for people from different backgrounds. different gather.
During the match, al Hilou walked around with a big smile on his face, occasionally shouting “Belgium!” teased viewers who were largely pro-Moroccan.
Youssef Faraj, 40, a teacher and youth counselor at Capital that oversees the event, said he cheers for Morocco but worries they are not performing at their best.
“We are outsiders. We are not rivals,” he said, noting that Belgium placed second in the tournament, while Morocco ranked 22nd.
The crowd exploded when Ziyech scored from a free kick, but the cheers turned to boos when the goal was called back due to an offside penalty.
In the first half, 17-year-old Ayoub, a tall high school student wearing a Moroccan flag, said he was disappointed that Morocco was not disallowed.
“It is disrespectful. It was clearly a goal,” he said. “I feel sad.”
“Second half, we will score two goals,” Ayoub said convincingly. He is easily one of the most devoted and emotional Moroccan fans in the audience.
Ayoub’s prediction turned out to be correct, and Morocco won 2-0, and the crowd at the youth center cheered.
“We didn’t come to Qatar to prove that we were bad. We went to Qatar to show Africa there,” he said. That a “small club in Africa wins” [against] a big club in Europe”.
As the room quickly dwindled, Ayoub and his friends celebrated and lit some red and green flares for Morocco. Celebration car horns could already be heard on the main road outside.
“We will say that we are here – to say that Morocco is not Belgium,” Ayoub said as she stepped outside, bouncing around and shouting.
Mesmaoui said she was glad her 2-1 prediction was close.
“Surname [Morocco] tried to attack many times. Persistence is the word of the day. They were very determined.”
For her friend Abajadi, it was also a victory for the Belgo-Moroccans.
“Belgium is going to explode today,” she said, hinting that it was an emotional victory for the Moroccans. “In any case, it’s a win-win.”
