World

Morocco meets France in World Cup semi-finals

RABAT CAPITAL, MOROCCO COUNTRY –

Hind Sabouni rages with pride as he recalls the World Cup that made his country’s history by eliminating European footballing power and former African colonial power after power – Belgium, Spain Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Portugal – to become the first African and Arab nations to reach the semi-finals.

For a 26-year-old English teacher in the Moroccan capital and many of her countrymen both in the North African country and across the expat community, things are about to get more complicated. Next is France: Once a colony ruled by Morocco for most of the first half of the 20th century.

Wednesday’s match has political and emotional resonances for both nations. It dredges up all the complexities about a relationship where France still has significant economic, political and cultural influence.

“This game is unique,” Sabouni said. “Especially since France is next to beat.”

“We can show the rest of the world that Morocco is no longer France’s backyard.”

For the former protector, the match against the defending champions was a chance to prove that Morocco is a formidable foe – at least on the football field – despite immigration between the two nations having made blurring the line between France and Morocco on who to support on Wednesday in Qatar.

Over the past decade, Morocco’s relationship with France has changed. Sabouni said her generation of Moroccans is tired of French domination. Young Moroccans, she said, “speak English instead of French, they buy more American products than French ones, and even those looking for a better life abroad try to stay away from France.”

“Although this is just a football game, some see it as an opportunity for revenge,” Sabouni said.

But not everyone.

Kenza Bartali, a media expert in Rabat, sees no political significance in the match. She earned her master’s degree in France and lived for two years in Paris as well as the southern cities of Nice and Toulon from 2016 to 2018. She made “great friends” who are still friends of hers. until today. “Most Moroccan students are treated with respect,” the 26-year-old said.

However, there is no doubt about which team she is backing.

“I sincerely hope that Morocco will advance to the final,” Bartali said. “I know it will be difficult because France are a very good team, but we are hoping for the best.”

Sabouni’s sentiments resonate with Moroccans and other North Africans in France. Although the younger generation of African and Asian immigrants and their descendants seem more comfortable with multiple identities and languages ​​in France, they still face physical discrimination. institutionalization, racial and ethnic prejudice in public life, economic hardship, and lack of employment opportunities.

Like previous World Cups, France is once again looking to their national football team consisting of players from different backgrounds as proof that the country has indeed become a melting pot of real estate. accept hidden prejudices, incited against immigrants by elected right-wing politicians.

Laurent Dubois, a professor at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, author of two books on French and international football, said: “Cultural changes and changes in life on the ground have had an impact and team represent that.

“The way the players live being French and it doesn’t seem to matter that being African at the same time or anything else is the antidote to the resentment of immigrants on the right.”

In Morocco, people treat the team’s foreign-born players as their own children. They welcome the experience and professionalism they bring from Europe’s top clubs and are proud that they have chosen Morocco as their national team as they are able to play for the countries where they are. born, from Spain to Canada to Belgium and beyond.

The Moroccan national team is heavily reliant on the diaspora, with 14 of the team’s 26 players born abroad, including the French coach, Walid Regragui, the highest percentage of all players. with any team at the World Cup.

Like Morocco’s supporters back home and an estimated 5 million people scattered across Europe and beyond, many players grapple with family stories of colonial history, the challenges of perceptions of immigration and questions about national loyalty. They desperately want to get rid of the burdens of the past and qualify for the World Cup finals – whether their home ground is in France or Morocco, or Belgium, Canada, Tunisia, Algeria or elsewhere. .

Maher Mezahi, an Algerian journalist who writes about African football in Marseille, said: “Most of the foreign-born Moroccan players choose Morocco as the national team because they feel they compete for more than just to win a football match. “They compete to raise national pride and make their families proud.”

For Regragui, his dual identity and that of his players are meaningless in the biggest game the team has to face.

“I am a dual citizen, and it is an honor and pride,” said the Moroccan coach. “And it’s an honor to play against France. But I am the coach of Morocco and we will play against the best team in the world. The most important thing is to reach the final.”

“When we play for the Moroccan national team, we are Moroccan,” said Regragui.



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