World Cup final dream over, but Moroccans hail heroes

CASABLANCA: They may have fallen just short of reaching the World Cup final, but Moroccans on Wednesday hailed their team’s historic run as it ended with a 2-0 defeat to reigning champions France. Despite the loss, ruler King Mohammed VI sent his “warm congratulations” to the whole team for having “honored the Moroccan people”, according to the country’s national news agency MAP. The king also conveyed a congratulatory message to French President Emmanuel Macron by telephone post-match, the news agency said.

HH the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent on Thursday a congratulatory cable to Moroccan King Mohammed VI on the historical performance of the Moroccan team at the World Cup, making them the first Arab/African team to reach the semifinals. HH the Amir praised the Moroccan team’s outstanding performance and their high spirits as they represented their country in the best manner, wishing them luck and success in further international and regional championships. HH the Amir expressed good wishes to the King and further progress to his country. HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah sent similar congratulatory cables to the Moroccan King.

“They played a great game but luck wasn’t on our side,” said supporter Oussama Abdouh in Casablanca. “Still, we stood up to the titleholders, that was great. Beyond the World Cup, this team made us dream until the end, and just for that, I raise my hat to them.” But for Hakim Salama, the 2-0 defeat to France was too much. “We missed the opportunity of the century,” he said.

Rain lashed the capital Rabat on Wednesday evening and the atmosphere was far from the exhilaration of the historic victories that brought the Lions of the Atlas to within sight of a World Cup final – the first Arab or African team to ever get so far. This time, the car horns and drummers were muted.

“The national team has been performing miracles since the start of the World Cup,” Rachid Sabbiq, a street trader in the working-class Derb Sultan district of Casablanca, said before the match. “It doesn’t matter whether they win or lose – they’ve won the respect and admiration of all Moroccans, and that’s priceless,” he said. Sabbiq had swapped his usual fare of sweets to sell Moroccan flags.

One of the oldest neighborhoods in Casablanca, Derb Sultan was a bastion of resistance against colonial authorities when the North African kingdom was a French protectorate from 1912 until 1956. It also gave rise to one of Morocco’s top teams, Raja de Casablanca, and is the birthplace of legendary striker Mohamed Jarir (alias “Houmane”), who in 1970 became the first Moroccan ever to score in the World Cup.

“In this neighborhood, we love football, so of course the national team’s victories make us dream,” said teenager Mohamed Nadifi, a teenager whose idol is winger Sofiane Boufal. All over Morocco, shops have been selling team jerseys and flags. “Not only have the Lions made us happy but they also allowed us to get business going again” despite rough economic times for many Moroccans, said trader Khalid Alaoui. Touria Matrougui braved cold and torrential rain to buy jerseys for her four nephews. “They held the Moroccan flag high, and for that, we can never thank them enough,” she said.

The team’s success has also won it support far across the continent. “Morocco has made an entire continent proud,” said Sidibey Zoumana, from the Ivory Coast, who has lived in the country since 2018. “I’ve been watching their progress as if it was my own country.” From Gaza to Senegal, the team’s success has transformed the image of Morocco. “They proved that an African team can go places, and really compete,” said Said Mouhssine, 48, after the match.

For others, the match had a taste of politics, coming in the middle of a diplomatic spat between Paris and Rabat over the ever-contentious Western Sahara issue. Some fans were doubly disappointed, as national carrier Royal Air Maroc was forced to cancel extra flights for fans to Qatar just hours after announcing them. Other supporters who had already reached the Gulf state were unable to get tickets they had been promised. Some accused staff at the Moroccan Football Federation of handing out the coveted passes to friends and families. – Agencies

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