In Marrakech, in Rabat, but also in the Arab world and in Europe, the surprise victory of Morocco against Portugal and the qualification for the semi-finals caused a lot of noise. Hasni Abidi, specialist in the Arab world, underlines this feeling of pride regained “thanks to the children of the people”.
Throughout Morocco, scenes of jubilation followed the triumph of the Atlas lions in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar. The party lasted most of the night.
>> Read also: FIFA World Cup 2022
The national team is the pride of the whole country, like Hamid, a fan interviewed in the 12:45. “The Moroccan flag is hoisted everywhere. I am 71 years old and I have not seen this atmosphere since the Green March in 1975.”
This victory was also celebrated beyond the borders of the kingdom. In Geneva, supporters gathered near Cornavin station. In Spain or Belgium, the Moroccan community also celebrated its heroes.
Only a few scuffles on the Champs Elysées in Paris, where 20,000 people had gathered, slightly marred the party. At least 170 individuals were arrested across France, including 100 in Paris, and 83 were placed in police custody.
The Arab world rejoices
In the Arab world, joy was also in order: an explosion of joy resounded in Gaza at the end of the match. “It’s an indescribable feeling. I swear it’s like the Palestinians are playing,” one fan testified.
Near the stadium, a Sudanese fan of Morocco noted that this success was awaited by an entire continent: “All of us, the Arab and African nations, are very happy and we hope that they will reach the final and get the first trophy for the ‘Africa and the Arab World.’
This unifying victory also offered a positive parenthesis for the Syrians who live in camps for the displaced in the north of the country. “Everyone here is happy. It allows us to forget the suffering we endured under al-Assad’s bombardments,” one of them testified.
Pride rediscovered thanks to the “children of the people”
For Hasni Abidi, director of the Center for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World in Geneva, this sporting achievement goes beyond football: “there emerges a feeling of fraternity and pride which gripped the players themselves. themselves”, but also a “feeling of pride in belonging to the Arab nation and the African continent”.
Seeing this young team from Morocco break the codes is beneficial for the whole region, according to him. “The Arab world and Morocco in particular need these moments of happiness and joy in a society that is brutalized by political situations frozen by lack of prospects and hopes, and by brutalization from abroad .”
Hasni Abidi also notes this feeling of belonging to a nation “which regains its honor not thanks to the regime, to political power, but thanks to the children of the people”.
>> Hasni Abidi’s interview in Forum:
TV and radio subjects: Karima Benamrouche and Renaud Malik
Web adaptation: Frédéric Boillat