Fans are celebrating Morocco’s historic victory over Spain in the World Cup. But beyond the struggle on the field, there are also political and historical reasons for this celebration. Morocco and Spain are neighbors on both sides.
The pre-quarters between Spain and Morocco was as politically charged as the USA-Iran match. Although Spain and Morocco are not geopolitical rivals, their long and complex relationship is what we witnessed at the Educational City Stadium.
The story of the ancient rivalry between Morocco and Spain is less familiar to the younger generations of both countries. The stories of slavery and colonization dating back decades are many unhealed wounds in the history of both countries. That’s why the Morocco-Spain match has some dimensions off the pitch. In November 1912, Spain created its own protectorate on Moroccan soil. It consists of two zones: a zone consisting of five provinces in the north and one in the south.
There are still territorial disputes between the two countries. At issue are the five territories still under Spanish sovereignty. Ashraf Hakimi was born 24 years ago in Spain. The right-back grew up in Getafe and played for Real Madrid. Hakimi is not alone in embracing the relationship between the two countries, separated only by the Strait of Gibraltar. 15 players in the Morocco team have dual citizenship. Three are Spanish-Moroccan players.
In the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, the two teams met in the first round. Spain tied due to a referee error. After Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010, Morocco is the fourth African team to reach the last eight of the World Cup. Morocco is the last remaining team from Africa and the only remaining Arab team in Qatar. They will face Portugal in the quarter finals on Saturday.
With the exception of Senegal’s win against Sweden in the last 16 in 2002, African nations have lost nine of their World Cup knockout matches against European teams. This explains why Morocco is a tough test for Spain.