From our Special Envoy in Doha,
One cannot testify to the excess of Doha without setting foot at The Pearl. The man-made archipelago to the north of the city oozes luxury with its fountains that seem to sprout pretentiously over every roundabout and its intimidating futuristic lighting. There is even a mini-Venice there, in the Qanat district, you have to kill boredom when you have too much money. Further on, a row of luxurious towers surrounds the bay, forming the Viva Bahriya area. It is at number 26 that the relatives of the players of the Moroccan selection live, on an initiative of the federation welcomed by the coach, Walid Regragui. “The players want to have parents and children close by,” explains the coach. Quoted by The Team. Personally, I am happy to find mine after the match. »
Hanging out in the hall of residence for an hour or two is like living in a permanent cliché. The companion of Romain Saïss comes out of a big gamos with self-tuned rap at the bottom and brats in the back seat. One of them is trying to get noticed, tablet in hand: “Look, I scored again with Ziyech! ” “Sorry, I’m a little taken by the children, tells us the mother, in video with the captain of the Atlas Lions. But yes, yes, it’s still euphoria around here. “” We still haven’t come back down, it’s a daydream, we didn’t expect to go that far, enthuses Abdeltif Boufal, Sofiane’s brother. There it’s quiet, because it’s almost dinner time, everyone is out downtown. But otherwise it was a party here the last few days. »
Morocco as a motor of pan-Arabism
On the eve of the World Cup semi-final against the Blues, the pressure is still rising a little, and we are already thinking of the heartbreak that this France-Morocco represents. “I will be for my father’s team,” one of the Saïss sons told us without surprise. Abdeltif is more embarrassed. “Honestly, it sucks. France is my country, and I love my country. But I am in the hotel of the Moroccan federation, my brother plays for Morocco. So there’s not too much to think about, either. »
Before putting his airpods back under his hood and jumping into the taxi waiting for him in front of the 26th, the brother of the Angevin player furtively evokes the emotion of his mother, overjoyed after the quarter-final victory, then wanders about boredom not always easy to kill for a month in Qatar, which he defends however. “The media, it’s not good to have lied,” he said, without animosity. We were told that Qatar was this and that, but in truth, we are so welcomed. The time to urge him to visit the outskirts of Doha to get a full opinion on the matter, the car was gone.
Abeltif Boufal’s opinion is divided among Morocco supporters. We remember this Moroccan fan from Paris and met a few days earlier at the exit of the Education City stadium, disappointed with the media treatment reserved for the host country. He said, in essence, “not having come to the base to attend the World Cup in a pan-Arabic approach”, but that the criticisms of Qatar and the Arab world “unified the supporters of Muslim culture throughout the tournament”, himself. even claiming it now.
This outpouring of pan-Arab solidarity began with Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina, after which it was not uncommon to see supporters from Qatar, Morocco and Tunisia stopping in the street or the metro. to congratulate euphoric Saudis. Without forgetting the images of the emir deploying a flag of the rival country, a total geopolitical misinterpretation despite the recent warming between the two nations.
The Palestinian cause put forward by Moroccans
The same goes for the Atlas Lions, now unanimously backed by a haughty Arab world. In the corridors of the Lusail metro, Salim, a Qatari, does not hide his happiness under his immaculate dishdasha. “We hope they will go all the way, I watched their last match against Portugal, it was magnificent. Qatar is with Morocco. Palestine, too. Unsheathed as a counter-Uno to Western demands like LGBT rights, the Palestinian flag has found its place in this World Cup, both in town and in the stadiums, the Moroccan team going so far as to display it on a post-victory photo against the Selecção. Support for Morocco from Palestinian aficionados therefore seems obvious.
In summary, as a colleague had subtly pointed out to Adrien Rabiot in the mixed zone, Sunday evening, “everyone will be against France in the next match”. To which the midfielder of the Blues replied with his indescribable nonchalance that “if Morocco has more support in the stadium, like England, good for them. “For having attended Spain-Morocco, no, Adrien, it will not be “like France-England”.
The Moroccans are, with the Argentines, the best supporters of this World Cup. And it’s Leo and Daniel, two guys from Buenos Aires picked up on the fly at the souk, who say so. “In all honesty, they have our full respect. Since those of the other teams have left, there are only them to really raise the atmosphere like us. 2-3 days ago, I spoke with a Moroccan from Spain, we exchanged our jerseys and took our numbers. We have the same culture in the stands. Songs, drums, kops. “Whistles, too, systematically when Regragui’s players don’t have the ball, which often happens when we have concreting and counterattacks as our game plan.
An airlift between Doha and Casablanca for the semi-final
In addition to being the noisiest, they are also the most numerous. Unless the number explains the decibels. Whatever. Since the round of 16, a shortage of tickets has plagued the Moroccan ranks, which pile up around the stadiums on match days in the hope of miraculously obtaining the object of their desire. Put in difficulty in Al Rayyan, the riot police caused a stampede in which Moroccans and Iberians almost found themselves trapped.
The Moroccan federation has however set up the distribution of a few thousand at each new stage reached by the selection. That may no longer be enough. Bad news for the authorities, but good news for the atmosphere: the national company Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has set up an air bridge, with 30 special flights between Casablanca and Doha on Tuesday and Wednesday in order to allow the massive transport of supporters. Against the Blues, the Atlas Lions will be more than ever at 12 against 11.