World Cup 2022 : Morocco will be able to count on the support of an entire continent.
After the elimination of Senegal, the Atlas Lions of Morocco are the last representatives of the African continent. The Moroccans will be able to count on the support of a whole continent.
With Senegal having been eliminated by England, there is only one African team left in the Round of 16: Morocco. The Atlas Lions finished top of their group ahead of big names like Croatia and Belgium, whom they beat 2-0. This was a historic achievement, as never since Nigeria in 1998 had an African team finished top of its group.
For their round of 16 match against their Spanish neighbours, Morocco will be supported by a mass of supporters from the Cherifian kingdom but also from European countries where the Moroccan diaspora is important (France, Germany, Netherlands). They will also be able to count on the massive support of the entire African continent, despite the differences that often oppose North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa.
« I am Egyptian, but I am here to support Morocco, » said Gamal. The man we met in the vicinity of Souf Waqif, one of the capital’s hotspots, explains that « Morocco is the last Arab country in the running, but it is also the last African country.
Generally in Europe, once a national team is eliminated, its fans follow the rest of the tournament in a relatively passive manner, more interested in the outcome of the competition than in the performance of another European team. They may even fall back on a team from another confederation such as Argentina or Brazil.
In Africa, the situation is different. While fans of one African country support their team first and foremost, it is not uncommon to hear them say that they support all African countries. Mahmoud, an Egyptian restaurateur living in Qatar who came to watch England’s clash with Senegal on Sunday night, was there to support the Lions of Teranga.
Mahmoud could have had it bad, having seen Senegal crush Egypt’s dreams in the Africa Cup of Nations final and then in the World Cup play-offs, but it was not to be. « They are playing for us. It is for us, the Africans, that they are on the pitch.
« We, Africa » is the motto of both the fans and those who are closest to the pitch. « We are Africans too, so like Senegal, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia, we hope to fly the flag of African football high, » said Morocco coach Walid Regragui before their final group game against Canada.
Morocco want to succeed for themselves but also to make the continent shine. « Often African football has been described as mediocre, not as good as elsewhere, but during this World Cup I think we have shown that we can give anyone a hard time, » insisted Walid Regragui.
« We are talking about European teams, South American teams, and I hope that in the future we will see more places for African teams so that why not a team from the continent will be world champions in the future? »
While waiting for a win, Africa is still looking to reach the last four. A win against Spain would bring Morocco closer to this goal that drives the whole continent.
