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When the Atlas Lions will enter the lawn of the Qatari stadium, Thursday 1er December at 4 p.m., to face Canada, time will stand still in Morocco. The streets will be deserted, traffic will be interrupted for this third and last day of Group F during this World Cup in Qatar. Shopkeepers will lower the curtains, street vendors will pack up their wares, street guards will have left their posts. For ninety minutes, life will be punctuated by the clamor that escapes from the cafes at each goal, at each missed opportunity, where supporters, men and women, of all ages and from all social backgrounds are gathered.
Land of football, Morocco has seen the fervor go crescendo since the beginning of the international competition. Until it was in full swing on Sunday, when the Moroccan team won (2-0) against Belgium, third in the last World Cup in 2018. The cries of joy and the horns rang out late into the night in Casablanca, in Marrakech, Tangier or Kenitra, to celebrate this “historic feat” praised repeatedly in the national media. Since then, discussions have only revolved around the chances of the country qualifying for the knockout stages, as was the case in 1986.
“Morocco is the Brazil of Africa”
“Morocco is the Brazil of Africa! », enthuses Anasse Ben Zaroual, 20, a digital development student met in front of a café in Maârif, a central and lively district of Casablanca. “We all share the love of football, it’s in our DNA. It unites us, it transcends all conflicts. No Moroccan would miss a match for the national team. »
From the first match of the competition – against Croatia (0-0) on November 23 at 11 a.m. – companies authorized their employees to be absent or ensured the match was broadcast from their premises. If no special device has been announced by the Ministry of National Education, many private establishments, from primary to higher education, have suspended classes. When it is not, in places, an exceptional day of vacation which was granted to the pupils to allow them to live the national epic. On Thursday, classes should end at 2 or 3 p.m. in a good number of schools, to allow everyone to connect in time with Qatar.
Other establishments have even converted their playground into a fanzone. Like the school group La Fourmilière, in Casablanca. Giant screen, musical group, buffet, decoration in the colors of Morocco… The private establishment does not skimp on the means when the matches take place during school time. “Football is the national sport. Morocco’s participation in the World Cup is an exceptional event. Everyone was in agreement, parents and teachers alike, to mark the occasion,” reports its director, Yassine Achraf. In Rabat, at the Atlas school group, the match against Croatia was broadcast in each classroom. “For us, it went without saying, underlines Yasmine Kabbaj, the director. The school has an important role to play in the development of the feeling of belonging to the nation and of patriotism. »
“We breathe football here! »
In addition to patriotism, this passion for football is also rooted in a very old tradition, with the appearance of the first clubs in 1913, the first structured competition in 1916, the creation of a national team in 1928, six participations in the World Cup since 1970 and eighteen in the African Cup of Nations (CAN), including a victory in 1976. “Football in Morocco is an integral part of popular culture, emphasizes the sociologist Abderrahim Bourkia. It is practiced everywhere, in the street, a vacant lot, a beach, any place where there are what looks like goals and posts, with a ball or a substitute, in eleven against eleven, seven, five, two, and even one against one for the most inventive: we breathe football here! »
In a pedestrian street in Maârif, a group of children exchange a deflated balloon. A few teenagers are sitting on their moped. They don’t go to school on game days. “In the audience, there’s no giant screen, wahlou, laments Yahya (the first name has been changed), 17 years old. But, in any case, the teachers do not look at the absences. » The love of football, for him, is mainly due to his idols. “All these Moroccan stars who play in prestigious European clubs. Hakimi, Ziyech, Mazraoui… They represent the country well; they’re going to get him into the top 16. And give us an opportunity to dream! »