COMMENTARY |
By Arezki Daoud: Morocco has achieved a miracle. Its victory over Portugal to reach the semifinals of World Cup 2022 is not just about excellent sportsmanship. It is not just about flawless execution with flawless statistical data. That would be too trivial. It is much more than that. Sports’ commentators will certainly focus on how Morocco managed to beat the mighty teams of Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. These countries are the kings of football, with stars like Ronaldo that make millions of boys everywhere in the world dream of being a football player. Think of these countries’ football legendary strength as that of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in American baseball. Or the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics in basketball. So when you beat them, it is a big deal.
But sports commentators also need to know that reaching this phase of a world cup is a mirror of a country’s level of development. It is about how studious and hardworking its people are. It is about a governing system that allows its people to grow, expand their horizons, achieve better results, and dare to dream. And all of that are the Moroccan people. Hard working and studious. What commentators like to say is that Moroccan is the first African and Arab country to reach the semi final. For those of us who are Amazigh, otherwise known as ethnic Berbers, they are the first also. And all of that is true, but again it is also about hard work. And for that, we are proud.
Beside the actual victory, there is going to be some real political ramifications. Morocco’s standing as a nation has suddenly catapulted worldwide with these wins. Morocco’s victory has prompted comments and tweets from the likes of the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the leaders and rulers of Chad, Bahrain, Dubai, Libya, Jordan, and many more politicians. Pop star Shakira and billionaire businessman Elon Musk congratulated Morocco. So if you think this is just a game, think again.
Now here comes the interesting twist in this world cup. Morocco will now face former colonial master France on December 14. We are now going to see two nations, that have shared tumultuous history, meet on the global scene, and I can guarantee you that both teams are now feeling incredible pressure to score a victory. France is one of those giants of football. Getting hit by Morocco like it happened to Belgium, Spain and Portugal would be a disaster for French football. As Moroccan players get into the field to face their French counterparts, they will feel the hopes and dreams of the hundreds of millions of people around the world pressuring them. These millions of people are looking for some payback time as a way to exorcise all the demons that the colonial times brought to the colonized. For those who do not understand the impact of a Moroccan victory, think of when Obama won the presidential election. He was the first African-American man to lead the United States, and that was a much needed move. For North Africans, and indeed for all Africans, that would be a sweet moment. Today we are all Moroccans.
