We venture into town. Local school children are playing football, some wearing Morocco shirts. They shout “Bonjour.” Realizing I have a couple of cameras around my neck, they stop playing and pose for me. Their coach shouts at them.
The suuk is busy with different traders selling clothes, electronics, animals and so on. Abdou stops and speaks with various friends and acquaintances. “Everyone is talking about the match,” he says. “After the Portugal match”—Morocco, on a fairytale run, dispatched Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese team in the previous round—“people started dreaming about us winning the World Cup.” The atmosphere in town feels calm, though, especially compared to the English pre-match parties I know. Locals seem excited yet relaxed. “We are satisfied already. Reaching the semifinals is enough—anything else is a bonus” says Abdou. Still, signs pinned to bar and cafe windows read, “Seats for the match can be reserved from 6pm.”
We stop and have lunch. Abdou picks up some meat from various butchers and gives it to another man to barbecue for us. We eat a lot knowing it could be a long night. By the afternoon, more flags and shirts have filled the streets. Anticipation is building. I ask Abdou about what playing against France means. “I have friends in France. I like French people, they are friends,” he says. Still: “I want to win against France. I don’t like French politics, but French politics is not the French people.” The bigger thing, he says, is the way the world has turned up for his country. “Support for Morocco has been worldwide. African countries, Arabian countries. I’m not talking about politics here, I’m talking about people. The media in other countries didn’t mention Morocco but the people show a huge support. Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Chad…all the Arabic countries—Qatar. To me, it feels solidarity has not been shown this widely before. The most important thing about the World Cup is that you can’t hide things. It’s on a people level. You can’t hide the support.”
AF Webb
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