Showcase game France vs. Morocco (Semifinal) Football Al Bayt Stadium In 2021 the humble couscous was chosen by the French as their favorite dish, as it has been in many previous years. It was regarded as yet another indication of the growing influence that Moroccan cuisine and literature had on French culture.
As the locals ate their favorite comfort food at the same time, another thorny issue arose: visas. A significant conflict erupted when the French government made the decision to reduce the number of visas granted to Moroccans by up to 50%.
These two incidents illustrate the intricate relationship that exists between France and Morocco. As a result he World Cup semifinal between the two nations on Wednesday feels like much more than just a football match: It will oppose one friend to another; individuals facing the nation in which they were born representing their roots.
A clever coach, wacky goalkeeper, and a creative playmaker, among other things.
The match also has a larger historical and political context. They are the Moroccans, who have taken the world by storm. Morocco has set a new standard by reaching the World Cup quarterfinals by eliminating Spain, a former colonial power that ruled a portion of the country in the 20th century. They confront yet another nation that colonized them until 1956 in France.
Advertisement One of the reasons why Morocco has a large diaspora in France is believed to be its colonial past. Five million Moroccans call France home, compared to the nearly 38 million people in the North African nation. They made up the second-largest non-European Union immigrant population in France as of 2019, accounting for roughly 18.4% of the total population.
Morocco vs. France: team that has scored 11 goals versus a team that has only given up one goal, an own goal. Regragui is tasked with stopping the French juggernaut, which seems impossible. However, it would seem that he might be in a stronger position to complete the task than others. In 2008, Regragui and Olivier Giroud, France’s all-time leading scorer, played for Grenoble. Furthermore, one of his key lieutenants, Achraf Hakimi (among the five Moroccans carrying out their specialty in France).
Is an old buddy and a colleague of Kylian Mbappe, by a long shot their greatest danger, at French monsters Paris St-Germain.
Before this match, which has split the sporting allegiance of French-Moroccans, Hakimi and Mbappe have been exchanging pleasantries on social media. According to Reuters, Rim-Sarah Alouane, a legal researcher at the University of Toulouse who studies civil liberties and discrimination, said that the match will be a “test of loyalty for French citizens of immigrant origin.”
In an interview with BFM TV, far-right politician Eric Zemmour, a former presidential candidate in France, stated: It seems odd to me that on the day France wins, more people who are supposed to be French celebrate Morocco’s victory. You can’t be for either.
His statement came after Morocco beat Portugal in the quarterfinals and nearly 20,000 people poured onto Paris’ Champs-Élysées. They commended the entire evening, yet it went bad after conflicts with police were accounted for. According to Le Figaro, 108 people were detained by Paris police, and 70 more were detained elsewhere in France.