BRUSSELS (AP) — As early-rising patrons warm up with hot drinks at Cafe Tetouan in central Brussels, owner Hicham Achrayah buys Moroccan flags from a street vendor who stopped by on a cold winter morning.
The bar is the local hotspot for Moroccan soccer fans in the Belgian capital and needs to get it ready for Saturday’s game against Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco will try to become the first African team to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
As has been the case since the World Cup began, Achrayah is expecting a full house.
“They are writing a page of history,” Achrayah said of the team that has inspired a sense of pride in Moroccan immigrant communities across Europe.
An estimated 5 million Moroccans live abroad, the majority in European countries such as France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. The national team relies heavily on that diaspora, with 14 of the team’s 26 players being foreign-born, the highest ratio for any team at the World Cup.
“They were born abroad, but inside, the blood is Moroccan,” Achrayah said, pointing to Dutch-born midfielder Hakim Ziyech. “What did he say when he chose Morocco? He said it was a call from his heart.
Ziyech, who plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, has been in brilliant form in the tournament, forming a terrific duo on the right flank with Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Spain. Four players in the Morocco squad were born in Belgium.
Morocco’s French-born coach Walid Regragui likened building his roster to making a “milkshake,” mixing together players of Moroccan descent from across Europe who also bring to the team some of the cultures and soccer styles of the countries where they grew up.
“People are identifying with us and we are managing to unite Moroccans behind this football team,” Regragui said in Doha on Friday. “It’s worth more than nothing. It is worth more than money, more than titles”.
Still, he said he was not going to let the exuberance surrounding the team affect his concentration.
“We can bring hope and positive energy to people, this is fantastic. But we are focused on what we are doing on the court,” she said.
Hassan Bousetta, a researcher who studies Moroccan migration, says the backgrounds of the foreign-born players on the team reflect the widespread distribution of Moroccan immigrant communities across Europe.
“Unlike the Turks and the Algerians, for example, the Moroccans are much more dispersed in various European countries,” Bousetta said.
He highlighted the role played by the Moroccan authorities in maintaining close ties with those who travel abroad.
“They have built a global relationship with their diaspora. And today, we see its impact on football,” he said. “All these players were trained by big clubs. The idea is to benefit from training, on a global scale. Giving diaspora children great responsibilities is something you don’t see in other Arab countries.”
In Qatar, the European-born players from Morocco have done a great job for the Atlas Lions to the delight of their huge fan base abroad.
After Morocco defeated Spain in a penalty shootout In the round of 16, legions of fans poured into the streets of European cities to celebrate. In Madrid, some Moroccan supporters had mixed feelings.
“If Spain had won, we would be just as happy because we live here. It is also our country,” said Shalma Boudoir, a 19-year-old student. “We have Spanish nationality, but Morocco has not won a World Cup, so we are very happy, we couldn’t be happier.”
Highlighting that sense of dual belonging, Belgian flags also decorate the walls of Café Tetuán, where Moroccan immigrants and their descendants have united behind the historic race of the Atlas Lions.
Four years ago, after Morocco were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage, Moroccan fans in Brussels supported Belgium. The Red Devils reached the semifinals thanks to Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli, two players of Moroccan origin.
“We have been ardent supporters of Belgium, which we also consider our country,” said Adil El Malki, a 49-year-old legal expert with dual citizenship. “But to tell the truth, it is rather the belonging and the sense of identity that prevails. That’s why we support Morocco, but Belgium is also in our hearts.”
Despite the dual loyalties, riots broke out. in various Belgian and Dutch cities as Moroccan fans celebrated their upset 2-0 win over Belgium in the group stage. But overall, Morocco’s victory was celebrated peacefully and enthusiastically by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots.
“Hopefully on Saturday everything will be calm and there will be no riots,” Achrayah said. “And long live Morocco!”
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Associated Press journalist Graham Dunbar in Doha and video journalist Alicia León in Madrid contributed to this report.
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