The defending champs take on the underdogs for a title-game berth amid colonial history, challenges of immigration and questions of national loyalty.
RABAT, Morocco — Hind Sabouni bristles with pride as she recalls her country’s history-making World Cup run as it eliminated one European soccer powerhouse and former Africa colonial power after another — Belgium, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal — to become the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals.
“This game is one of a kind,” Sabouni said. “Especially since France is next to beat. We can show the rest of the world that Morocco is no longer France’s backyard.” “Even though this is just a football game, some people view it as an opportunity for revenge,” Sabouni said.Kenza Bartali, a communications professional in Rabat, sees no political overtones to the match. She obtained her masters degree in France, and lived for two years in Paris and the southern cities of Nice and Toulon between 2016 and 2018. She made “wonderful friends” who are still her friends today. “Most Moroccan students were treated with respect,” the 26-year-old said.
“Cultural changes and changes in life on the ground do have an effect and the team represents that,” said Laurent Dubois, a professor at University of Virginia in Charlottesville who has authored two books on French and international soccer.
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