Crowd at Al Thumama Stadium against Portugal likely be at least 80 per cent in favour of Morocco
“We’re all the same country, the same team,” says Aymen, who moved to Qatar five years ago from the Tunisian city Sousse. “I watched Tunisia’s games at the stadium but after they were knocked out the decision was simple: get behind Morocco and see how far they can go,” he says. “Their victory is a victory for every Arab.” Ahmed, who is from southwest Morocco and works in Doha as a waiter, says: “It’s an incredible feeling to see all our countries coming together like this.
There is a cautious sense in a few quarters that something has changed. Nourredine, who has travelled from Morocco and identifies as Arab and Berber, says he had previously felt his countrymen were looked down by Arabs from the Middle East. He has seen no sign of that in the past three weeks, only kinship, and feels encouraged; it is the same for Fadel, who is from close neighbour Mauritania and has lived in Doha for 12 years. “The passport is nothing to us,” he says.
“We are living a dream,” says Hassan, who is still noticeably hoarse three days after Achraf Hakimi’s historic shoot-out winner. “We had to take a risk but I don’t regret coming here. One day we will be proud to tell our children that we were there in the stadium for Morocco’s first quarter-final. And it’s amazing to have everyone behind us.”
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