Doha, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- From drawing Croatia, runners-up in the World Cup last year, to defeating Belgium, the third runner-up in the previous World Cup, Morocco has inadvertently reached the second place in Group F of the World Cup in Qatar. The North African team, which has played in the group stage four times in the World Cup five times and finished best in the round of 16, wants to prove itself to the world again.
Morocco is often conjured up images of Casablanca, the country's largest city, which is world-famous for the film of the same name, Casablanca, released in the 40s of the 20th century. The movie describes a poignant love story, and the "poignant" seems to coincide with the World Cup "temperament" of the Moroccan team that advocates gorgeous playing style - only the previous two World Cups it participated in as an example, in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup, the Moroccan team, which was drawn by the Norwegian team in the first round, defeated the Scotland team in the final round, but because the Brazilian team that qualified early lost to the Norwegian team, the Moroccan team was tragically out; In 2018, Morocco returned to the World Cup after 20 years, but was in the same group as Spain and Portugal, facing Iran in the first round, Moroccan striker Bhadouz scored an own goal in the last minute, 2 losses and 1 draw, Morocco finished bottom of the table after the group stage... Will there be poignant bridges this time? Moroccans seem to be saying no.
Morocco's Sabiri (bottom right) celebrates with teammates Aral (top) and Abu Herar after scoring from a free kick on November 27. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jundong
In addition to participating in the World Cup five times, Morocco's fate with the World Cup is that it has bid for the World Cup five times - they have bid for the 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026 tournaments, and they have lost many battles.
Why is Morocco's desire to host the World Cup so strong? In the words of Amrani, CEO of Morocco's 2026 World Cup bid committee, because "Moroccans love football, we believe that football can change people's lives, and that the country can develop in various fields by hosting the World Cup".
The bid for Morocco still lost, losing to the United States, Canada and Mexico, the main reason is that the 2026 World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams, and the number of matches will rise to 80, which puts forward quite high requirements for the hardware facilities and reception capacity of the host country. If Morocco's bid is successful, it will need to be renovated and expanded and new stadiums built. Second, the United States, Canada and Mexico have hosted three international events such as the Men's World Cup, the Women's World Cup and the Olympic Games, and have rich experience in organizing tournaments. Third, the economic strength of the above three countries is stronger than that of Morocco.
Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne (right) fights Morocco's Amara on November 27. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jundong
After the failure of the fifth bid, Morocco was not discouraged, because they also had their own advantages, one is the geographical advantage, Morocco and Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar and in the same time zone as the European continent, which is very friendly for Europe, which has the most participating teams. Second, the land area is not large, and the travel distance is relatively short, which can avoid the need to travel by car, which is confirmed in Qatar, which has a smaller land area.
Morocco will also bid for the 2030 World Cup, which may be another tough battle, because 2030 marks the centennial of the World Cup, and Uruguay, the first World Cup host in 1930, will bid jointly with Argentina, Paraguay and Chile. Even so, it may not shake Morocco's bid ambitions.
Why is Morocco so obsessed with football? An interview experience of a reporter may provide a glimpse of its mystery. At the 2013 Club World Cup in Morocco, hosts Raja Casablanca beat Auckland City, Monterrey and Atletico Mineiro to reach the final, and finally lost to Bayern Munich, Moroccan fans created a "home of the devil" atmosphere, and the crazy cheers of the game interpreted their true love of football. Outside the stadium, when the reporter passed some flooded courts in the middle of the night after interviewing the game, he could still see many people playing football. Their love for football, it's pure.
Morocco's Ashraf (right) shoots on November 27. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Dongzhen
It is precisely because people love it that the football league system here is very sound. Morocco's professional football league is divided into two levels, each with 16 teams, using a "two promotion, two reduction" system of promotion and promotion; The amateur league is divided into three levels and involves 96 teams. In addition, there are 11 regional leagues below. This huge league system is impressive enough for its size and population.
The well-established league system, combined with geographical and linguistic advantages, has helped Morocco to develop many young football talents, many of whom play football in Europe. 20 of the Moroccan squad in the World Cup in Qatar play in the Europa League, including 15 in the five major leagues.
After the upset victory over Belgium in the second round of the group stage at the World Cup in Qatar, Morocco coach Regraj said his side played the best football in the world and "it was a victory for Morocco as a country". And when it comes to team goals, Regragi is loud. "We can play better. I'm not happy with the team having four points so far and I want more. I want the team to qualify. ”
Morocco players after a match on November 27. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jundong
At the 1986 World Cup, Morocco reached the round of 16, becoming the first African team to qualify for the World Cup knockout round. At that time, in the battle with England, Poland and Portugal, the Moroccan team finished first in the group, which shocked many people's jaws.
Will the Moroccan team make new history?
Can Morocco's World Cup "complex" teach us anything?