January 9, 2023 at 12:45 pm | Published in: Africa, Article, FIFA, International Organisations, Morocco, Opinion

Players of Morocco celebrate after winning the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 quarter final match against Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium on December 10, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. [Evrim Aydın – Anadolu Agency]

Salima BouyardenJanuary 9, 2023

Morocco’s performance in December’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar provided tangible evidence that dual nationals have a role to play in making the world a better place. Fourteen of the twenty-six players in the Moroccan squad have dual nationality; most have experienced migration directly or indirectly as well as glass ceilings in their host or birth countries.

Nevertheless, they succeeded in deconstructing the concept of “borders” by presenting them as something that are not just instruments of separation, but also a common place shared with others. The Morocco national football team was supported by millions of people across the world who crossed the borders and shared the common space.

This common reality revealed various affiliations and a multiple sense of belonging of which the dual nationals were the ambassador. As Head Coach Walid Regragui pointed out about his players, “They also speak Dutch, French, Italian or Spanish. But in the end, they all have a Moroccan heart.” Indeed, Hakim Ziyech, Noussair Mazraoui, Sofyan Amrabat and Zakaria Aboukhlal were born in the Netherlands. “They were trained there and you can see that. They are creative players who think a certain way.”

That Moroccan heart was laid bare for all to see when honour was paid to players’ mothers on the pitch after matches. These noble women were honoured on the greatest stage of the patriarchal world of football and given credit where credit is due. Some people, of course, couldn’t take any of this, the xenophobes, the racists and the far right included. It was their loss.

The Atlas Lions performed with humility and passion. Their dual nationalities and multiple identities were no barrier to being Moroccan and ambassadors of the reality of life for so many people in the 21st century.

In doing so well on the pitch, they provided us with moments of wonder and innocence, as well as incredible passion. Smiles were put on faces and hands were joined together with the values of humility, perseverance, respect and solidarity uppermost. The players reset the role and effect of dual nationality.

We must thank the Moroccan team for this awakening and the torrent of togetherness that carried us along in its wake. The players may not have won the tournament, but they won our hearts, made history and conquered the world.

READ: Despite being the ‘best ever’ FIFA World Cup, the West still resents that it was in Qatar

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

source https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230109-moroccos-footballers-have-reset-the-role-and-effect-of-dual-nationality/