‘Let’s all get behind Les Bleus for victory!’ tweeted Emmanuel Macron shortly before France and Morocco met last night in Qatar in the semi-final of the World Cup. ‘Without ever forgetting that sport brings us together above all in the respect and friendship between our two nations.’
A worthy sentiment from the president but not everyone listened: certainly not some of the Moroccan fans in the Al Bayt Stadium, who greeted the playing of the La Marseillaise with a cacophony of whistling.
As for the match itself, the French did to Morocco what they had done to England in the quarter-final, punishing the profligacy of their opponents with two clinical strikes in a pulsating contest. That the Moroccan players looked a little nervous was perhaps to be expected; the pressure on their shoulders was huge what with the pre-match hype about the significance of their being the first Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.
This World Cup has, to paraphrase Emmanuel Macron, brought French and Moroccan fans together
As Issandr El Amrani put it in the New York Times, Morocco’s superb performances in Qatar ‘captures a special moment for Moroccans and many others from the Arab world and beyond’.
Many neutrals, whether they were watching in Cairo, Carlisle or Canberra would have been rooting last night for the underdog Moroccans, although they wouldn’t have seen it in the same light as El Amrani, ‘a tale of global south revanchism against former colonial powers and historic adversaries’.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in