How morocco in the world cup football semi finals is not a fluke

How morocco in the world cup football semi finals is not a fluke

Mass migration from Africa to Europe has played a big role in refreshingly inclusive teams like France carrying home the Cup.

England in 1990, Turkey 12 years later and Uruguay in 2010. Over the years, these three European teams have broken several African hearts. They have been responsible for ending the fairytale World Cup run of Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana at the quarter-finals stage. For decades now, while players with African roots have been the jewels that have sparkled for their adopted countries, the teams from the second largest continent have briefly flickered but eventually faded at the biggest sporting stage of the worlds’ most popular sport. Even in this World Cup, more than 50 Africa-origin players are representing 11 non-African teams. Mass migration from Africa to Europe has played a big role in refreshingly inclusive teams like France carrying home the Cup.

This time around Morocco seems on a mission to set the record straight. They have wiped off three decades of hurt for the football-obsessed continent and asserted their superiority over Europe. They beat title contenders Belgium, Spain and Portugal, and held fellow semifinalists, Croatia. Their win over Portugal in the quarter-final has set off a series of firsts: the first African nation in the semifinals of the World Cup, the first Arab nation to enter the last four and the first team with an Arab coach, Walid Regragui, at the helm to reach this far. African players, it used to be generalised rather lazily, had the physical strength and the stamina to outlast their opponents but lacked the tactical nous, mental strength and discipline required to win big games; that they had skills but lacked strategy. Morocco has shattered these stereotypes. They haven’t reached this far by fluke. Regragui has a plan for each team and his players have executed it to the T. In each of those matches, it was their off-the-ball tactics that shone, making defending look like an art rather than an act of desperation. They have also been creative and ruthless in converting the few chances that have come their way.

There have been many instances in the past that suggest this could be another false dawn for African football: The great Cameroon, Senegalese, Nigerian and Ghanaian sides of the past had flattered to deceive. But this Moroccan side has the skills, stamina and tactical nous to not only dethrone world champions France, who they face in the semis, but also go all the way. Pele’s prophecy regarding an African side becoming champion can become a reality. It was in the late 1970s that the Brazilian great said “an African nation will win the World Cup before the year 2000”. The prediction failed the test of time but the Atlas Lions at Qatar have taken a giant step towards that African dream. And not just Pele, now the world believes in Morocco, and Africa.