A devastating defeat.An unexpected victory – Northern Times

The Dutch people were collectively nervous last Friday as the national team went head-to-head with Argentina. In every bar and pub, people were seen closing their eyes or puffing out in anticipation of his round of penalties. We waited with bated breath and crossed our fingers and toes as both teams were in a draw and penalties decided the winner.

Unfortunately, victory wasn’t ours, so instead of having a jolly evening, the people in orange gave up and walked down the street, knowing they wouldn’t make it to the final of this World Cup. Since 1930, the Netherlands have reached the final three times, and it was an unpleasant surprise to fail to reach the semi-finals, especially after losing to Argentina.

The Netherlands has a large Moroccan diaspora due to the need for unskilled workers in the 1960s. Most Moroccans living here are second or third generation immigrants, but legally they are considered Moroccans, not Dutch. This difference has led to the creation of a large Moroccan her community, who still feel a strong connection to their homeland, and has shown tremendous support for Morocco at the recent World Cup.

From 1980 to 1993, Abdelmajid, whose family gradually migrated to the Netherlands,
Explains Morocco’s experience of outperforming the Dutch national team at the world
cup.

Really surreal. I grew up with the understanding that the Dutch football team is better than any other African country, including Morocco. It’s really nice to see my parents’ home country beat that expectation. I will always root for both teams because they both represent me in some way, but seeing a team I didn’t expect to reach as far as they did was a blast. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

He attributes Morocco’s victory to a change in attitude towards their players. Historically, Morocco have selected players based on their connections rather than their skill or affinity, ultimately hindering their performance.

As an African living in the Netherlands myself, I have supported both the Netherlands and Morocco. The Dutch national team’s defeat was excruciating, but there’s no denying that it’s exciting to see Morocco go further than any other African national team.

Morocco will play their next match against France on Wednesday. France are serious contenders for the Cup and she has won it twice in the past. The match will be particularly interesting as many members of the French national team are of African descent and the two countries have a bad political history, including the French conquest of Morocco in the early 1900s.

Regardless of the outcome, the match between France and Morocco will go down in history, and if Morocco wins, it could become a grand cornerstone for the African nation. I know I’m not going to miss a single second.