This past Friday, the people of the Netherlands collectively tensed up as their national team went head-to-head with Argentina. In every bar and pub, people could be seen with their eyes screwed shut or bulging in anticipation of the penalty round. With both teams tied, the penalties would determine the winner, so we waited with bated breath and crossed our fingers – and toes.
Unfortunately, the victory was not to be ours, so instead of having a jovial night, those in orange slumped down the street in resignation, knowing that they would not proceed to the finals in this World Cup. Since 1930, the Netherlands had managed to reach the finals three times, so not entering the semi-finals was an unpleasant surprise, particularly because the loss was against Argentina.
The Netherlands has a large Moroccan diaspora, due to the need for unskilled workers in the 1960s. While most Moroccans living here are second or third-generation immigrants, they are still legally considered to be Moroccan rather than Dutch. This distinction has led to a large Moroccan community who still feel extremely connected to their homeland, and who have shown a massive amount of support for Morocco in the recent World Cup.
Abdelmajid, whose family gradually migrated to the Netherlands between 1980 and 1993,
describes the experience of having Morocco surpass the Dutch national team in the World
Cup.
It’s really surreal. I grew up with the understanding that the Dutch football team would always outclass any African nation, including Morocco. To see the home country of my parents break that expectation is absolutely amazing. I will always root for both teams since they both represent me in some way, but to see the one I did not predict get as far as they did is truly an experience I will never forget.
He believes that Morocco’s win is due to the change in attitude toward players. In the past, Morocco had selected players based on their connections rather than their skill and affinity, which ultimately hampered their performance.
As an African living in the Netherlands, I, myself, had been supporting both the Netherlands and Morocco. Although the defeat of the Dutch national team was hard to bear, I cannot deny that seeing Morocco make it further than any other African national team is inspiring.
Morocco will have their next match on Wednesday against France, a serious contender for the Cup, having won it twice before. The match will be particularly interesting because many members of the French national team are of African heritage, and because there is a bad political history between the countries, namely the French conquest of Morocco in the early 1900s.
The French-Moroccan match will be a stamp in history no matter the outcome, and it could go down as an epic cornerstone for African nations if Morocco emerges victorious. I know I’m not going to miss a second, and I hope that you won’t either.
