Heavy presence in cafes and fan areas

Moroccan fans celebrate the victory over Belgium: "Congratulations to us for the start.. it is still still."

• Great joy for the Moroccan fans after the victory over Belgium.

  Photography: Osama Abu Ghanem

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Yesterday evening, Moroccan fans residing in the UAE celebrated the great victory of the "Atlas Lions" team over Belgium in the second round of Group F matches of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Moroccan fans in the UAE crawled to cafes and fan areas to support their country's national team in its second match against Belgium, to achieve a positive result in its second World Cup match, hoping to improve the Arab results in the second round, after the teams of Qatar, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia lost successively in the second round of the World Cup.

Moroccan fans of all ages responded to the campaign launched by his supporters on social media platforms, which carried the slogan “The Moroccan national team needs the audience’s voice.” The attendance was massive, as the cafes in Ajman were filled to the point that some had to follow the meeting from the standing position, because there were no empty seats. During the time of the match, especially in the cafes that used to witness the presence of Moroccans throughout the year.

This comes after many cafes and fan areas announced initiatives to attract the masses, to encourage the Moroccan national team during its global mission, which reflects the positive image of Arab football and its fans internationally, and their passion for football, and builds a cultural bridge between the Arab masses to support their representatives in the Qatar World Cup.

It was remarkable that the masses of both sexes were present in the cafes two hours or more before the scheduled date for the match, as Moroccan chants and songs were released, to the tune of Moroccan teams that were used by the owners of the cafes.

One of the most prominent chants sung by the Moroccan fans was, "Congratulations on this beginning, still... still."

The owner of the "Casa Café" restaurant, Yahya Zakaria, confirmed that the management decided to use a Moroccan band that came specifically from Dubai, to interact with the Moroccan fans who came massively to support the Lions in front of Belgium.

He told "Emirates Today": "Many Moroccan fans come to us specially from all the cities of the country, given the nature of the atmosphere that surrounds the place, with which the Moroccan fan feels that he is supporting the national team from his country."

He added, "We do not present this atmosphere only to the Moroccan fans, but also to the fans of the Saudi, Tunisian and Qatari teams participating in the World Cup. The goal is to extinguish the traditions of encouraging the fans of those teams in the café to gain encouragement and some privacy."

Fan Akram El Touri commented on the presence of Moroccan fans in cafes, saying: "Many people prefer to watch matches in cafes, because watching in homes takes place in a family and quiet atmosphere, while cafes outside are filled with enthusiastic encouragement."

He added, "Moroccans in particular breathe football, even in their regular sessions and meetings in cafes, public spaces, tourist and recreational restaurants, let alone if it comes to the participation of the (Atlas Lions) team."

After the end of the match, the streets and squares were crowded with fans who came out celebrating the historic victory over Belgium and approaching a big step towards qualifying for the second round, carrying flags and pictures of the Lions stars, such as Ashraf Hakimi and Hakim Ziyech.

He stressed, "To play the first two matches with the runner-up of the last edition of the World Cup and the second-placed player in the world rankings, this represents great pressure on the Moroccan national team and also on its fans, but in general the team played well and made us feel proud of its levels."

He added, “Even if we did not officially advance to the second round, hopes remain dependent on the next match against Canada, which is much easier than Croatia and Belgium. When we got to the second floor.

To view an electronic supplement .. the World Cup teams, 

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