“Africa’s” Morocco at Qatar 2022

In his ‘I Say So’ column today, regular New Vision columnist, Charles Mutebi is spot-on concerning the “African” football success that has been Morocco at this year’s Fifa World Cup which is approaching its climax. The euphoria by Africans about Morocco’s giant killing and unprecedented qualification to the semi-finals against France on Tuesday is for me a bit dubious when it is presented as an unqualified African success at Qatar 2022 and begs some questions.

As Mutebi asks, which between France and Morocco is more representative of Africa both in terms of feeling and otherwise? Is it Morocco with just four squad players born and playing in Africa; or is it France with at least 10 squads-men of African heritage including star striker Kylian Mbappe?

Do the Moroccan team themselves present and actually view their exploits thus far as those of Africa or those of the Arab world? Or do they simply see them as a Moroccan success story, which indeed they are? I will not presume to answer those questions in a public forum such as this.

For those with short memories, here is a brief lesson in history. In 1984 Morocco quit the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), annoyed by all other African countries’ recognition of the Saharawi Republic as a nation and admission into the organisation. Morocco, in the view of other African countries then was a coloniser of the Saharawi people and like they had fought colonialism by the Europeans felt it was right to fight colonialism by whomsoever perpetrated it. Only recently after nearly 40 years did Morocco, tail between legs, beg to be, and was readmitted into the African Union that replaced the OAU. In the intervening period, Morocco, not feeling African enough, in 1987 sought to join the European Economic Community (now known as the European Union). Not surprisingly, the Europeans turned the request down pleading that Morocco was not European enough!

So there you have it. And now back to football. So when the Morocco-France game happens where should true Africans’ support be? That is not for me to say. My personal instinct when Uganda is not involved as a nation is to reserve my sympathies for the underdog. In this case it is clearly Morocco in spite of what the team have done so far. But that stance is not because Morocco is an African country, because at least its leadership has demonstrated in the past that its African-ness, unlike mine, is transient.

HGK Nyakoojo Buziga, Kampala