Back in 1984, when Saïd Aouita and Nawal El Moutawakel returned to Morocco having won gold at the Los Angeles Olympics, King Hassan II is said to have told both athletes they had put Morocco on the world map. The King, in fact, was so proud of their achievements that he recommended that all girls born in the remainder of that year be called “Nawal” in homage of the then 22-year-old 400m hurdler who became a hero for every female athlete in Morocco and in the Arab region.
I was only two years old at the time and do not remember the elation in the country and I do not have any clear memories of two years later when the football team made history by reaching the last 16 of the World Cup, the first African country to do so; just a blur of everyone being happy and cheerful in the middle of a summer night.
My first actual memory of Morocco at a World Cup was the disappointment of USA 94 when they lost all three group games, followed by the emotional rollercoaster of France four years later when not even a 3-0 victory against Scotland was enough to get out of the group.
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I was sad and jealous. I was envious of those who were able to remember clearly what had happened in Mexico in 1986 but also of what Cameroon had achieved in Italy in 1990 when they got to the quarter‑finals, even if I supported them and tried to imitate the famous Roger Milla dance every time I was scoring a goal while playing with my classmates or friends.
In 2004 the Atlas Lions reached the Africa Cup of Nations final but lost against the hosts Tunisia. “I think what we always lacked was faith and self-confidence,” says Khalid Fouhami, one of the key players of that Tunisian journey. “Values of solidarity – all for one and one for all – are really important,” the goalkeeper adds. “And that precisely is what we had back in 2004.”
In front of Fouhami on the right side of the defence, Morocco had a warrior called Walid Regragui. At the time he made the pledge to one day become the country’s national team manager and take them to the World Cup.
But after that run to the final in 2004 there was … nothing. The Atlas Lions turned into toothless cats and it took them 18 years to find their lost glory. And how they have found a way to roar again. It was only three months ago that Regragui got the call to take over the team and fulfil his destiny. He has already become a legend together with the 26 players in the squad. Those men have brought a feeling of pride to the country, a feeling that was completely absent a decade or so ago.
“Of course, we feel proud,” says Fouhami. “But above that, we feel uninhibited in the face of teams that are stronger than us.” Fouhami, part of a side that came close to qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, is happy for his former teammate and friend. “Walid’s achievement gives credit to Moroccan managers and the work that has been done for a couple of years now.” He also believes the Moroccan team’s performance is opening a “new era” for players and coaches around the world, where underdogs can dream of achieving big things.
For me the Moroccan journey in Qatar is renewing the feeling of pride among the people of my country. When the referee Facundo Tello blew the final whistle that ensured Morocco had beaten Portugal in the quarter-final there were eight players on the pitch who grew up in Morocco and learned their football in the country’s academies and clubs.
It showed that the talk about there being a difference between those born and trained abroad and those not was simply not true. The players have all been as one and they have all been legendary. This also sends a strong message to everybody in the kingdom, that no matter what hurdles and difficulties you face, if you put your heart and soul in your dreams, they might just come true.
And that message, of course, is far more important than any sporting achievement, including a World Cup semi‑final. When I first started as a journalist, a little over 10 years ago, my aim was to share my passion with a wider public to show just how much football, and sports in general, can transform the lives of not only the active stakeholders but literally everyone.
There were times I had to ask myself: “Is that even true? Isn’t this about my ego and my desire to thrive for success?” And I had to be honest and admit that at times it was. At other times I was thinking that it was not worth it. But then an inspiring moment would come along and rejuvenate the faith that first drove me into this field of work. People would come up to me in the streets and encourage me and say what I had written made sense to them and we would share our stories and common memories around football.
When Morocco beat Belgium in the group stage of this World Cup I knew my beliefs and the motivation behind my football passion was not only about performance. It was about life. Victory against Spain and then Portugal made it even more tangible. In life, you won’t always be the best, nor will you be the one with many options. But you have to adapt to every situation and use whatever fair means and an awful lot of hard work and dedication to make it. The Atlas Lions have done just that and showed the world, themselves included, that faith and belief are the starting point to every journey and that, by working hard on it, you might just make your wildest dreams come true.
Morocco is back on the world map again and, 38 years after Aouita and Moutawakel’s achievements, 26 Lions and their managing team have became a source of inspiration for many generations to come, whatever happens in the next few days.
Amine El Amri is a sports journalist working for Le Matin in Morocco
