About the laughter of the Moroccan football team’s players
If there were no international football competitions, there would not be many opportunities to hear the national anthem. In those rare moments when it is heard, a surge of patriotism arises among the spectator-supporters, who watch the attitude of the players to measure their attachment, not to the team, but to the nation.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021, Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium, Rabat, the national anthem resounds in the stadium during the match between the national team and Guinea-Bissau. The camera sweeps over the faces of the national team players. Some, lips closed, look up to the sky. Others are laughing, in the grip of an uncontrollable giggle. They are Anas Z., a goalkeeper with Raja, Zakaria A. and Soufiane K., two players from the Dutch league, and Sami M., a central defender with a Hungarian club.
The photo and video showing this inappropriate and inadmissible attitude of these four players of the Moroccan selection have gone viral. They have made the rounds of social networks. The indignation of Moroccan Internet users is at its peak. This incident is not isolated. As matches go by, more and more of the national team’s players are showing little enthusiasm or even refraining from singing the national anthem. The cameras, no doubt embarrassed to stare at these silent footballers, quickly turn to the spectators.
The national team players must affirm their belonging and support by giving their voices to the solemn moment that precedes the match. FIFA regulations stipulate that the anthems must be played before the match. The singing of the anthem is not an official diktat. There is a different, more emotional, patriotic reason for singing it.
The Moroccan Football Association, headed by Fouzi Lekjaa (newly appointed budget minister by the King),
spends huge sums of money on maintaining and recruiting new players for the national team. The aim is to raise the country’s profile on the international stage.
But, in the absence of great results, the minimum that should be required is respect for the national anthem and to show allegiance to the homeland. At least, respect for the Moroccan taxpayer who gives his money to bring back players who do not even bother to pretend to sing it.
If there were no international football competitions, there would not be many opportunities to hear the national anthem. In those rare moments when it is heard, a surge of patriotism arises among spectators and fans, who watch the attitude of the players to measure their attachment, not to the team, but to the nation.
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