Football games are emotional. In the French capital Paris, not only were the victories of the “Equipe Tricolore” celebrated during these weeks, but also after the success of the “Atlas Löwen” from Morocco, there were cheering fans on many streets. The winners of the semi-final between France and Morocco could therefore be celebrated very emotionally on Wednesday evening.
This is where other emotions come into play. While the winners are happy, the losers are often frustrated. Should France prepare for violent clashes after World Cup semi-finals?
French-Moroccan relationship before the acid test
The relationship between Moroccans and the French is actually experienced as relaxed. The Moroccans, who became independent in 1956 without bloodshed, are sometimes confident about the former colonial power.
After all, 1.5 million of them live in France, often in the third and fourth generation. They are firmly integrated and work as bus drivers or dentists. Some have come a long way, such as former minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem (45), writer Tahar Ben Jelloun (78) or UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay (50).
Violence on the Champs-Élysées
The other side was recently seen on the Champs-Élysées, among others, where Moroccan fans allegedly attacked police officers after the quarterfinals. The rioters retrieved their projectiles from a construction site, among other things.
The situation in Milan escalated even worse, the “Gazzetta dello Sport” reported. A 30-year-old, who was trying to settle a dispute between revelers, was the victim of a knife attack in the northern Italian metropolis. The seriously injured man is reportedly still in life-threatening condition.
So there is a lot of fuel in Wednesday’s game. The French police are preparing at full speed. 10,000 agents were mobilized throughout France. This was announced by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. About half of this is destined for the Greater Paris region. The state also wants to ensure security in the face of possible terrorist threats.
Philosopher Alain Finkielkraut warns
French right-wing populists wanted to take advantage of the riots in the run-up to the semi-finals. The ultra-conservative Eric Zemmour (64) agreed «BFMTV»that one cannot be a supporter of two countries and that he finds it «strange» if more people are happy with the victory of Morocco than with the victory of the French.
The French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut (73) warned in a French television program that “the illusion of living together could be seriously dented”.
The French newspapers, on the other hand, take a more conciliatory tone. “Whatever the outcome of the game, the tears that will inevitably flow on one side or the other of the Mediterranean must not be too bitter,” writes, for example, the local newspaper “Le Parisien”. And so the question that hangs over this semi-final at the World Cup in Qatar is: what happens after the game?