Manifestations of culture and collective identity that were manifested in the behavior and practices of Moroccans During the Qatar World Cup 2022
- A sociological approach -
During the period from November 20 to December 18 of the last year 2022, the world was on a date with the most prominent sporting event in the history of football, and perhaps the most prominent in the history of sports in general; Especially when it comes to the World Cup tournament organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) every four years since 1930 AD up to the present day.
If there is anything in this 22nd edition of the World Cup that draws attention and interest, it is certainly Qatar hosting this edition. Considering that it is the first Arab country to host a sporting event of this importance.
Certainly, sport is the first and direct axis around which events revolve within this global manifestation, but it is also certain that these events spill over into the aspects of sport and go beyond them, connected to the various dimensions of human existence. Where sports bets combine and intertwine with economic, political and cultural bets that turn this sporting event into a real laboratory, or the epicenter around which the various problems and challenges facing humanity in our current era are concentrated. As soon as it was announced that Qatar is the country that will host the largest football tournament in the world, voices of condemnation and objection came from different parts of the world, questioning the ability of Arab-Islamic culture to coexist with other cultures and exist side by side with them, even if such presence does not exceed a few days.
Despite the succession of days confirming the impressive economic, technological and logistical capacity of this Arab Muslim country to embrace an event of this size. Cultural skepticism continued to haunt it before and during the start of the demonstration, and it seems that this controversy will continue even after its end and the announcement of the winner. And apart from some formal reservations, Qatar was able to draw the world's attention to it and attract people from different civilizations and cultures.
It was indeed a station for expressing the cultural diversity that characterizes the human condition in our current era. In short, this edition of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar has revealed that the cultural issue is at the heart of the bets and challenges facing coexistence between different civilizations and cultures at the present time.
Like all the peoples of the world, Moroccans from all over the world traveled to Qatar to support their national team. All of them are determined and enthusiastic to support their national team, as well as to best represent their cultures and values, whether consciously or spontaneously.
Effectively, the presence of the Moroccans both as a team and fans was so valuable, since they were true ambassadors for their country with the testimony of everyone, as the Moroccan national team was able to overcome the group stage and pass through to the round of 16 and the Quarter-finals, so to bring to an end the series of victories by reaching the golden square and occupying fourth place; ahead of teams with a history full of achievements and high experience in winning such global manifestations; and achieving records that no Arab and African team has ever achieved before.
It was not this sporting achievement alone that drew attention to the Moroccan presence in the Qatar version of the World Cup. Rather, what drew the world's attention more to this presence was the culture of Moroccans, their values, the strength of social bonds that unite them, and the long-standing customs and traditions, not being different in this, whether they live inside or outside Morocco, as if alienation only increases Moroccans' attachment to their identity and its authenticity. Perhaps this special and attention-grabbing presence is what prompted us, as researchers in the social sciences, to shed light on the manifestations of culture and collective identity that were manifested in the behavior and practices of Moroccans, and to carry out a study that falls within the framework of cultural sociology, in order to analyze these behaviors and understand its meanings and implications.
It should be noted that the controlling objectives of this study do not depart, in any way, from the circle of science and the development of our knowledge of human behavior in general. Therefore, it must be recalled that we do not absolutely need to know the identity of the participants in this study, yet we must not fail to extend our thanks and gratitude to them for their cooperation and their automatic response to our questions:
1. What do you think of the technical and artistic level with which the Moroccan national team appeared in FIFA World Cup competitions in Qatar? Can you explain to us the secret of the Moroccan national team's superiority over international teams such as Belgium, Spain and Portugal?
2. What do you think of Walid Regragui as a national coach? Did he succeed in his mission? If so, what is the secret of his success?
3. What is the difference, in your opinion, between Moroccan players and their counterparts from other teams?
4. When Moroccan players score a goal against their opponent, they prostrate in celebration. Some international newspapers even called them the prostration team. What do you think of this behavior of the Moroccan players?
5. The national coach, Walid Regragui, asked the Moroccans to have Nia (faith/ Intention/ will…). What did you understand from that?
6. If an Arab team faces a team that includes international stars that you love and admire, would you support the Arab team or your favorite international team? Justify your answer.
7. If an African team faces a team that includes international stars that you love and admire, would you support the African team or your favorite international team? Justify your answer.
8. If an Arab team faces a non-Arab African team, which team would you support? Justify your answer.
9. What do you think about those who say that success comes from parents' satisfaction? Could this have anything to do with football?
10. What do you think about those who say that magic is involved in changing the outcome of a football match or affecting the players and their performance?
11. Why did the German team players put their hands over their mouths? What do you think of what they did?
12. Do you know what the German Minister of the Interior did inside the stadium while watching one of the games? What do you think of what she did?
13. The Moroccan and Arab audiences in general shouted at the top of their voices: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” during the Moroccan team’s confrontation with the French team in the semi-finals, in which French President Emmanuel Macron was present. What does that mean in your opinion?
14. At the opening of the World Cup in Qatar, some Quranic verses were read. What do you think about this?
15. It seems that the presence of women among the fans was significant. How was this presence in Qatar? Are you with it?
16. How did the media in your country of residence deal with the performance of the Moroccan national team on the one hand, and the way they celebrated their victory on the other hand?
Organizational information:
Coordination: Nadia Yaqeen and Dr. Jamal Fazza
Please send your contributions in word and pdf format to the following e-mail:Kora2022@idms-online.de
