Morocco fans show their love for Palestine at Qatar World Cup

Chants of 'Free Palestine' rang around the stadium during Morocco's win against Belgium on Sunday.

Palestinians were quick to congratulate the Morocco team on their historic win

 [Getty images]

The New Arab Staff
28 November, 2022

Moroccan fans sang and chanted in support of Palestine on Sunday during a famous World Cup win for the Atlas Lions over Belgium.

A huge Palestinian flag was unfurled in the second half in the Moroccan stand, as viewers tuned in from around the world to see the footballing upset unfold.

Despite the celebrations over their historic World Cup triumph over Belgium, ranked second in the world, Moroccan supporters were determined to keep Palestine in the limelight.

As the jubilant fans left the stadium, Moroccans partied on the streets of Qatar singing "We won't let anything happen to you Gaza, even though you're far away".

During a pre-World Cup friendly, Morocco beat Palestine 4-0 in the FIFA Arab Cup this year, which saw cordial and good-natured rapport between the two sets of fans.

After the Morocco win, Palestinians were quick to congratulate their North African cousins.

The popular shows of solidarity with the Palestinian cause during the World Cup highlight the widespread unease in Morocco with Rabat's decision to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.

In a stunning revelation, Morocco's former prime minister said this week that signing the normalisation deal with Israel in 2020 was "painful" and he was "pressured" by higher authority.

After sealing the deal, the US recognised Morocco's sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, widely seen as a "reward" for normalisation.

Morocco's win over Belgium is the latest scalp of football giants claimed by Arab teams - widely viewed as underdogs in the tournament.

Saudi Arabia made history by beating Argentina - one of the favourites to lift the trophy - in their first game in the 2022 World Cup.

To keep the run going, Tunisia will have to pull off a miraculous victory over cup holders France on Wednesday.