Human rights at centre of spat between South Africa and Morocco economic giants

The diplomatic tension between South Africa and Morocco, two of Africa’s biggest economies sitting on the south and north ends of the continent respectively, does not seem to be waning. 

Picture: Masi Losi


Published 13h ago
Dr Sizo Nkala

The diplomatic tension between South Africa and Morocco, two of Africa’s biggest economies sitting on the south and north ends of the continent respectively, does not seem to be waning.

In a rematch of the two countries’ competing bids to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the early 2000s, they locked horns again for the prestigious post of the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the 10th of January.

This time around, the fortunes were reversed. While South Africa managed to outsmart Morocco in the race to host the football extravaganza, the latter emerged the winner in the contest for the UNHRC presidency, having garnered 30 votes to South Africa’s 17.

The leadership of the UNHRC is rotational with the five world regions represented in the 47-member council taking turns to lead the body every year. On its turns, the African bloc usually chooses one of its members to assume the presidency through unanimous endorsement without the need to go to a secret ballot.

That this time around, the African presidency had to be decided by a secret ballot, reflects the poor state of diplomatic relations between Morocco and South Africa.

Under normal circumstances, the two countries could have settled this bilaterally amongst themselves. However, there is nothing normal about the circumstances surrounding the relationship between Rabat and Pretoria.

Just before the ballot, the South African ambassador, Mxolisi Nkosi, expressed his unequivocal disapproval of the Moroccan presidency of the UNHRC. Nkosi was quoted as saying that the North African country was the “antithesis of what the council stands for”, adding that its election will harm the legitimacy and credibility of the UNHRC.

Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shot back claiming that the widespread support of its presidency “in spite of Algeria’s and South Africa’s efforts to counter it, demonstrates the trust and the credibility inspired by Morocco’s external actions”. This was a very rare public spat between African countries on a UN platform.

South Africa and Morocco have been engaged in a long-running diplomatic feud over the status of the Western Saharan territory known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).

Morocco controversially claimed sovereignty over the territory which it calls its southern province after the end of its colonisation by Spain in 1975. These claims triggered a 15-year armed confrontation between Morocco and the Polisario Front which represented the inhabitants of the Western Sahara.

The Polisario Front proclaimed the SADR as a sovereign and independent state. The war came to a stalemate and a ceasefire was declared in 1991 under the supervision of the UN in preparation for a referendum to settle the dispute on the status of the Western Sahara.

However, the referendum has not materialised and this is widely attributed to Morocco’s resistance as it reportedly believes it would lose the plebiscite. Having had enough of Morocco’s delaying antics, South Africa decided to recognise the Western Sahara as a sovereign territory in 2004 and established diplomatic relations, citing principles of self-determination, human rights, and decolonisation.

In his address at the opening of the Pan-African Parliament in 2004 in South Africa, then South African president Thabo Mbeki said that “it is a matter of great shame and regret to all of us that nevertheless the issue of self-determination for the people of Western Sahara remains unresolved”.

He added: “This presents all of us with the challenge to ensure that we do everything possible to ensure that these sister people also enjoy this fundamental and inalienable right, whose defence by the entirety of our continent brought us our own freedom.”

To register its displeasure at South Africa’s decision to recognise the SADR, which it saw as a violation of its territorial integrity, Morocco recalled its ambassador to South Africa, thus effectively severing diplomatic ties.

Although the two countries have made efforts to normalise their relations, not much headway has been made. In 2017, South Africa was one of the countries that voted against Morocco’s readmission to the African Union (AU) after having abandoned its membership of the continental body 33 years earlier. South Africa wanted guarantees that Rabat would not use its AU seat to force the SADR out of the organisation.

The Organization of African Unity (OAU)’s recognition of the SADR was the cause of Morocco’s withdrawal from the organisation in 1984. Further, South Africa also voted against Morocco’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in 2018. This is despite the fact that Morocco was the only African country bidding to host the tournament.

Just like they sit on the extreme opposite ends of the continent, Morocco and South Africa are also perched on the opposite ends of the ideological spectrum when it comes to contentious global issues.

For example, in the Russia-Ukraine war, Morocco voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while South Africa abstained claiming to be neutral. In the Israel-Palestine conflict, Morocco has come out in support of Israel while South Africa has staunchly defended Palestine’s right to self-determination.

In the broader ongoing geopolitical realignment, Morocco seems to be leaning more towards the West while South Africa is positioning itself in the Global South camp as demonstrated by its active involvement in the BRICS group.

Despite being invited, Morocco refused to attend the BRICS Africa Outreach dialogue during the BRICS Summit last August.

Further, Morocco’s position on Israel seems to have been the result of a transactional bargain with the US where the latter committed to support Rabat’s claims on the Western Sahara in return for normalising ties with Israel. In the final analysis, the net outcome of two of Africa’s most influential countries not being on talking terms is negative.

This is not least because a divided continent will only be used as a pawn in the geopolitical schemes of the world’s major powers. The continent would benefit more if Pretoria and Rabat make an effort to close ranks and pull in the same direction.

* Nkala is a Research Fellow at the University of Johannesburg's Centre for Africa-China Studies

What to know about the Morocco earthquake and the efforts to help


A man on a scooter drives past rubble and a damaged road sign pointing to Marrakech in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. 

A victim is carried away by rescue workers in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. 

A victim covered in a sheet is carried to a grave that has just been dug in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco

Mannequins are strewn across the rubble in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. 

(Fernando Sanchez/Europa Press via AP)

BY SAM METZ
September 13, 2023

AMIZMIZ, Morocco (AP) — An earthquake has sown destruction and devastation in Morocco, where death and injury counts continue to rise after rescue crews dug out people both alive and dead in villages that were reduced to rubble.

Law enforcement and aid workers — both Moroccan and international — have arrived in the region south of the city of Marrakech that was hardest hit by the magnitude 6.8 tremor Friday night, along with several aftershocks.

Residents in most places have been provided food and water, and most of the giant boulders blocking steep mountain roads have been cleared. But worries remain about shelter and long-term recovery efforts in impoverished mountain regions hardest hit.

Here’s what you need to know:

WHAT ARE THE AREAS MOST AFFECTED?


Powerful quake in Morocco kills more than 2,000 people and damages historic buildings in Marrakech

Moroccan villagers mourn after earthquake brings destruction to their rural mountain home

The epicenter was high in the Atlas Mountains, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Marrakech in Al Haouz province.

The region is largely rural — made up of red-rock mountains, picturesque gorges and glistening streams and lakes.

The earthquake shook most of Morocco and caused injury and death in other provinces, including Marrakech, Taroudant and Chichaoua.

WHO WAS AFFECTED?

Of the 2,946 deaths reported as of Wednesday, 1,684 were in Al Haouz, a region with a population of around 570,000, according to Morocco’s 2014 census.

In certain villages such as Tafeghaghte, residents say more than half the population died. The United Nations has estimated that 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s temblor.

People speak a combination of Arabic and Tachelhit, Morocco’s most common Indigenous language. Villages of clay and mud brick built into mountainsides have been destroyed.

People recover a washing machine from their home that was damaged by the earthquake, in the town of Amizmiz, near Marrakech, Morocco, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. An aftershock rattled Moroccans on Sunday as they prayed for victims of the nation’s strongest earthquake in more than a century and toiled to rescue survivors while soldiers and workers brought water and supplies to desperate mountain villages in ruins. 

(AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

Most of the dead have already been buried. The government reports 2,501 injuries.

WHO IS PROVIDING AID?

Morocco has deployed ambulances, rescue crews and soldiers to the region to help assist with emergency response efforts.

Aid groups said the government hasn’t made a broad appeal for help and accepted only limited foreign assistance.

The Interior Ministry said that it was accepting search and rescue-focused international aid from nongovernmental organizations as well as Spain, Qatar, the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates, bypassing offers from French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Moroccan government said that poorly coordinated aid “would be counterproductive,” to the frustration of rescue teams.

HOW CAN PEOPLE HELP?

Experts say the most direct way to provide aid to those affected in the city of Marrakech and the rural areas in the Atlas Mountains is to donate to organizations that have operations already on the ground.

That includes the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which quickly released $1.1 million from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund to support Moroccan Red Crescent relief efforts in the country.

It also includes World Central Kitchen, Doctors Without Borders, and GlobalGiving, which created a Morocco Earthquake Relief Fund and had raised more than $500,000 as of Tuesday morning.

WHY ARE MARRAKECH AND THE REGION HISTORIC?

The earthquake cracked and crumbled parts of the walls that surround Marrakech’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 12th century.

Videos showed dust emanating from parts of the Koutoubia Mosque, one of the city’s best-known historic sites. The city is Morocco’s most widely visited destination, known for its palaces, spice markets, madrasas and Jemaa El Fna — its noisy square full of food vendors and musicians.

The earthquake also wreaked havoc on significant historical sites in the High Atlas. They include a 12th-century mosque in Tinmel built by the Almohad Dynasty under Ibn Toumert, a 19th-century kasbah built near Talat N’Yakoub and a significant mosque and pilgrimage site in Moulay Brahim.

“While most tourists may know about famous monuments in large cities, smaller villages contain their own monuments that have suffered from marginalization for decades,” said Brahim El Guabli, an Amazigh studies scholar and associate professor of Arabic studies at Williams College. “The entire Moroccan High Atlas is strewn with important historical monuments.”

A cracked wall showing Morocco’s flag and a writing in Arabic that reads:" God, the Nation, the King,” in the town of Amizmiz, near Marrakech, Morocco, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023. Towns and villages throughout Morocco’s Atlas Mountains are mourning the dead and seeking aid after a record earthquake wreaked destruction throughout the region last week.

 (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)


HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO OTHER QUAKES?

Friday’s earthquake was Morocco’s strongest in more than a century.

Although such powerful tremors are rare, it isn’t the country’s deadliest: Just over 60 years ago, Morocco was rocked by a magnitude-5.8 quake that killed over 12,000 people on its western coast, crumbling the city of Agadir, southwest of Marrakech.

That quake prompted changes in construction rules in Morocco, but many buildings — especially rural homes — aren’t built to withstand such force.

There hadn’t been any earthquakes stronger than magnitude 6.0 within 310 miles (500 kilometers) of Friday’s tremor in at least a century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Northern Morocco experiences earthquakes more often, including tremors of magnitude 6.4 in 2004 and magnitude 6.3 in 2016.

Elsewhere this year, a magnitude 7.8 temblor that shook Syria and Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. Most of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history have been above magnitude 7.0, including a 2015 tremor in Nepal that killed more than 8,800 people and a 2008 quake that killed 87,500 in China.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

Emergency response efforts are likely to continue as teams traverse mountain roads to reach villages hit hardest by the earthquake.

Many communities lack food, water, electricity and shelter. But once aid crews and soldiers leave, the challenges facing hundreds of thousands who call the area home will probably remain.

Members of Morocco’s Parliament convened Monday to create a government fund for earthquake response at the request of King Mohammed VI.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said afterward that the government was committed to compensating victims and helping them rebuild. Enaam Mayara, the president of Morocco’s House of Councilors, said that it would likely take five or six years to rebuild some affected areas.

Moroccan soldiers and personnel evacuate a survivor in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. (Fernando Sanchez/Europa Press via AP)

A victim covered in a sheet is carried to a grave that has just been dug in Talat N’yakoub, Morocco, Monday Sept. 11, 2023. More than 2,000 people were killed, and the toll was expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas after a powerful earthquake struck Morocco. (Fernando Sanchez/Europa Press via AP)

A donkey stands inside a building damaged by the earthquake in the village of Tafeghaghte, near Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Rescue crews expanded their efforts on Monday as the earthquake’s death toll continued to climb to more than 2,400 and displaced people worried about where to find shelter.

A man walks past rubble caused by the earthquake in the village of Tafeghaghte, near Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. 

People and dogs dig through the rubble of a home that was damaged by an earthquake, in the village of Tafeghaghte, near Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023.

A camp set up by the Spanish Military Emergency Unit to assist with the rescue mission for victims of the earthquake, in the town of Amizmiz, near Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Rescue crews expanded their efforts on Monday as the earthquake’s death toll continued to climb to more than 2,400 and displaced people worried about where to find shelter.

 (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)

___

Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Angela Charlton in Paris, Glenn Gamboa in New York, and Will Weissert in Washington, contributed to this report.

The uninvited? How international rescue gets into Morocco

Cathrin Schaer
DW

Was it politics that stopped Morocco from accepting offers of international help after a deadly earthquake? Guidelines on international disaster response mean there's much more to it than that.

Over 2,800 people have died after the Moroccan earthquake and thousands more are injured and homeless

Nacho Doce/REUTERS


The videos on social media are hard to watch. "There is nobody here to help us," an older man in a village near the Tizi N'Test pass in Morocco's Atlas Mountains angrily cries. All around him, red dirt and rubble where houses used to stand, all destroyed by the earthquake that hit the area last Friday night.

He, his son and five others were trying to rescue neighbors from under collapsed buildings, he tells the cameraman, who will eventually publish the video on YouTube.

"Many victims just lay under the ruins until they died," the man said.

"There's nobody here," a woman yells in another video posted on Instagram. "No tents, no other accommodation … we are just living on donations. Where are the officials?"



These cries for help have led Moroccans to question their own government. They are asking why it has so far only accepted help from four countries — the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Qatar and the UK — following the earthquake that killed over 2,800 people. Offers from around 60 other countries have not been accepted.

That has led to international headlines and even caused the French and German governments to publicly deny that Morocco's rejection of their offers to help was political. Moroccan officials have themselves expressed irritation over the controversy and said the French are treating them as though they are backward, the French newspaper, Le Monde, reported this week.

As a sovereign country, Morocco is "the master of its choices, which must be respected," French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said during an interview amid speculation that the unhappy state of diplomatic relations between the two nations was causing Morocco to reject aid from France. This is "a completely inappropriate quarrel," Colonna said.

Spain is one of four countries sending rescuers into Morocco — the two nations have a good relationship

Experts in the field of disaster response agree: While it is true that international rescue efforts are always political in some way, they are also complicated, involving dozens of different actors, and also highly dependent on other circumstances as well.

Ideally, international rescue efforts are meant to be informed by a set of guidelines developed by the Red Cross and Red Crescent between 2001 and 2007. These deal with some of the issues that have hampered international rescue operations in the past. They also state that any disaster response should always begin with domestic efforts and that international rescuers should only enter the country when invited.
How to get an invitation to help?

Firstly, there is a difference between private organizations, non-governmental organizations and charities, and state-funded ones, like the rescue team from Germany's Federal Agency for Technical Relief.

After the February earthquake, German NGOs, like Deathcare, made their way into Turkey earlier this year

Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

It depends on the situation, but private groups may get started without an invitation. For example, because Europeans can get a visa on arrival for Morocco and the airport was safe and open, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, was able to send some people to Morocco on Saturday.

They travel as private citizens, explained Christian Katzer, director of MSF Germany, "and they are mainly there to quickly assess the situation to see if there is a need for our help."

MSF focuses on medical services and staff gauge how Moroccan health services are coping.

"If we identify a gap, then we switch to official channels," Katzer told DW. "We would liaise with a government body to get permission to come in and begin work officially."

It's a different case for state-funded organizations and bodies like the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These adhere to international rules about state sovereignty and cannot enter without an invitation. But bodies like OCHA — which plays a major role in international emergency response — often already have employees in the country.

Earthquake in Morocco: Desperate search for the missing

Following the devastating earthquake in Morocco, the feverish search for the missing continues. But the chances of uncovering survivors fade by the hour.

Image: PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP

Searching for survivors
Amid the dust and rubble, these emergency workers in Amizmiz, Morocco, look for survivors. Four days after the most powerful earthquake in decades, authorities have reported over 2,800 dead and thousands of people are still missing. The earthquake could also be felt in nearby countries, including Portugal and Algeria.

Image: Nacho Doce/REUTERS

2/10

In a background briefing, an OCHA staff member explained to DW that when disaster strikes, members of OCHA's emergency response team are notified on their mobile phones. They then log into an online platform to coordinate any efforts.

Elsewhere, UN representatives inside the impacted country are already establishing contact with the government to offer help. This usually happens very quickly. There's no single hotline to call to ask the UN for help, but there are usually locals working in disaster management who know where to enquire with OCHA.

At the same time, what is known as the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group, or INSARAG, is kicking into action. The group has 90 member countries and coordinates 57 specialized urban search and rescue teams. Morocco has had an INSARAG-accredited rescue team since 2014 and local rescue workers had to take an exam lasting around 70 hours before being allowed to participate.

The international teams are directed by OCHA and will typically be standing by at an airport within hours, waiting to see if their offer of help has been accepted. Everyone involved keeps in touch via OCHA's online coordination platform so they can deploy as quickly as possible.

Morocco's military have been leading rescue efforts

Jean-Baptiste Quentin/dpa/MAXPPP/picture alliance

What aid offers are accepted? It depends.

Which offers of help are accepted comes down to a variety of factors.

It can depend on the disaster itself. For example, how widespread is the damage? Have hospitals been impacted or are health care and rescue workers among the dead? Is there an option for domestic emergency services to take control?

In the case of the February earthquake in Turkey and Syria that killed around 50,000 people, the Turkish government activated INSARAG's multilateral system within hours. In the end, 49 of 57 teams entered the country, fielding around 3,500 people plus rescue dogs.

After Friday's earthquake, Morocco dispatched its own military to help victims and explained that it didn't want too many international rescue teams because it might lead to a "counterproductive" lack of coordination. In 2004, after a smaller Moroccan earthquake, aid flights reportedly jammed local airports and rescue teams damaged roads. This week, it is already proving difficult for rescuers to traverse small, unpaved and now-damaged roads into the worst-affected mountain villages.

Political considerations also influence aid decisions

Invitations are certainly also political. For example, countries may have bilateral agreements to aid one another in an emergency. There are also regional agreements. For instance, Europe has the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has a similar agreement.

Of course, there can also be more problematic politics at play. In February, the fact that the UN delayed earthquake aid efforts in Syria because it was waiting for an invitation from the country's brutal dictator, Bashar Assad, may well have cost more lives.

After the 2011 earthquake in Japan, the Asian nation only accepted help from 24 states and regions even though 163 offered help, one researcher noted in 2014. Internal politics played a part, critics said, and Japan was already well known for bureaucratic delays when it came to allowing foreign teams in. Two days after the 2011 earthquake, Swiss rescuers, who were among the first to arrive, were still waiting for permission to import their search and rescue dogs.

Japan in 2011: The country already had a long history of bureaucracy slowing foreign rescue effort

Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images

However, despite headlines about whether Morocco should be accepting more international aid, most experts with contacts in the field right now are reluctant to criticize Rabat and would only speak off the record about this.

"There are extreme examples," one expert on disaster response explained, "where a government would rather not collaborate with aid organizations and would rather leave their people in misery. In some cases there is also a reticence to request assistance because there is a belief that would make the state look weak."

But this is more the case in extremely authoritarian states, experts noted. In fact, they expect more aid organizations to be able to enter Morocco in the near future after the initial emergency response ends.

Right now though, it is still impossible to say how well Morocco has dealt with the earthquake, said Kirsten Bookmiller, an American professor of government, policy and law and an expert in emergency management at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. "We've had somewhat of an information shortfall here, so it's hard to determine as an external observer," she told DW.

Additionally in situations like this, nobody comes out looking good, the experts all agreed.

"A rescue response will never be fast enough for those devastated by the disaster and seeking to keep their loved ones alive," Bookmiller concluded. For them, "any lost moment is one moment too long."

With additional reporting by Tarek Anegay.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

‘Everything comes back’: Morocco quake leaves mental scars

By AFP
September 12, 2023

In remote villages like Asni, many survivors of the devastating quake are already grappling with post-traumatic stress

 - Copyright AFP/File Rodrigo BUENDIA

Anne-Sophie LABADIE

When Khadija Temera, a survivor of Morocco’s devastating earthquake, was sent to a psychiatrist on Tuesday, she was just one of a hundred newly traumatised patients who would be seen within 24 hours.

The powerful quake last Friday killed more than 2,900 people, most of them in remote villages of the High Atlas Mountains.

Beyond the physical devastation, soldiers and aid workers say it is becoming increasing clear that many of the survivors are facing severe mental suffering.

“The most important thing is that we are alive,” Temera says, her henna-stained fingers fiddling with a piece of paper, her eyes swollen with tears.

But now she wants to “heal her heart”, and on Tuesday she had her first consultation with a psychiatrist, seeking balm for the trauma inflicted by the quake.

She had first gone to see a regular doctor for hypertension.

But Moroccan troops in the area quickly referred her to the psychiatrist, who said he had seen around a hundred patients since the previous day out of the 500 who came to the field hospital in Asni, around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the tourist hub of Marrakesh.

Flashbacks from the fateful day continue to haunt Temera: of stairs collapsing and trapping her and the nine members of her family before they could be rescued.

“I’ve been awake ever since, I can’t fall asleep — as soon as I lie down everything comes back,” said the 68-year-old from the village of Lareb.

– ‘Acute stress’ –

Next to her on a bench, a mute woman was also waiting for a consultation, her hands clasped across her chest and breathing heavily.

She has lost both her children.

After her comes the turn of a man in his thirties, his eyes red from crying.

Of the thousands injured in the powerful earthquake, “some were not only wounded and bruised in their flesh, they were also often ‘bereaved’, having lost their homes”, said Adil Akanour, the only psychiatrist at the makeshift hospital, which was opened to the press on Tuesday.

Meanwhile villagers in more isolated hamlets, which have remained inaccessible, told AFP of their isolation and the absence of aid.

Survivors find themselves in a “state of acute stress with symptoms, often physical at first”, Akanour said, adding that dizziness, palpitations, headaches and abdominal pain can be symptoms that “hide” a psychological problem.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly everyone who experiences such an emergency will suffer some psychological problems which, in most cases, will fade with time.

– ‘There’s nothing left’ –

The separation of families, insecurity, loss of livelihoods and disruption of social contacts are all potential psychological problems, according to the UN organisation, which recommends urgent care to prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorders.

The 6.8-magnitude quake that struck on September 8 was the most powerful ever recorded in the kingdom, with the provisional toll of 2,900 people dead likely to rise.

Entire villages were swallowed up, and with them the lives of hundreds of modest families.

Thousands of people were left homeless, the majority now living alone in makeshift tents or, for a few such as Mouhamed El Makhconi, sheltering in genuine windproof tents provided by the interior ministry.

“I was the only one providing for my family,” the 60-year old said with a resigned, toothless smile.

He did so by selling jewellery to tourists heading to the summits of the High Atlas mountain range that dominates the landscape.

But now “there’s nothing left” of his ground-floor apartment, leaving him and his eight-member family destitute.

“I haven’t even got a dirham on me,” he sighs, sitting outside the tent. He had to be provided with everything from blankets to glasses.

Adding to his desperation are the sounds of the earthquake that remain resonant in his memory.

He too cannot sleep, saying he can still feel the tremors and the waves of fear that went through his body.

But El Makhconi has not consulted a psychiatrist, largely because he needs to sort out his diabetes first.

His grandchildren have not been examined either. They are still terrified at times and miss their toys, including the bendir, a much-loved percussion instrument.

Aid slow to arrive to quake-hit Moroccan villages

13/09/2023 - 

05:14

France 24's Luke Shrago reports from Marrakesh, Morocco, where he says some quake-hit villages have been forced to rely on aid from ordinary Moroccans as government disaster relief efforts fail to arrive.

FRANCE 2 MOROCCO 0

Morocco World Cup wins stir mixed feelings in Western Sahara






A woman wearing a Sahrawis traditional outfit celebrates Morocco's World Cup victory against Portugal in the Morocco-administered Western Sahara city of Laayoune, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. 

(AP Photo/Noureddine Abakchou)


Wed, December 14, 2022 

LAAYOUNE, Western Sahara (AP) After the final whistle of every match Morocco won in its history-making World Cup run, crowds poured out of homes and cafes in the biggest city of Western Sahara, celebrating for hours.

The revelers included some Sahrawi people, members of an ethnic group that has sought independence for Western Sahara since Morocco annexed the disputed territory in 1975. Other Sahrawis rooted for Morocco's defeat on the soccer field or refused to take part in the celebrations.

They accuse Moroccan authorities of increasingly cracking down on independence activists, and of touting the World Cup team's success in Qatar to distract the population from economic challenges.

But the presence of some Sahrawi fans cheering for Morocco in the streets of Laayoune illustrates the unifying power of the first Arab or African team to advance so far in the world's biggest sporting event. Morocco's national team, known as the Atlas Lions, faces defending champion France in Wednesday's semifinal.

Al-Salik Al-Yazid, a young Sahrawi in Laayoune, said ''the historic success of the Moroccan national team'' has created a collective feeling of ''overwhelming joy that included all Arabs and Africans, despite the constant discontent with the Moroccan state.''

He called it a sign of gradually shifting mindsets among younger Sahrawis who grew up under Moroccan rule and under a 1991 cease-fire that ended a 16-year conflict between Moroccan forces and Algeria-backed Polisario Front independence fighters.

''With the growth of generations merging and coexisting in one common environment, it has become natural to find Sahrawi individuals celebrating the victory of the Moroccan national team,'' Al-Yazid said. ''Many Sahrawis have overcome the problem of identity caused by decades of political struggle.''

However, a long-promised referendum on the territory's future never took place. Low-intensity hostilities have reignited, leaving the truce at risk of unraveling in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara.

Sahrawi people make up a minority of the estimated population of 350,000 in the territory, a Colorado-sized region rich in phosphates and fishing grounds. The rest, following nearly a half-century of resettlement efforts are mainly Moroccans. Other Sahrawis live in the sliver of Western Sahara ruled by the Polisario, or in refugee camps in Algeria.

On World Cup game nights, the atmosphere is festive but complex.

In past tournaments, Sahrawis generally supported the Algerian team. Activists accused Moroccan police of violently suppressing celebrations of Algerian victories. Algeria didn't qualify for this year's World Cup.

When Morocco played Spain last week, some Sahrawis welcomed Morocco's win and others wore T-shirts supporting Spain, the Western Sahara's former colonial ruler. Some threw stones at people celebrating the Moroccan victory.

Mohamed El-Yousefi, a Moroccan resident of Laayoune, said he understands the resentment, calling it ''closely linked to the conflict in the desert.''

Some Sahrawi people, he said, rejoice in good faith, and others ''hate everything that comes from Morocco.''

''Happy Moroccans also sometimes fall into the trap of politics and chant phrases such as `We won out of spite against the enemy' in reference to Sahrawis who are dissatisfied with Morocco's victory,'' El-Yousefi said.

Sahrawi independence activists say it's not possible to separate the Moroccan team from the Kingdom of Morocco itself.

The team represents the Royal Football League and by extension the monarchy, ''which for us is the cause of the tragedy of our people through its forceful occupation of Western Sahara,'' said Mubarak Mamine, a Laayoune-based Polisario Front activist.

''Football is a tool used by the Moroccan regime to divert the attention of the Moroccan people from their basic issues, especially in light of the deteriorating economic and social conditions in the country,'' Marmine said.

Morocco denies there is an armed conflict in what it calls its ''southern provinces,'' and has grown increasingly assertive in defending its claim over the Western Sahara in recent years.

The kingdom received a major boost - and independence activists suffered a major blow - when the United States in 2020 recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the territory in exchange for Morocco normalizing ties with Israel.

Morocco's climb up the World Cup ladder has taken fans everywhere by surprise, including in Western Sahara.

Sports journalist Balfater Abdel-Wahhab said the celebrations he covered in Laayoune were unlike any the city had seen.

''All the masses in the city of Laayoune came out'' as Morocco beat rival after rival to make it to the semifinal. He called it a ''wonderful celebration of sportsmanship, decorated with national (Moroccan) flags and traditional (Sahrawi) desert costumes.''

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

HERSTORY

Morocco wins 1-0 over Colombia to reach Women’s World Cup knockout round


Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina  #3 celebrates after the match as Morocco 

qualifies for the knockout stages of the World Cup. (Reuters)



The Associated Press
Published: 03 August ,2023

Morocco beat Colombia 1-0 to make it to the Women’s World Cup knockout round, creating yet more history at the global tournament.

Morocco is the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the Women’s World Cup, and the only one of eight tournament newcomers to advance.

Morocco’s winning goal came in first-half stoppage time, when Anissa Lahmari put back a penalty-save rebound.

The win meant Morocco qualifies in second place in the group, behind Colombia, and knocking two-time champion Germany out of the tournament. No. 2-ranked Germany needed a win over South Korea in a game being played simultaneously in Brisbane, but was held to a 1-1 draw.

If Morocco’s qualification for the Women’s World Cup inspired a generation, this will cement the legacy of the Atlas Lionesses.

The Moroccans were trounced 6-0 by Germany in their debut game in the tournament, but bounced back with consecutive wins over South Korea and a Colombia team that had been growing in confidence after edging Germany.

Colombia had its best scoring chance in the 59th minute, when its 18-year-old superstar, Linda Caicedo, served a ball to the far post, which Daniela Montoya one-timed to the left of goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi. Er-Rmichi made a kick save, blocking the ball with just the front edge of her right cleat.

In the 69th, Caicedo, after a long run, stopped and leaned on the field barrier, reaching down to her left ankle and foot. She appeared hobbled for several minutes but stayed in the match.

Why it matters

Moroccan football fans have had plenty of celebrate with their national teams at the World Cup. The Atlas Lionesses had created history just by qualifying, and then just by scoring their first win. Beating Colombia to knock Germany out of the tournament was completely unexpected for most.

Morocco’s men’s team also made World Cup history last year. In the 2022 men’s World Cup, the Atlas Lions advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986 and became the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.

Colombia wins its group for the first time in team history and is in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2015.

What’s next

Morocco, as the Group H runner-up, will play Group F winner France in Adelaide on Tuesday. Colombia will play Group F runner-up Jamaica the same day in Melbourne.

Morocco stuns Colombia to reach last 16 in World Cup, eliminates Germany

Morocco is the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the Women’s World Cup, and the only one of eight tournament newcomers to advance.

Morocco's goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi (centre) celebrates her team's victory and qualification to the knockout stage after the end of the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup Group H football match between Morocco and Colombia at Perth Rectangular Stadium in Perth on Thursday. 

(Colin Murty/AFP)


Morocco beat Colombia 1-0 to make it to the Women’s World Cup knockout round, creating yet more history at the global tournament jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Morocco is the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stage at the Women’s World Cup, and the only one of eight tournament newcomers to advance.

Morocco’s winning goal came in first-half stoppage time, when Anissa Lahmari put back a penalty-save rebound.

The win meant Morocco qualifies in second place in the group, behind Colombia, and knocking two-time champion Germany out of the tournament.

No. 2-ranked Germany needed a win over South Korea in a game being played simultaneously in Brisbane, but was held to a 1-1 draw.

The Moroccans were trounced 6-0 by Germany in their debut game in the tournament, but bounced back with consecutive wins over South Korea and a Colombia team that had been growing in confidence after edging Germany.

Colombia had its best scoring chance in the 59th minute, when its 18-year-old superstar, Linda Caicedo, served a ball to the far post, which Daniela Montoya one-timed to the left of goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi. Er-Rmichi made a kick save, blocking the ball with just the front edge of her right cleat.

In the 69th, Caicedo, after a long run, stopped and leaned on the field barrier, reaching down to her left ankle and foot. She appeared hobbled for several minutes but stayed in the match.

Moroccan soccer fans have had plenty of celebrate with their national teams at the World Cup. The Atlas Lionesses had created history just by qualifying, and then just by scoring their first win. Beating Colombia to knock Germany out of the tournament was completely unexpected for most.

Morocco’s men’s team also made World Cup history last year.

In the 2022 men’s World Cup, the Atlas Lions advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986 and became the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal.

Colombia wins its group for the first time in team history and is in the knockout rounds for the first time since 2015.

Morocco, as the Group H runner-up, will play Group F winner France in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Colombia will play Group F runner-up Jamaica the same day in Melbourne.


Morocco’s winning goal came in first-half stoppage time, when Anissa Lahmari put back a penalty-save rebound. (Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters)

SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES

First Hijabi footballer and first Arab team debut in women’s World Cup

Nouhaila Benzina became the first hijabi footballer to participate in the FIFA Women’s World Cup as she played for Morocco’s debut match against Germany.


The 25-year-old footballer, who also plays for the Moroccan Royal Army Football Club (FAR), joined the national team in 2018. / Photo: Reuters

History has been made at the FIFA Women's World Cup as Nouhaila Benzina, the first hijabi footballer, takes the field to represent the Moroccan National team, known as "The Atlas Lionesses."

The occasion also marks the first time a women's team from the Middle East and North Africa has competed in the prestigious tournament. Although Morocco lost to Germany by a score of 6-0 on Monday at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, football enthusiasts from the Arab world are hopeful for their strong comeback.


Benzina, the 25-year-old footballer, who also plays for the Moroccan Royal Army Football Club (FAR), joined the national team in 2018. Prior to that, the Moroccan defender showcased her talent while playing for Morocco's U-20 team in 2017.


Her presence on the field is particularly significant given the debates that have surrounded the inclusion of hijab in sports. Nouhaila stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of Muslim women who fought for years to lift the Islamophobic ban imposed by FIFA on wearing the hijab.


FIFA’s ban on hijab


The ban, which was in place until 2014, had detrimental effects on aspiring hijabi players worldwide. One of the earliest cases was that of Asma Mansour in 2007, who was barred from playing in a tournament in Quebec for wearing her hijab. It was incidents like these that sparked a movement advocating for the right to wear a hijab while playing football.


In 2014, FIFA finally lifted its ban on head coverings. This decision was a significant victory for Muslim women's collective efforts to be fully included in the sport they love.


France’s exclusion of hijabis from football


However, despite FIFA's policy change, France and the French Football Federation (FFF) still exclude hijabi players from football. The controversial law passed in France in 2004 prohibits "any sign or clothing clearly showing political, philosophical, religious, or union affiliation." This includes hijabs on the football pitch.

Inclusion in sports? Not for hijabi football players in France

Last month, France's highest administrative court, Le Conseil d'Etat, ruled in favor of the FFF's ban on religious symbols, even if it limits freedom of expression and conviction. This ruling contradicted FIFA's policy, causing frustration and disappointment among aspiring French Muslim female soccer players.


Les Hijabeuses


Groups like "Les Hijabeuses" emerged to challenge the ban and fight for the right to wear a hijab while playing football. Comprising at least 80 hijabi football players in France, Les Hijabeuses used social media, petitions, and support from the sports community, including Nike, to advocate for their cause.


"What we want is to be accepted as we are, to implement these grand slogans of diversity, inclusiveness," said Founé Diawara, the president of Les Hijabeuses, to The New York Times. "Our only desire is to play soccer."


The group provided a safe space for Muslim women to play football, connect with others, and encourage young Muslim women to embrace the sport.



Nouhaila Benzina's historic presence at the World Cup not only represents progress but also serves as an inspiration to countless other hijabi players who share a passion for the beautiful game. Her impact transcends the field, fostering a message of empowerment, inclusivity, and representation. As she steps onto the pitch, Nouhaila's achievements remind us all that barriers can be broken and dreams can be realized, no matter what one wears.


Today the world has witnessed a significant milestone in football history—one that showcases the power of perseverance, the strength of unity, and the joy of playing the sport we all love.

SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES

Morocco 1-0 Colombia: North Africans make history to qualify for last 16 of Women's World Cup alongside Colombia

Match report as Morocco beat Colombia as both sides progress to the last 16; North African nation make history and qualify on debut.

Thursday 3 August 2023 

Morocco finished second in Group H after their 1-0 win over Colombia to reach the last 16 of the Women's World Cup

Morocco beat Colombia 1-0 to reach the Women's World Cup knockout stages, creating yet more history at the tournament.

Morocco have become the first Arab or North African nation to go beyond the group stages at the Women's World Cup, and the only one of eight tournament newcomers to advance.

Their winning goal came in first-half stoppage time, when Anissa Lahmari scored from a penalty rebound, after captain Ghizlane Chebbak saw her spot-kick saved.

The win means Morocco qualify second place in the group, behind Colombia, and their win ensured two-time champions Germany could not progress. The No 2-ranked side needed a win over South Korea in a game being played simultaneously in Brisbane, but were held to a 1-1 draw.

Image:The Morocco players were in tears as they qualified for the last 16 of the Women's World Cup

If Morocco's qualification for the Women's World Cup inspired a generation, this will cement the legacy of the Atlas Lionesses.

The Moroccans were trounced 6-0 by Germany in their debut game in the tournament, but bounced back with consecutive wins over South Korea and a Colombia team that had been growing in confidence after edging Germany.

Colombia had its best scoring chance in the 59th minute, when its 18-year-old superstar, Linda Caicedo, delivered a ball to the far post, but Daniela Montoya's first-time effort was saved by the outreached leg of goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi.

Colombia top Group H after beating both Germany and South Korea in their opening games, celebrating alongside Morocco

Why it matters?

Moroccan football fans have had plenty to celebrate with their national teams in recent years. The Atlas Lionesses had created history just by qualifying for the World Cup, and then just by securing their first win. Beating Colombia to knock Germany out of the tournament was completely unexpected for most.

Morocco's men's team also made World Cup history last year. In the 2022 men's World Cup, the Atlas Lions advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986 and became the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.

For Colombia, meanwhile, they topped the group for the first time in their history and reached the knockout rounds for the first time since 2015.
What's next?

Morocco, as the Group H runners-up, will play Group F winners France in Adelaide on Tuesday. Colombia face Group F runners-up Jamaica the same day in Melbourne.
What is the schedule?

With the group stage now over, group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.

The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.

The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.

A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.

ANOTHER WORLD CUP UPSET

FIFA World Cup: Morocco beats Portugal, becomes 1st African team to reach semifinals

By Steve Douglas  The Associated Press

Posted December 10, 2022 1:

While a tearful Ronaldo headed right down the tunnel– and maybe into international retirement–after the final whistle, Morocco’s players tossed their coach in the air and waved their country’s flag as they linked arms in front of celebrating fans.

“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “Morocco is ready to face anyone in the world. We have changed the mentality of the generation coming after us. They’ll know Moroccan players can create miracles.”

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue an improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world, inspiring displays in Arab identity from fans in different countries.

Africa is also rejoicing at finally having a nation advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams. Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all reached the quarterfinals but got no further.

Morocco has broken through, setting up a semifinal match against either France or England.

1:38World Cup inspiring youth soccer in Edmonton

The 37-year-old Ronaldo, one of soccer’s greatest players but now a fading force, didn’t start for the second straight game and came on as a substitute in the 51st minute. He missed his only chance to equalize in stoppage time.

The five-time world player of the year is set to finish his career without capturing the World Cup or ever getting to the final. He walked right off the field after the final whistle, only briefly stopped by two Morocco players wishing to shake his hand and a spectator who confronted him near the entrance to the tunnel, and was crying as he headed to the locker room.

If this is the end for Ronaldo at international level, he’ll finish with 118 goals– a record in men’s soccer– and a European Championship title but not soccer’s biggest prize. He only got as far as the semifinals at the World Cup, in 2006.

READ MORE: FIFA fines Croatia soccer federation following verbal abuse of Canadian keeper

“Our players are distressed,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who shrugged off questions about his own future and added that he didn’t regret not starting Ronaldo. “Cristiano is a great player and he came on when we thought it was necessary. But no, no regrets.”

There’s no reason why this Morocco squad– coached by French-born Walid Regragui and containing 14 players born abroad _ cannot go all the way to the title. They topped a group that included second-ranked Belgium and fellow semifinalist Croatia and have now taken down two of Europe’s heavyweights in Spain– after a penalty shootout in the round of 16– and Portugal in the quarterfinals.

“Why shouldn’t we dream of winning the World Cup?” Regragui said. “If you don’t dream, you don’t get anywhere. It doesn’t cost you to dream.”

Morocco’s defense has yet to concede a goal by an opposition player at this year’s World Cup– the only one it has allowed was an own-goal– and it stifled a Portugal team which beat Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16 to thrust itself among the favorites.

5:56What’s in store for the World Cup quarterfinals?

In a game played to the backdrop of non-stop whistles and jeers by Morocco’s passionate fans, the team relied almost exclusively on counterattacks and scored from one of them.

A cross was swung in from the left and En-Nesyri leapt between Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and defender Ruben Dias to head into the empty net.

Ronaldo, who will be 41 by the time of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, barely got a touch of the ball until stoppage time when he got in behind Morocco’s defense off a long ball forward. His low shot was saved by Bounou.

“I was afraid he might play,” Regragui said of Ronaldo, “because I know he can score out of nothing.”

Substitute Walid Cheddira was shown a red card for Morocco early in stoppage time for collecting a second yellow card in as many minutes.

After Portugal center back Pepe headed wide from inside the six-yard box in the sixth minute of added time, Ronaldo fell to his knees in dejection.

While Lionel Messi will be in the semifinals with Argentina, the other soccer great of this generation won’t be.

Injuries

Morocco might have to cope without its two starting center backs in the semifinals. Nayef Aguerd missed the game against Portugal with a thigh injury and Romain Saiss, Morocco’s captain, was carried off on a stretcher with a suspected left hamstring injury. Another key member of the defense, left back Noussair Mazraoui, was absent because of an illness while Regragui said right back Achraf Hakimi has been playing with an injury.

Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score in the knockout stage in any of the five World Cups he has played. He has scored eight goals in the group stage.

Africa, Arab world celebrate Morocco win

over Portugal in World Cup quarter-final

Sat, 10 December 2022 

© Fadel Senna, AFP

Moroccan soccer fans exploded in joy on Saturday as their team became the first from any African country to reach a World Cup semi-final, filling the stadium in Qatar with a deafening roar and unleashing cheering, crying, dancing and singing on the streets at home.

The 1-0 victory over Portugal was celebrated further afield, with exuberant fans from Abidjan in Ivory Coast to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia lauding what they saw as a historic win for both Africa and the Arab World.

"They made us happy and proud and they proved that they can make it to the final. Why not? We are so proud of this team that is supported by Africa and Arabs" said Siham Motahir, a young woman in Rabat, where cafes had filled with fans to watch the game.

To the rhythmic playing of a horn, men and women jumped up and down waving the Moroccan flag - part of a sea of people who had filled Rabat's city centre, raising a cacophonous din of triumph.

The win over Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal is Morocco's third over a highly ranked European team in the tournament, a run that had brought delight both in Morocco and for Africans and Arabs more widely.

Arab and African political and sporting leaders paid tribute to Morocco, including tweets from the prime ministers of Libya, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority and the rulers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

(Reuters)

MOROCCO MAKES HISTORY AS FIRST AFRICAN TEAM TO REACH WORLD CUP SEMIS

3 HOURS AGO

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DOHA, Qatar — Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals by defeating Portugal 1-0 on Saturday, likely ending Cristiano Ronaldo's chances of winning soccer's biggest prize.

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue Morocco's improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world during the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo, one of soccer's greatest players, didn't start for the second straight game but came on as a substitute in the 51st minute.

If this indeed becomes Ronaldo's final World Cup, the five-time world player of the year would finish his career without capturing the World Cup or ever getting to the final.

Morocco will play either France or England in the semifinals.

It is a seminal moment in World Cup history, with an African nation finally advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams. 

Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all reached the quarterfinals but got no further.

Morocco-Portugal highlights

Youssef En-Nesyri scored on a beautiful header in the 42nd minute, and Morocco's brilliant defense kept Portugal off the board.

And off the field, this Morocco squad — coached by French-born Walid Regragui and containing 14 players born abroad — is uniting the Arab world, inspiring displays in Arab identity from fans in different countries.

There’s no reason why Morocco cannot go all the way to the title, either, after topping a group that included second-ranked Belgium and fellow semifinalist Croatia and now taking down two of Europe’s heavyweights in Spain — after a penalty shootout in the round of 16 — and Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Youssef En-Nesyri scores on an incredible header

Youssef En-Nesyri scored off a ridiculous header to give Morocco the lead. See the goal from every angle.

Morocco’s defense has yet to concede a goal by an opposition player at this year’s World Cup — the only one it has allowed was an own-goal — and it stifled a Portugal team which beat Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16 to thrust itself among the favorites.

In a game played to the backdrop of non-stop whistles and jeers by Morocco’s passionate fans, the team relied almost exclusively on counterattacks and scored from one of them.

A cross was swung in from the left and En-Nesyri leapt between Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and defender Ruben Dias to head the ball into the empty net.

Ronaldo, who will be 41 by the time of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, had been looking to reach the semifinals for only the second time after 2006.

Try as he might, he barely got a touch of the ball until stoppage time when he got in behind Morocco’s defense off a long ball forward. His low shot was saved by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who hadn’t had too much to do before that point.