The 'FIFA' tournament of attitudes
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Moroccan players holding the Palestine flag after beating Spain in the pre-quarter final of FIFA Cup
The North African country of Morocco can be said to symbolise the soul of the Qatar World Cup. Two things come out noticeably during the course of the tournament leading up to Morocco's historic semi-final entry. On the one hand, it puts forward the idea and politics of the resurrection of the peoples who were eliminated by colonialists in history. Then it also advocates justice for the common people by exposing the double standards of institutionalized regimes and political forces. When Morocco beat Spain to reach the quarter-finals in one of the tournament's stunning upsets, Morocco was recalling some old scores to settle. It is also a poetic justice that they defeated Spain, the nation which once occupied, exploited and destroyed the Moroccan region.
After the people's movement of Green March in 1975, which uprooted Spanish rule, what was left was a broken economy. In their first World Cup match in 1970, Morocco shocked the world by scoring the first goal against (West) Germany. This fighting spirit belongs to all the oppressed. The reactions of the coach, players and spectators prove the same. The solidarity towards the oppressed is palpable and powerful. The World Cup in Qatar has also become the world's stage where sympathy for the Palestinian people suffering under the Zionist terror regime has been more pronounced than ever before. When Morocco, after packing off Spain, defeated Portugal itself which had inaugurated the colonial era, thus made the heartwarming metaphor this fest presented to the world. Observers say that the many events that have questioned Western narratives and reminded the world of human values point to an alternative world culture.
A vast majority of people still believe in universal justice and the family system. An example of this is the responses that surfaced when the German team, which took a protest photo with their faces covered for not allowing indecency in the name of personal freedom, lost and left early. Morocco, which celebrated the obligations to mothers after every victory, highlighted the beauty of the great concept of family. When the Qatar football fair began with a message of universal humanity, former British star Gary Lineker, who had to deliver a speech of rebuke for the BBC, was forced to point to Morocco saying that was the best game. While many people were vocal against the ban on drinking in stadiums, now the western women themselves, who were there for the championship, say that it gives them a sense of security.
Unlike the big monopolies who try to reap an unfair profit from the game, there are also some players who dedicate all the rewards they get from the game to charity. The Qatar WC has served to shake up established notions that they are the 'international community' and that 'culture' and 'freedom' are only what they define. Some argued that flying the Palestinian flag was playing politics. But they won't ask why FIFA, which has banned Russian teams citing the occupation of Ukraine, has not moved against Israel, which has been occupying Palestine for decades and carrying out illegal immigration and never-ending violence. For taking the stance not to compete against an Israeli opponent, it was the International Olympic Committee that banned Judo star Fathi Nooran and his coach for ten years. FIFA will not take action against the Israeli Football Association for violating UN law by registering in the occupied Palestinian territories. There was no action even when Israel banned the Gaza team from travelling in 2019 without agreeing to play the Palestine Cup final.
What makes the FIFA World Cup remarkable this time is that the hypocrisy of various occupation forces that influence international sports institutions is also getting exposed. The oppressed become warhorses - rising up in resistance against anti-human values that are imposed - revealing truths that they hesitated to reveal. Voices that were hushed up are raised around the world with the power of applause of the stadium. Many things that seemed impossible have come to be possible.
