Morocco's fairytale in the FIFA World Cup 2022 continued with its remarkable win against Spain and putting them in the quarter-finals. The North African nation defeated the 2010 champions Spain in their Round of 16 fixture via penalty shootouts and will face Portugal in the next match. As Morocco celebrated their win, they unfurled Palestinian flags. Amid cheers from the podiums, one player waved it at the fans and another one wrapped it around their body as they took a victory march around the stadium. The entire team posed with the flags for their post-victory photo op.
This isn't the first time Morocco showed support for Palestine on the football pitch. And they were not the only ones highlighting the issue during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Support for Palestine remained a constant during the football matches.
Here's a look at why Morocco celebrated with the Palestinian flag and how the cause found support during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco's Relation With Palestine
Morocco has been an ally of the Palestinian cause. In 2020, Moroccan prime minister Aziz Akhannouch had called for a solution "based on the two-state solution and within international agreements" during the UN General Assembly. He had also affirmed his country's commitment to safeguarding the historical identity of Jerusalem as a place of co-existence and peace.
The Israel and Palestine dispute has been a decades-long conflict. One of the latest killings in the region was when Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank and the occupied East Jerusalem.
When the Moroccan men's national team won 1-2 against Canada during their Group F fixture, players unfurled the Palestinian flag after their victory at Al Thumama Stadium.
Morocco's player Jawad El Yamiq also stood out during the team's celebration following the victory against Canada, where he posed with the Palestine flag.
Morocco advanced to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2022 for the first time in its history and they faced heavyweights Spain as their Round of 16 opponent.
While the scores remained 0-0 during the 90 minutes of the game, and an additional 30 minutes, Morocco converted the first two penalty kicks from the spot, thanks to Abdelhamid Sabiri and Hakim Ziyech. On the other hand, Pablo Sarabia and Carlos Soler missed the penalty kick from the spot. Badr Benoun missed the kick for Morocco but Spain came under pressure when captain Sergio Busquets missed the third consecutive penalty kick. Achraf Hakimi took the deciding penalty kick and went for a Panenka that helped Morocco beat Spain 3-0 in penalties and script a new World Cup history.
Not just the players, but even the Moroccan fans in the stands waved the Palestine flag.
Support For Palestine In FIFA World Cup
Like many other Arab countries, including FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar, Morocco is a supporter of the Palestinian cause. Qatar allowed Israeli fans to fly directly to Doha in light of the World Cup. The two countries do not have a diplomatic relationship.
Support for Palestine has been a recurring theme during the FIFA World Cup 2022.
France 24 reported that around 250,000 Palestinians live in Qatar, where the country houses a population of 2.9 million people with the majority being foreigners. As a result, the first World Cup in the Arab World has seen the Palestinian flag getting unfurled by fans in stands and by players, including the Moroccan men's national team.
Another moment that was quick to get viral on the internet was when England fans chanted "Free Palestine" during an interview with an Israeli channel. Overall, the 2022 FIFA World Cup witnessed crowds in huge numbers from the Arab world where both players and fans voiced out their support for the Palestinian cause.
A large "Free Palestine" was displayed by Tunisian fans during their match with Australia.
In Qatar's Al-Bayt Stadium, chants were heard in support of Palestine during the Netherlands vs Qatar match.
There was also the incident when a man wearing a Tunisian shirt and waving a Palestine flag ran into the football field at the Education Stadium during a Tunisia and France match.
FIFA regulations prohibit the display of flags, posters, fliers and banners that are deemed to carry "political" messages. As a result, fines have been issued previously by many footballing bodies for the public display of the Palestinian flag inside the stadium.