Morocco is doing exceptionally well at the World Cup in Qatar. The team of former Ajax players Hakim Ziyech and Noussair Mazraoui will play an eighth final in the final tournament for the first time in 36 years on Tuesday evening. Spain is the opponent and Dries Boussatta, former player of AZ and Telstar, among others, thinks that Morocco certainly has a good chance to continue. “It’s going to be 50/50.”
Boussatta was in 1998 the first player of Moroccan descent who was allowed to play in the Dutch national team. He played a total of three international matches for the Netherlands, but his heart really lies with Morocco, he says. “If the Netherlands and Morocco meet in the final, I will cheer for Morocco. I don’t have to think about that. But if Morocco does not make it, I hope that the Netherlands will become world champions.”
The former football player now owns a coffee chain with several shops in Amsterdam. That is also the place where he saw how the North African country became group winner in a tough group, with Belgium, Croatia and Canada. “I watched the first two matches at home, with a full living room. The last group match watched in the coffee shop, it was quite full then. Then I wear a training jacket from Morocco to support the team.”
Role of Ziyech
Spain is a world-class opponent, but Boussatta thinks Morocco has a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals. “It will really be 50/50. Spain has a lot of trouble playing against well-organized opponents, you saw that in their match against Japan. Morocco plays a bit the same way.” A lot will depend on Ziyech’s form, he thinks. “He has to play in his free role. Everything has to be right, then we can arrange a stunt tomorrow.”
In addition to Ziyech, who has provided a goal and an assist for his team so far, the strength of the Moroccans lies mainly in the fighting spirit that the players have. “This team really stands out because they act as a unit. They want to work for each other.” He also wants to compliment midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who was born in Huizen. “I have really enjoyed him in the last three games. Seeing how he has developed is really good. He is extremely important for Morocco. Tomorrow he will play against the strong midfielders of Spain, the game will be won or lost there become.”
While Louis van Gaal complained about the absence of Dutch fans in Qatar, there are plenty of Moroccan fans in the oil state. The born Amsterdammer has a simple explanation for this. “Of course there are a lot of Moroccans in the Middle East who live and work there. In addition, football is very much alive in Morocco anyway.” At the moment that is not the case in the Netherlands, Boussatta also sees. “During the World Cup four years ago, the cafes here were packed and the streets were decorated everywhere, but you hardly notice here in the Netherlands that there is a World Cup going on.”
That is different in Morocco, says Boussatta. “Football madness is always there when the Moroccan team plays, that’s standard. It’s just as crazy at the Africa Cup. That really can’t be compared to the Netherlands. Tomorrow the streets will be deserted during the match, the shops will be closed and the cafes will be packed, everyone will look.” The whole country comes to a standstill when the kick-off is at 4 p.m. in Qatar, the former wing attacker knows. “If work starts at all, I don’t think people will be very productive. Everyone is secretly looking at their phone, tablet or another screen. That’s how things are in Morocco.”