Talk show Mocro Inside counts down to World Cup final

“Can you hear him yet?” shouts Nordin Ghouddani on Saturday afternoon at the start of the football program Mocro Inside. The presenter is the only one who hears him coming. “The semi-finals!!!”

His audience in Gorinchem whoops, cheers and screams even before a minute has been played against Portugal in the quarterfinals. No one doubts the good outcome. A day earlier, the Moroccan national coach had said that “the whole of Africa and the whole Arab world” is behind the Moroccan football team. Gorinchem also appears to belong to that list. Almost everyone is dressed in a training jacket or shirt from ‘The Lions of the Atlas’. The shirts of Hakimi from Paris Saint-Germain beat those of former Ajax player Hakim Ziyech in number.

Mohamed Darrazi, who came to the talk show with a number of college friends, understands where the enthusiasm of the supporters comes from. “Everyone in the Netherlands sees us as Moroccans. Then it is not surprising if we cheer very loudly for Morocco. But in Morocco they see us as Dutch.” In addition, many players have a European link: more than half of the 26 players were not born in Morocco, as also applies to Ziyech (Dronten) and Noussair Mazraoui (Leiderdorp), who was injured on Saturday.

According to Darrazi, Moroccan Dutch cannot be compared to the people in the North African country. “You don’t think people are going to throw fireworks there,” he says, referring to the violent celebrations that took place in the Netherlands earlier (and also later on this Saturday).

World goal

Mourad Taimounti is not bothered by any opposition. The recording leader, known in Amsterdam as the former party leader of Denk, explains to the public what the rules are prior to the YouTube program. “You can cheer as loud as you want, but don’t get past these boxes, because there are expensive cameras here.” And he adds with a laugh, “no swear words, not even in Arabic”. He does not want to hear swear words in the broadcast, but that does not happen. In the 42nd minute, the high-jumping Youssef En-Nesyri scores with a head. “A world goal” as someone shouts through the hall. The cheering and jumping, with Moroccan tea and cola as fuel, takes place neatly in the indicated zone.

The Moroccan goal just before half-time is of course no reason for presenter Ghouddani to diminish his infectious optimism. “Less than three more games and we have the cup,” he concludes after the first half of the quarterfinals. A bold statement, never before has an African football team qualified for the semi-finals at a World Cup.

The editor of BNNVARA has started broadcasting Mocro Inside from his living room. In the group phase, an amateur club in Amsterdam broadcasted and now the variant Voetbal Inside is a guest at Stichting Boukie in Gorinchem. “I think we will get to 30,000 views on YouTube with these broadcasts,” says recording director and volunteer Taimounti.

Oussama Assaidi (including Heerenveen, Liverpool and Twenthe) and Saïd Bakkati (Ado, PEC Zwolle) are the former football players among the table guests. No one laughs about the performance of the Dutch national team, elimination a day earlier in the quarterfinals against Argentina. “Very good that the Orange came back after that 2-0 deficit,” says Assaidi (17 international matches for Morocco), for example, in the broadcast.

Mohamed Loukile had also said earlier in the afternoon that he was disappointed by the elimination of the Orange. “Of course I am for the Netherlands and for Morocco,” says the born and raised Gorinchemmer. “Only when they play against each other, I am a little more for Morocco.”

Also read about the Moroccan players from the diaspora: Why they prefer to represent their parents’ country.

As far as the game image is concerned, the two countries have grown closer to each other. Keeping things closed is paramount, but nobody complains about that in Gorinchem. The French-Moroccan national coach Walid Regragui receives the compliments. “Trainers in Morocco always play from bank and nowadays you don’t get very far with that,” says recording director and certified football coach Taimounti.

Fight for the country

When the favorite opponent in the semi-final (England or France) has been discussed at half-time, attention returns to the second half in Qatar. The mood is getting more exuberant by the minute, especially if Portugal misses the necessary chances and a goal is not forthcoming. The audience of Mocro Inside only whistles when Ronaldo gets his turn. “They fight for each other, they fight for the country,” says NOS commentator Philip Kooke about the Moroccans.

After an eight-minute extension, the discharge follows at the end of the afternoon. There is cheering in all positions, even beyond the imaginary line that the recording director had drawn. “Everyone was an Atlas lion this afternoon,” says former footballer Bakkati, satisfied with the team. Ghouddani is already looking ahead. To the cup. “Two more games.”