The flags, team jerseys and billboards with players are on full display in Morocco\u2019s capital Rabat ahead of the team\u2019s World Cup semi-final against France on Wednesday, but the team will have support much farther afield as the first Arab and African side to get that far.
\nIn Arab nations, Morocco\u2019s exploits have particularly captured people\u2019s imaginations during the first World Cup ever held in an Arab country and after the team posed with a Palestinian flag.
\nMorocco has outdone expectations by beating a succession of much higher-ranked European teams \u2014 Belgium in the group stage and then Spain and Portugal in the knockout rounds. It has laid on more than a dozen extra flights to take fans to Qatar.
\nBut Moroccan flags are also selling out across North Africa and the Middle East as fans rush for souvenirs to cheer on the team.
\n\u201cThere is a big demand for buying Moroccan flags because it is the first Arab country to reach the semi-finals. The demand is so big that they are out of stock,\u201d said Karim Mohammed Qotb, a street vendor in Cairo.
\nIn Gaza, Eyad Abu Teir was out shopping for Moroccan colours. \u201cMorocco\u2019s win is a win for the whole Arab nation and we Arabs should all participate in it,\u201d he said.
\nFor salesman Tarek Abu Dayyeh, nearby, Morocco\u2019s World Cup success was bringing an unexpected business boost. \u201cGaza is besieged and the financial situation is difficult \u2026 we hope the sales will go up if Morocco wins the World Cup,\u201d he said.
\nEven as far as Iraq, people said they were excited at the prospect of an Arab country doing so well.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the best Arab performance we\u2019ve ever seen as soccer fans and a great achievement,\u201d said Salam Rabiea, an engineer in Baghdad.
\nIn Morocco, an important member of the Arab League but where much of the population identifies as Amazigh, there has been some bemusement at the Arab embrace, including jokes that people from other Arab countries should finally accept the Moroccan dialect.
\nBut in Libya, which like Morocco is in North Africa, there was no doubt in the mind of Mohammed al Andaz as to which team he would support.
\n\u201cWe hope they beat France and get the cup. This is an Arab and African team. All Arabs and Muslims are praying, and we hope our prayers are met and Morocco wins,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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