Even after today rival of the Devils: why more and more young talents choose Morocco over Belgium | 2022 football world cup

Belgium vs. Morocco will not end with the final whistle today.

This afternoon, for example, there are four passports with dual Belgian/Moroccan nationality on the table of referee César Ramos. But none will disappear into a Red Devil’s wallet after the match.

Where Fellaini and Chadli used to opt for Belgium, our national team has lost two of its greatest football talents to Morocco in recent weeks: Bilal El Khannouss and Anass Zaroury.

One is only 18 years old, but Genk is the trendsetter on the Belgian fields. The other is Vincent Kompany’s extension in Burnley’s midfield at the age of 22. Together with Selim Amallah (26) and Ilias Chair (25) they are not wearing the red of the Devils this afternoon, but that of Morocco.

“The choice between Belgium and Morocco is a dilemma that will arise more and more in the future,” says Thomas Rijsman, author of the book Moroccan Pride – who, together with his colleague Nordin Ghouddani, conducted research in the Netherlands into football players with Moroccan roots.

In the Eredivisie, for example, 10% of the players who appear on the field every match day have Moroccan roots.

“More and more Moroccan Belgians or Belgian Moroccans will also present themselves as great talent in Belgium,” Rijsman draws the parallel. “Talent is not bound by borders.”

When we look at the numbers in the Jupiler Pro League, we see that a total of 17 players with Moroccan roots were active last season. Accounting for almost 5% of all players. An absolute record number since the turn of the century.

A nice pond to fish out for the Belgian national team, which will most likely enter a transitional phase after this World Cup.

There is a chance that Belgium will turn to talents such as Beerschot revelation Ilias Sebaoui, Anouar El Hadj or even “prodigy” Bounida. Nevertheless, the research by Rijsman and Ghouddani shows that succession is not simply assured.

“We are currently seeing a trend that more and more players with Moroccan roots do not choose their country of birth, but that of their (grand)parents: Morocco.”

It is too complex a question to give an unequivocal answer. We are aware that it is very different for every athlete and person.

Nevertheless, Rijsman and Ghouddani found two underlying mechanisms in their research that currently argue in favor of Morocco in the choice between the national teams.

One sporty, the other not at all.

The extra-sporty drive takes us back to the 1950s and 1960s. In the period after the Second World War, many labor migrants – including a large number of Moroccans – sought refuge in Belgium.

In the meantime, the third or even fourth generation of Moroccans is now on the move. Yet the ties with the heimat seem stronger than ever.

“From our conversations with a lot of football players with Moroccan roots, it appears that many still feel like ‘the other’ in the country where they were born,” explains Rijsman. “In subtle and less subtle ways, young people continue to encounter many forms of discrimination in their youth.”

“Precisely because they are now the third generation and still do not feel fully accepted in their own homeland, you get that counter-movement: the flight to the original identity, which is deeply rooted.”

“If you keep treating people like the ‘others’, they’ll start to embrace that after a while.”

The choice to come out for your country of birth is therefore by no means self-evident. “In this way, Ziyech also raised a symbolic middle finger to the Netherlands with his choice for Morocco – the country where he felt strongly misunderstood.”

A sporting phenomenon that should not be underestimated for countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands. For example, the Red Devils can absolutely miss a Ziyech affair in the future. A Fellaini scenario, on the other hand…

Oh well, that would come in handy right now.

Roberto Martinez also seems to realize that. “As a federation, we must have a better plan for players with dual nationality in the future,” he said at the press conference the day before the game against Morocco.

“We must avoid players from our youth teams changing at the end.”

In addition to the extra-sporty identity issue, the choice for Morocco does not mean a sporty one either downgrade Lake. “Morocco also became more attractive in terms of football,” Rijsman explains.

For example, Morocco has made a serious overtaking maneuver as a football country in recent years. The Botola Pro competition has recently emerged as the best football competition in Africa.

And the national team now also seems to be surfing on that wave of success. “Choosing Morocco currently also includes the possibility to compete in a sporting way at a World Cup. That was often much less in previous decades,” says Mo Messoudi – an Antwerp analyst and ex-footballer with Moroccan roots.

An evolution that is largely due to the professionalization at the Moroccan football association. In 2009, for example, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation built a state-of-the-art training complex in Rabat.

“A football oasis where even football players from big clubs draw big eyes,” says Messoudi.

In addition, the FRMF is engaged in a real charm offensive among players with dual nationality. In recent years, the union has also invested in the right people in the right place.

For example, the framework of the Moroccan team also has a strong Belgian edge. Chris Van Puyvelde was appointed as technical director last month. And with the arrival of Issame Charaï – former T2 of Marc Brys at OHL – as a promise coach, Morocco also has a feeling for Belgium among the youth.

“Morocco is therefore very actively scanning and scouting talents with dual nationality, especially in Belgium and the Netherlands,” Rijsman continues.

“Those players are often invited to a training camp or approached by a scout. Then they immediately feel recognized, just what often goes wrong in Belgium or the Netherlands”

While Martinez wants to set up a better structure “in the future” for the talents with dual nationality, it already seems to be there in Morocco. A sturdy sporty framework, with room for the identity of his talents.

You can’t really blame El Khannouss and Zaroury.