In the middle of the Champs-Élysées, Hicham, 22, calls, with his smartphone in video mode, his cousin Sofiane in Rabat. He wants to show him, live from Paris, that in France too, the Moroccan community is celebrating, as it should, the qualification of Hakimi and his friends for the CAN final. The boy from Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) experienced a crazy evening, like a roller coaster. During the “very stressful” match against Senegal, he first had to “swallow two Doliprane”. But when the final whistle blew, he shed tears of… happiness. “This is the first time I’ve cried!” », he smiles.
Like him, there are several thousand supporters of the Atlas Lions, the vast majority Franco-Moroccan, who met on the most beautiful avenue in the world on Wednesday a few minutes before midnight. However, as during the quarter-finals, an order from the Paris police headquarters prohibits, for these semi-finals, “groups of people claiming to be supporters”.
Everyone defied, often without knowing it, this obligation, facing a large security force composed, in particular, of mobile gendarmes and bikers from the Brav-M. “It’s closed, turn around!” », Orders a police officer near the Arc de Triomphe. To disperse the troops, the police on several occasions used tear gas and their batons. This caused some crowd movements. “They want to make me run in heels, wesh!” », exclaims a young woman in her evening outfit.
No big overflows
Despite these tensions, major excesses were avoided. At 2:15 a.m. this Thursday, the avenue became calm again but Place de l’Etoile was still faced with heavy nighttime traffic jams.
The first horns from motorists and motorcyclists rang out a good two hours earlier, while pedestrians shouted “Dima Maghreb”, “Go Morocco!” » in Arabic. The supporters launched into a concert of ululations.
Walid, 26, is over the moon. “I was on the verge of a heart attack during the penalties, but our goalkeeper Bounou saved us again,” thanks this Strasbourg resident. “Ah yes, it was hot. The CAN is not really our usual competition. But hey, there, we showed that Morocco is a great football nation,” enthuses Marwan, a 20-year-old student who came, as a neighbor, from the 17th arrondissement.
Rachid, 22 years old, airport agent from Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) tries, in the fresh air, to recover from his emotions. “I almost felt faint and then I cried when we won,” he relishes. His neighbor hides his red flag with a green star “so as not to get a fine of 135 euros”.
“We are not thugs”
He regrets that this parade is not authorized. “It’s unacceptable, we just come to party, to celebrate a victory, we are not rioters,” he repeats. “Paris is a city of gatherings, it’s a shame to come to this,” judges Yassine, 23, working in international trade. The last time this Franco-Moroccan, who has roots in Oujda, saw his Lions qualify for such a final, he was barely over a year old! “I’ve been waiting for this for 22 years,” breathes this young man from Fresnes (Val-de-Marne).
Kayna, 19 years old, in BTS, “makes the origins of the heart speak”, her dual culture. “I was born in France, I grew up in France, I support the French team but also the Moroccan team,” explains this granddaughter of “Moroccans of the Desert”.
The final against Senegal on Sunday was unanimous. “The Atlas Lions against the Teranga Lions, it’s going to be wild on the pitch,” predicts a young man, the Brahim Diaz flocked jersey and his number 10. Supporters from the two countries are already fraternizing on the Champs-Élysées. “Morocco is family. In any case, Africa wins,” says Oumy, 24, Italian-Senegalese hairdresser. “We are all brothers even if on Sunday, the Moroccans are going to be our enemies,” laughs Youssouf, a 23-year-old Franco-Senegalese.
“We’re going back to Morocco for the final, no matter the cost”
Sitting on his scooter, a 500 cm3 racing car, Amine, a 19th century Parisian, begins to dream. “We are not far from winning this CAN, the last victory dates back to 1976,” recalls this 33-year-old gardener wearing the red jersey to the glory of Achraf Hakimi. “My father was at the stadium in Rabat, he told me that the atmosphere was incredible,” he continues.
In the crowd, we also come across supporters of Algeria, who, despite the elimination in the previous round, still take pleasure in parading and chanting “One two three viva l’Algérie”. We also meet Ines, Malak and Sanaa, three Moroccans from Casablanca and Rabat who are studying business in Paris
Experiencing the semi-final far from their stronghold was “very frustrating”. “So this weekend, we return to Morocco for the final. We will find places, no matter the price,” Ines commits. She is convinced that she is not making the trip for nothing. “The cup stays at home, we’re not going to give up…”
