Morocco has a serious problem and must remain in the country that caused it

@ElentirENG ES 8·06·2024 · 6:59 0

I am not a sports fan, but there are things about sports that I really like, starting with sportsmanship.

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These days I've been watching some of the events at the Paris Olympics out of curiosity and also because it comforts me to see the way athletes from different countries treat each other with honor and cordiality, especially in moments like defeat or injury. Yesterday we saw a nice example of this: after winning a silver medal in badminton, Chinese athlete He Bing Jiao paid a small tribute to Spaniard Carolina Martín, her rival the day before, by showing a small Spanish flag in honor of the injured athlete.

Although I am not an athlete, this is what I admire most about sport: its ability to unite people from very different nations and cultures under the same sense of respect and healthy rivalry. And that is why I do not particularly like certain sports, such as football, since in them rivalry tends to get out of hand.

Yesterday we saw several regrettable examples of a complete lack of education and "Olympic spirit" at the football match between Spain and Morocco in Paris. The first of these examples was the whistling of thousands of Moroccan fans to the Spanish National Anthem, which we can hear in this video:

CASI 50.000 AFICIONADOS MARROQUÍES CONTRA EL HIMNO ESPAÑOL: LA ATRONADORA PITADA EN EL VÉLODROME pic.twitter.com/ihHuwV9P3Y

— Patricia Rodríguez (@patriciardguezc) August 5, 2024

Moroccan fans cannot claim that the booing is due to a traditional rivalry between the two neighbouring nations: A few days ago, Moroccan fans did the same thing with the Argentine anthem, a country with which Morocco has never had any problems (as far as I know). Honestly, I would be embarrassed to hear thousands of Spaniards doing this with the anthem of another country, even with those with whom we have been separated by a historic enmity. It is in these moments that the education of a people is demonstrated, and yesterday Morocco's was left in the mud.

As if the bad behaviour of their fans wasn't enough, yesterday the Moroccan national team players celebrated their first goal by mocking the Spanish goalkeeper. This lack of education is regrettable in the stands, but it is intolerable on the pitch, especially at the Olympic Games, which are not just a competition, but also an expression of sport's ability to bring together very different people.

In recent days I have seen other competitions in which the noble attitude between rivals served to honour their respective countries. Yesterday the Moroccan players and fans gave a pitiful image of their country, an image that many Spaniards know, unfortunately, due to the bad behaviour of many of Mohamed VI's subjects in our country. To top it all off, the Spanish team ended up winning the match, and the stupid provocations of the Moroccans ended up forming a bitter cocktail with the feeling that defeat leaves among those who show such a lack of sportsmanship.

Yesterday was a shameful spectacle that makes you thankful you were not born in Morocco, a country that does not care about giving such a bad image abroad. If these are the values ​​that they teach their young people in that country, they certainly have a problem. But it is their problem. It is only fair that this kind of problem stays in the countries that cause them. Please do not bring these anti-values ​​to Spain, given that you dislike our country so much. Stay in your country and dedicate yourselves to displaying your lack of education among yourselves.