Do not politicize sport – said Emmanuel Macron before the start of the World Cup in Qatar. In response, some commentators burst out laughing, others seriously analyzed the hypocrisy of the French president. But everyone was convinced that it was just hypocrisy. Rightly so, as one of the most tangible proofs of the links between football and politics has proven to be the success of the Moroccan national team. More precisely: the social and political echoes of the duel between the Atlas Lions and the France team.

As a result, the demons of the complicated past have manifested themselves in the most concrete way, in the streets of European cities. Some fans of the Arab team, under the influence – it should be emphasized – not the failures, but the successes of the Moroccan team, which reached the semi-finals, began to devastate Brussels, Paris and other places. The resentment of the French or Belgians of Moroccan origin, hidden on a daily basis, has found a new outlet.

Before the Morocco-France semi-final, there were fears of another even bigger riot. Shops and premises not only on the Champs Elysées were transformed into small fortresses. But when some were afraid, others took the wind in their sails on the occasion of the World Cup. Supporters of France’s far-right immediately began writing on internet forums about the ‘clash of football civilizations’. By the way, in France non-diplomatic questions were asked about their own team. This is not the first time that the former journalist and now far-right tribune, Éric Zemmour, has questioned his “Frenchness”. In one of the interviews, he said provocatively that if the Senegalese team consists of nine white people, the Senegalese might also start wondering what is going on with their team.

In the end, the French beat Morocco 2-0, but the defeat of the Atlas Lions left “only one” dead (a teenager in Montpellier) and the detention of 266 people that night.

Original title of the text: “Father against Mother”