Spanish Media: Majority of Fans to Support Morocco in Olympic Semi-final, Making Spain Feel Like the Away Team

In the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic men’s football semi-final, Morocco and Spain will go head-to-head. This match is not just a contest on the pitch but also involves a blend of various off-field factors.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, when the Moroccan team steps onto the pitch at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, France, they will enjoy a home-like atmosphere, while Spain will face a stadium nearly dominated by the opposing fans, making the game feel like an away match. It is predicted that around 52,000 spectators will fill the Stade Vélodrome, with the majority being African fans who will be cheering for the Moroccan team, creating a “home ground” ambiance. For the Spanish team, this will be an unprecedented challenge as they need to demonstrate their strength and determination in an environment almost entirely filled with the opposition’s supporters.

Morocco, the African powerhouse that has achieved remarkable results over the past year, has been on a winning streak since defeating Egypt to win the African U23 Championship title, advancing all the way to the Olympic semi-finals. Their opponents, Spain, as a traditional football powerhouse, have also progressed smoothly thanks to their exceptional technical and tactical prowess. However, the relationship between the two teams in this upcoming semi-final is more complex than it appears on the surface.

The Moroccan team includes no fewer than three players born in Spain, including Munir El Haddadi, Achraf Hakimi, and Ilyas Akhomach. Among them, Ilyas Akhomach, a Villarreal player, was part of the Spanish youth academy until recently.

Spanish coach Santiago Denia said, “We hold him in very high regard. I’ve known him since the U15 level; he served as my captain at the U19 level, and I also coached him at the U21 level. I really like him. His decision to switch nationality was a personal one, and both we and the football association respect his choice.”

At the same time, Denia acknowledged the overall strength of the Moroccan team, particularly praising the work of Moroccan coach Tarik Sektioui, stating that his team deserves to have reached the semi-finals under his leadership.

Achraf Hakimi, the core player of the Moroccan team who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and previously played for Real Madrid, is the captain of the Moroccan national team. The team’s top scorer, Sofiane Rahimi, leads the goal-scoring charts with five goals, becoming a key scoring threat for Morocco and posing a significant challenge to Spain.