Morocco stars celebrate World Cup win on the pitch with their families


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Morocco’s star players celebrated the team’s latest spectacular World Cup win with some of their biggest fans.

After knocking out Portugal in the quarter-final, the mothers and sons of players took to the pitch for the after-game party, joining in the cheers and taking in the love of the fans who have so far lit up several of the Qatar stadiums.

Morocco have exceeded expectations with their march to the World Cup semi-finals — and they’re enjoying the rewards.

Before Portugal, they knocked out Spain in the last 16 and sent Belgium them home in the group stages. The only match they have not won at this year's World Cup was against Croatia, and that was a draw.

After the Portugal match on Saturday, Sofiane Boufal celebrated with his mother. Head coach Walid Regragui also found his mother Fatima in the crowd.

Achraf Hakimi was seen dancing with defender Romain Saiss and his son.

Yassine Bounou, named man of the match on Saturday, played with his son, who tried on his father's huge goalkeeper gloves.

The team's families have been allowed to stay nearby the squad, meaning the players feel the bond which in many cases led to them choosing to play for Morocco.

Several players, including Hakimi, were born elsewhere but opted to represent the North African nation.

A picture of Hakimi, 24, kissing his mother in the stands, after their 2-0 group stage win over Belgium, was widely shared on social media.

“For me, my mum is the most important thing in my life,” said an elated Boufal, who was born in France, after the win over Spain.

“Of course [she was crying], the emotions in this game make you crazy. The support of your family is the most important thing.”

They were there again on Saturday to see the defeat of Portugal that set up a semi-final against France. Were they to beat the French, Morocco would face Argentina or Croatia in the World Cup final.

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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

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TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
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While you're here

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

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Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

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Results

Stage seven

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s

3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: Match on BeIN Sports 

Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5

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What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

While you're here
Updated: December 11, 2022, 10:31 AM