{"id":460,"date":"2026-07-09T15:43:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=460"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:43:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:43:30","slug":"soccer-france-morocco-bring-post-colonial-ties-and-family-feel-to-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=460","title":{"rendered":"Soccer-France, Morocco Bring Post-Colonial Ties and Family Feel to Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>By Julien Pretot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>BOSTON, July 8 (Reuters) &#8211; France and Morocco meet in a World Cup \u2060quarter-final \u2060on Thursday with their post-colonial ties coursing through the \u2060fixture, from Morocco players born and developed in France to the close friendship between Kylian Mbappe and Achraf \u200bHakimi, forged during their time together at Paris St Germain.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=458\">PICTURE AND ITS STORY-Patriot Front Members and a Solitary Woman Travel on a DC Train<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>With the build-up, match and aftermath subject to a heavy security presence in France, the Boston setting may lend \u200cthe occasion a more familial feel: a meeting \u200cbetween countries whose histories are inseparable, but whose footballers and supporters are often connected by migration, language, family and friendship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Morocco was under French protectorate from 1912 \u2060to 1956. The two \u2060countries have remained closely connected through education, business and migration, while football has become one of \u200bthe clearest expressions of those ties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Six members of Morocco\u2019s squad were born in France, while several others have played in Ligue 1 or passed through France\u2019s youth system before choosing to represent Morocco.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Their paths reflect the dense sporting links between the countries, and Morocco\u2019s ability to turn its diaspora into a competitive strength.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi is one of the \u200bclearest examples of those overlapping ties: born in France, developed at Lille and capped by France at youth level before choosing Morocco, he \u2060embodies \u2060the kind of dual footballing identity that \u2060gives this fixture particular resonance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>France, \u200bworld champions in 2018, are one of the game\u2019s established powers, with the tournament experience and attacking talent expected of a team \u200bchasing another World Cup. Morocco arrive with the \u2060confidence of a side who have made a habit of shifting expectations, four years after becoming the first African country to reach a World Cup semi-final.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Their meeting in Qatar in 2022, won 2-0 by France, was charged with emotion but also marked by a striking sense of mutual recognition. Morocco\u2019s run captivated supporters far beyond its borders while France\u2019s squad again illustrated the multicultural currents that have long shaped its football.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>INTRIGUING SETTING<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Boston provides an intriguing setting for the rematch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The Moroccan community is \u2060smaller and less visible than in French cities, but it is established in the wider metropolitan area, where Morocco-born \u2060residents have helped build a network of families, students, professionals and businesses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>For those supporters, the quarter-final will not necessarily divide a room cleanly in two.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=456\">Midtown Manhattan High-Rise Stable After Columns Buckled, Officials Say<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;Some live in the same building and French and Moroccans will watch the game together and shake hands at the end,&#8221; said Mohammed Saadi, a 57-year-old taxi driver.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;There is no tension here. Soccer is a family thing and France v Morocco will be no different. Quite the opposite, even.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>In Boston Common, over 1,000 fans gathered singing Dima l-Maghrib (Always Morocco) and waving flags in a peaceful gathering ahead of Thursday&#8217;s game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve come all the way from Finland,&#8221; said Youssef Bennani, a 36-year-old software engineer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been to all of Morocco&#8217;s games and here it&#8217;s the best place. I met a lot of Moroccans, also some French and it&#8217;s going to be a big party tomorrow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Morocco\u2019s progress has \u2060changed the texture of the fixture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>They are no longer simply the compelling underdogs of 2022 but a side with the organisation, player development and belief to challenge the sport\u2019s traditional powers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Their squad has benefited from a federation strategy that has connected domestic development with talent raised in Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>France, who beat Paraguay to reach the last eight, have their own reasons to be wary. Their attack has been among the \u200bmost potent at the tournament, but Morocco\u2019s 3-0 win over Canada underlined the pace, discipline and ambition that have carried \u200bthem back to the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=454\">Judge in Charlie Kirk Case Blocks Parts of Roommate Video<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><b>Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[71,92,80,78,48,215,8,91,60,93],"class_list":["post-460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-news","tag-africa","tag-canada","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-mexico","tag-morocco","tag-sign-in-to-manage-your-newsletters","tag-soccer","tag-united-states","tag-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Soccer-France, Morocco Bring Post-Colonial Ties and Family Feel to Boston - Office Moving America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/officemovingamerica.com\/?p=460\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Soccer-France, Morocco Bring Post-Colonial Ties and Family Feel to Boston - Office Moving America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. 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