Having become the first African nation to make the World Cup semi-finals, Moroccan authorities have put on 30 extra flights out to Qatar this week as fans travel in large numbers for the game with France.
Such has been the level of support from Moroccan fans, and those from across the Arab world, that Morocco have become one of the best supported teams at the tournament, their matches rivalling Argentina games for noise and colour. National team coach Walid Regragui has repeatedly referred to his team’s fans as “the 12th player on the team”.
Moroccan airline, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) are behind the new flights, creating what the company called an “air bridge” as part of a statement that explained: “To enable the many Moroccans who want to cheer on the national team in its epic run and experience the emotion of the semi-finals of the World Cup, Royal Air Maroc has established an air bridge between Casablanca and Doha.”
On the intense interest in his team, Regragui added: “The national team must bring together all Moroccans. At one point we were divided. If we manage to bring our people together around football, that’s a good thing.”
GWFN
