France is warning football fans to behave and conduct themselves responsibly ahead of a major Thursday World Cup quarter-final match which pits France against African champions Morocco. Security services are on high alert, the government has said. The match kicks off at 4:00 PM ET.
"I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility. It has to remain a celebration," Sports Minister Marina Ferrari told the France Info broadcaster, after in previous years various high profile matches have sparked unrest and riots. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has warned that "no misconduct would be tolerated."
Morocco will be out for revenge after it was knocked out of the 2022 semi-final by France. via EPAAs it turns out, there are multiple members of Morocco's national team that were born in France and/or play for French clubs - most notably Spanish-born team captain Achraf Hakimi, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
It remains that Moroccans are the second biggest non-European ethnic group in France (after Algerians). There has been a long history of tensions and conflict between French citizens and largely non-assimilated Moroccan communities spanning a period of years.
It must also be remembered that during France's 20th century colonialism, Morocco was French protectorate from 1912 to 1956.
Some online pundits are predicting riots and violence, regardless of the outcome, and that the situation is READ MORE AT SOURCE »
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