The fans in Brussels reacted angrily to Morocco’s victory against Belgium today after Morocco’s win in Qatar, and police deployed water cannons, tear gas, and ringed the city center to disperse crowds and keep them under control.

Many rioters after the game set fire to steps and threw rocks at vehicles.

Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, pleaded with soccer fans to stay away from the downtown area while assuring them that the police were doing all possible to keep the peace.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the incidents of this afternoon. The police have already intervened firmly. I therefore advise supporters not to come to the city centre. The police are using all their resources to maintain public order,” reacted the mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, on Twitter.

Je condamne avec la plus grande fermeté les incidents de cet après-midi. La police est déjà intervenue fermement. Je déconseille donc aux supporters de venir dans le centre-ville. La police engage tous ses moyens pour maintenir l’ordre public. (1/2)

— Philippe Close (@PhilippeClose) November 27, 2022

Even the traffic on the trams and the metro had to be stopped per police orders.

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Hundreds of Moroccans reportedly rushed out to celebrate the team’s success after scoring two goals against the opponents, as a way of expressing their gratitude to head coach Walid Regragui, according to the publication of “24saa”

To celebrate this win, drivers formed convoys on the streets of Rabat, Casablanca, Salé, and numerous other cities.

The Lions of Atlas, who achieved a historic victory in the stadium Al-Thumama, Doha, received praise from the throats of these enormous crowds.

With a score of 2-0, Morocco triumphed over Belgium in the game. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar match was from the second round of Group F games.

First-half goal by international player Hakim Ziyech was denied due to the referee’s usage of the hit method.

The Moroccan national team squad put up a good performance and was motivated to win the game and advance to the next round.

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Today’s Match between Morocco and Belgium will be memorable forever, it’s a day Moroccans will never forget.

After the final whistle, Al Thumama Stadium roars into life as Morocco celebrates a historic 2-0 victory over second-ranked Belgium.

Limbs. 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/4hOeIL7NlB

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) November 27, 2022

It truly was a game of two halves, with Belgium clearly dominating the first half until Atlas Lions took back control, perhaps as a result of the late goal that was disallowed at the end of the first half of the game.

The Atlas Lions thoroughly deserved this victory and triumphed thanks to goals from Zakaria Aboukhlal and Abdelhamid Sabiri.

Second-half goals from Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal sent Morocco top of Group F on four points, one ahead of Belgium.

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All eyes will be on Al-Thumamah stadium on Sunday at precisely 2:00 p.m. when Morocco takes on Belgium in the second round of the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In order to keep the Moroccan team’s prospects of moving on to the next round of the World Cup, national coach Walid Regragui must overcome a lot of obstacles in his pursuit of the most points. Finding the right mix of offense and defense is one of them, as is getting as many shots on Courtois’ goal while avoiding allowing any openings for Kevin De Bruyne’s teammates to catch the “lions” off guard.

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To get ready for their match against Belgium on Sunday at 2:00 pm, the Atlas Lions started practicing again on Thursday at Al-Duhail stadium. A practice in which all of the players were expected to take part, with the exception of Noussair Mazraoui, who was injured and carried off against Croatia.

After the valuable draw against Croatia, the Atlas Lions are already back to work to prepare for the match against Belgium, Sunday at 2 pm, counting for the 2nd day of the World Cup qualifiers, group F. The players returned to Al-Duhail stadium on Thursday to refine their preparation. In addition to recovery work for the eleven players who participated in the game against the Croatians, Regragui had to devote part of the session to correct technical errors made by his midfield. Adjustments needed to make the offensive animation more effective.

Regragui himself recognized, in his analysis at the end of the game, that his midfield had made mistakes. “We made a lot of technical errors in the middle too”. A lucid observation and he intends to remedy it. With an efficient midfield both in the defensive tasks, but also in the offensive animation, the Atlas Lions will have enough weapons to cause problems to Belgium, which has made an ineffective first half against Canada. The speed and technical accuracy of the Atlas Lions could shake the Belgian backline.

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Nasser Bourita, the minister of foreign affairs, African cooperation, and Moroccan expatriates, held talks with Hadja Lahbib, his Belgian counterpart, on Tuesday in New York.

Omar Hilale, Morocco’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, and Fouad Yazourh, ambassador and director general of the ministry of foreign affairs, attended this conference.

The interview took place before the general discussion of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly.

Aziz Akhannouch, the head of the Moroccan delegation to the UN General Assembly, is accompanied by MR. Bourita under the royal orders of HM King Mohammed VI.

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Associative actors and members of the Moroccan community residing abroad hailed the Royal Instructions aimed at facilitating the return of Moroccans from around the world to their homeland at affordable prices, welcoming in this regard, the affection and the special kindness with which His Majesty surrounds the Moroccan community residing abroad.

For its part, the League of the Moroccan community established in Qatar welcomed His Majesty’s instructions, who ordered the competent authorities to work to facilitate the return of Moroccans to their home country.

These instructions, which reflect the constant solicitude with which the King has never ceased to surround the members of the Moroccan community residing abroad, come at the right time, after one year and a half since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had serious economic and psychological repercussions on Moroccans all around the world.

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, held a telephone conversation yesterday, Tuesday, with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions Sophie Wilmès.

A communiqué by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the two ministers praised, on this occasion, the friendly relations between the two royal families.

They also highlighted the excellent partnership existing between the two countries and the strength of bilateral relations marked by friendship and mutual respect.

In this context, Wilmès noted the role played by the Moroccan community residing in Belgium, as it constitutes a pillar of this exemplary partnership.

She also praised the Kingdom’s role as a locomotive for development and an important actor in the stability and prosperity of the region in particular and the African continent in general.

The communiqué added that Bourita and his Belgian counterpart agreed on a visit to Morocco during the current year. This is an affirmation of the strategic character of this bilateral partnership which aims at strengthening political dialogue and consular and judicial cooperation and exploring new innovative areas for economic cooperation, such as developing value chains and green economy.

In conclusion, the two ministers stressed the importance of continuing cooperation between the two countries on issues of common concern at the multilateral level and within international bodies.

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Belgium’s Muslim Executive has harshly renounced claims issued by Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne concerning an out-of-the-blue Moroccan Intelligence infiltration of the Great Mosque in Brussels.

The mosque in question, located in Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, had lost its recognition after it had been withdrawn claiming that the mosque is infiltrated by Moroccan Intelligence.

The director and other staff members had shown affiliation to Moroccan Intelligence claims the minister Vincent Van Quickenborne.

A claim to which Belgium’s Muslim Executive has strongly apprehended as being false and unfair.

The executive has denied the existence of any forms of espionage describing the claims as allegations of so-called foreign interference. He claims that it’s the minister playing politics.

Spokesperson Tahar Chahbi told the VRT that there are no spies in the mosque.

He added that there had never been problems under the previous justice minister Koen Geens or even his predecessor Annemie Turtelboom. How come that by coming to power a month ago, Vincent Van Quickenborne has magically discovered the existence of spies.

The minister claimed also that Morocco had infiltrated the mosque in question. He also raised the issue of lack of females and Dutch-speaking representatives.

The executive referred to the Belgian constitution’s protection of the right of freedom of religion and the withdrawal of the mosque’s recognition contradicts with all of the constitutional rights.

The executive drew a comparison between Islam and other religions in the country. He expressed his surprise to the minister’s interference with Mosques and not doing the same with the Jewish community and the Catholic Church. He stressed the absence of female priests. Therefore, how would they bother with the representation of women in the Executive. He also affirmed that women are represented and are respected.

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