A sea of red took over downtown Vancouver on Monday night, but it wasn’t fans of Team Canada celebrating. Members of Metro Vancouver’s Moroccan community gathered at various spots, including Jack Poole Plaza and Moltaqa Moroccan Restaurant in Yaletown, and later took to Granville Street after Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout at the FIFA World Cup’s round of 32. “It was the biggest cheer I heard in my life,” said Moltaqa restaurant owner Mimo Bucko. “The whole room lit up. Everybody was jumping. Clapping. It was very emotional. It was amazing.” The celebrations continued well into the night as fans waved flags, sang, danced and packed downtown streets. “Sorry, my voice from celebration yesterday — my voice is gone,” laughed El Mehdi El Maniani, who helped organize a post-match rally on Granville Street. Abdellah Mezgani recorded videos of the celebrations and said the victory brought people together. “The football make us unite together and show and share our culture and pride with the city in Vancouver,” he said. The excitement comes as Morocco continues its rise in international soccer. The North African nation is currently ranked seventh in the FIFA men’s world rankings, while Canada sits 30th. “Morocco is undeniably now a superpower in international football,” TSN reporter Matthew Scianitti said. “They will go into the match against Canada in the round of 16, thinking, quite rightly, that they are the favourites given the pace, the power, the speed that they have.” Still, in a tournament that has already produced its share of surprises, Scianitti believes Canada will embrace the challenge. “Every time you get an opportunity to face one of the best teams in the world in the knockout rounds, you have an opportunity to make history,” he said. Bucko, meanwhile, says he’ll be cheering for Morocco, but won’t be disappointed if Canada advances. “We are a Moroccan restaurant. We represent Morocco, so of course we want Morocco to win,” he said. “But if Canada win, we won’t be upset.” For many Moroccan-Canadians, choosing a side may be the hardest part. “I love them both,” said Mezgani. “Go Canada Go, Go Morocco Go.”
