Moroccan flavour at Al Thumama Stadium as SC hosts Fan Leader activation event

Al Thumama Stadium on Saturday hosted the Moroccan Fan Leader activation event, which was attended by a large number of football lovers from the North African country.The event was organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) within the framework of the Qatar Fan Leader Network and as part of the promotional programmes being held for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.The event was aimed at introducing the fan leaders of the Moroccan team to one of the World Cup stadiums, as well as the organisational procedures for the stadium during the tournament that will held from November 20 to December 18.The enthusiastic fans, along with Moroccan embassy representatives, were given an opportunity to have an exclusive tour of the stadium on the occasion. Nearly 50 fan leaders of the Moroccan national team were briefed on the facilities of Al Thumama Stadium. The attendees were able to get acquainted with all the facilities of the stadium and experience the exceptional atmosphere that they will live on the ground during Qatar 2022.Singing the national anthem and chanting football songs, the fans toured the stadium in a festive mood. Al Thumama Stadium will host Morocco's matches against Belgium on November 27 and Canada on December 1.The event included an introductory tour of everything related to the architectural masterpiece, including the stadium's sections, its entrances and exits, the players' rooms, warm-up rooms and their annexes, and the stands. In addition, the attendees learned about the quality of the pitch and grass.Al Thumama Stadium project manager Khalifa al-Mana, along with SC and other stadium officials, welcomed the gathering. Qatar legacy ambassadors Ahmad Khalil and Mohamed Saadon al-Kuwari were also present. Moulay Zaine El Moussaoui, deputy head of mission at the Moroccan embassy, told Gulf Times that the mission is making big plans to welcome fans to Qatar and organise cultural events across the country. “Qatar will be an amazing host and we hope everything will go off smoothly. We are delighted to be part of the mega event,” he said, adding that arrangements are being made to hold cultural programmes that will reflect the Moroccan tradition and legacy.“Thousands of Moroccan football fans are expected to come to Doha. The stadium premises and fan zones will see various Moroccan cultural programmes,” he noted, expressing confidence that Morocco will make it to the knockout rounds even though their group is a tough one, as it includes formidable teams such as Belgium and Croatia.In remarks to Qatar News Agency, Moussaoui underlined that Qatar 2022 will be a source of pride for all Arabs given the high organisational level and the huge preparations that Qatar has made in order to present a unique and extraordinary World Cup."We feel proud and honoured to be at Al Thumama Stadium, which is one of the eight masterpieces that will host the global football event," Moussaoui added. He also wished good luck to the Qatari national team which he said will receive the support of all Arab fans, including the Moroccan community. Al-Mana said Al Thumama Stadium has become well known for Arab fans in general and Moroccan fans in particular after its hosted the final of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021.He hoped that Al Thumama Stadium will be a good omen for the Moroccan team in the World Cup when it hosts two matches for it in the group stage.Deputy president of a Moroccan community organisation, Mohamed Adrudu, said the Fan Leader Network event is the catalyst for the local fans to get involved in community activities while helping their national team to perform well in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. “Everybody can feel the excitement here. We have a strong team and our fans will be both inside the stadiums and outside to encourage the players,” he said.Football lovers from the Americas had come together at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium recently to mark the North and South American Fan Leader activation in Qatar.Al-Mana noted that Al Thumama Stadium will host matches for two Arab teams - the Moroccan and the Qatari - stressing the significance of the Arab presence in the World Cup finals. "We are confident that the Moroccan fans will be present to support their team in the World Cup, and it will be different from any previous occasion," he added, wishing good luck to the Moroccan team.Meanwhile, former Moroccan star and Qatar SC coach Yousef Safri said in a statement to QNA that Qatar's hosting of the World Cup finals presents a source of pride for all Arabs, stressing his confidence that Qatar 2022 World Cup will be exemplary, in light of the state-of-the-art stadiums that the world saw through the Arab Cup hosted by Doha last year, which provided great indications of an expected organisational success for the World Cup.Safri underlined that the Moroccan team will not come to Qatar to participate only, but will seek to present a good level of football and compete significantly in order to reach the farthest possible point, given the historical advantage that the World Cup will be held in an Arab country and the great support the Arab teams will receive from their fans.Former star of the Moroccan national team, Youssef Chippo, said the approaching date of the World Cup increases the passion for watching competitions in general and the Moroccan team in particular, considering that the World Cup in Qatar will be different, not only at the level of organisational success, but also in terms of an Arab country hosting the major football event for the first time in history. This will provide unique public support for the Arab teams and make their players feel that they are playing on their land - an advantage Chippo sees as an incentive and a motive that will positively reflect on the results of the Arab teams, whether it is Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia or Saudi Arabia.