DOHA, Qatar — Over seven planes on their way to World Cup from Morocco over a 24-hour period, each passenger receives a backpack printed in the colors of that country’s flag along with a t-shirt and a flag.
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Every plane was filled with Moroccan fans who flew to Qatar with the sole purpose of witnessing the historic quarter-final of Qatar. cristiano ronaldo and Portugal. With Maroc Reaching the semi-finals as the first African nation to go this far at a World Cup, Doha could continue to serve as the de facto capital of Morocco.
The flights are the result of an agreement between the Moroccan football federation, the government and a regional airline. Between those flying to support the team and those already living in Qatar, the host country is expected to host around 15,000 Moroccans within its borders during the World Cup.
“We came to watch the match today and come back tomorrow, after beating Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Omar, one of the Moroccan fans who booked tickets on seven flights to Doha. with Morocco’s 1-0 defeat at Al Thumama Stadium.
An agreement between Morocco’s Ministry of National Education, Early Childhood and Sports and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation has made seven round-trip flights at around $470 per passenger, according to the airline. participation. All of them were sold out on Saturday morning.
The flights can accommodate from 274 to 340 passengers. and they started arriving in Doha on Friday afternoon and until five o’clock before the game started. In total, about 2,500 Moroccan fans traveled to Qatar during that period. Passengers were scheduled to return on Sunday.
Hamid, one of the fans who arrived in the morning, said: “What we need now are tickets.
Finding tickets has been a problem since Morocco lost the penalty shootout Spain in round 16. In that case, the Moroccan embassy in Qatar announced it had provided 5,000 tickets to its citizens. The same offer had not been made before Morocco’s loss to Portugal.
Before the semi-final with France On December 14, an agreement between the Moroccan football federation, the government and a local airline would allow 30 planes full of Moroccan fans to arrive in Doha from Tuesday to Wednesday. The new deal maintains $470 for the first leg (same as for the Portugal clash).
The 30 planes with an average of 310 passengers will transport nearly 10,000 people from Morocco to Doha, nearly double the approximately 13,000 Moroccans currently living in Doha. The airline also opens up the possibility for Moroccan fans who are in Qatar to change their return date.
