Let them take away what we have earned

In principle, when a new technique is incorporated into a system, any system, it is supposed to improve its functioning. In the case of VAR, it was to improve competitiveness, to avoid blatant human errors that condition the outcome, and to lessen the abuses of previous practices which, as we know, have always privileged the powerful.

Far from embracing the conspiracy theory, I have no choice but to acknowledge, as do a large number of players, former players, analysts and international sports journalists of great renown, that despite the curse of injuries that deprived the Moroccan national team of its best defenders, and despite some hesitations by the national coach as a result of these losses, the VAR has deprived the Moroccan national football team of a penalty (at least) in its two matches against France and Croatia that could have changed the course of things.

Watching the two matches, I was reminded of the unspeakable injustices, plots and traps that were laid throughout the World Cups in order to rule out African teams and the Moroccan national team in particular. I was reminded of the 1986 World Cup when the referee awarded a non-existent foul on the edge of the penalty area to the German team in the last minutes of the round of 16 match, which scored and eliminated Morocco. I was also reminded of the dastardly and affronting pact between Brazil and Norway in the 1998 World Cup so that both reached the next round to the detriment of the Moroccan team. And of course of the two matches Morocco played in the 2018 World Cup against Spain and Portugal where the referees forgot that there was such a thing as VAR.

Well, the same thing happened this time. As the match against France wore on I realised that the Moroccan team was nothing more than a minesweeper whose mission was limited to eliminating the big teams one by one in order to present the final on a silver platter to those who pull the strings at FIFA. Against Croatia, I drew on the wise Moroccan saying that there are necks for medals and others for strings.

A great friend of mine, Professor Mohamed Idrissi, one of the best linguists in the Arab world, famous for his puns just like his late father, also an exquisite linguist, told me the day before the match against France that the VAR will benefit France because they have Varane, in other words two VAR's in cultured Arabic.

That said, what comforts my heart is that the Moroccan team has proven to be one of the best teams in the world and has enjoyed and will continue to enjoy the sympathy and empathy of billions of people around the world. 

These billions of people have discovered a country proud of its identity, which has managed to overcome the impossible thanks to its ancestral values of struggle, faith, love, humility, collective work and respect for mothers and fathers. It was not for nothing that it was said that if France or Argentina were to win the World Cup, Morocco has already won the world.

In addition to the consolidation of Morocco's regional leadership, the repercussions of such sentiments are of great interest to the country both nationally and internationally.

Domestically, the national team succeeded in highlighting the value of work, increasing the confidence of an entire country in its human resources and strengthening ties between national and bi-national Moroccans. The country lacked this kind of subliminal and constructive energy.

At the international level, one only has to look at Google Trends to see that Morocco, since qualifying for the quarter-finals, has been:

1. The most searched name on search engines except in Canada, Russia and some neighbouring countries. 
2. One of the most searched countries on the internet as a probable tourist destination. Morocco's hosting of the Club World Cup from 1-11 February will further strengthen the country's image worldwide. FIFA's announcement of this event took place the day after Morocco's elimination by France in the semi-finals.....
3. The African country with the highest projection in terms of foreign investment intentions in the industrial sector. In fact, it is expected that over the next year and the few years that follow, Morocco will overtake Egypt in first place on the African continent.
    

As for VAR in particular, we have no choice but to repeat, four years later, the famous phrase of the elder Amrabat, Nourdin in this case, that "the VAR is a bullshit", i.e. VAR is a real bullshit.

Therefore, no matter how many referees they put in the VAR room, nothing will change in FIFA's mercantilist practices, which is only a small reflection, a small image of what happens in this neoliberal world.

Can too much make-up hide an ugly heart?

In his book "Pacte et complot", François Beaulieu rightly said that a long habit is not so easily lost, especially if it is vicious.