- Bafana Bafana face Morocco on Tuesday night in a battle for the last remaining spot in the African Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
- This is a match that will attract attention from the leaders of the two countries, who have a rivalry that extends beyond the field to foreign policy.
- On the field, South African teams and Moroccan teams have historically denied other Africans superiority.
- For more Afcon news, visit News24's Africa Cup of Nations zone.
If Pretoria and Rabat keep their points – and they probably do, such is the nature of their nearly 20-year tit-for-tat feud – then Morocco will hold a commanding lead over South Africa. However, their salvation lies in their unwavering moral stance.
It is a position that would have received new energy following South Africa's victory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The court found that Israel's shelling of Palestinians in Gaza was genocidal, effectively forcing the state to significantly scale back its military intervention and ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip. commanded.
The court's decision was a major victory for South Africa, even though the ICJ did not grant a ceasefire from Israel, the main order Pretoria had sought.
The victory is a victory that shatters the country's moral compass, tarnished by its non-aligned stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and gives the impression that South Africa is supporting Moscow, the Soviet splinter that supported the resistance movement. gave. The fight against apartheid, including armed struggle.
In response to Morocco's protests, South Africa has pointed out similarities between Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and Morocco's control of Western Sahara. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic controls 20% of the territory on Africa's northwest coast, with Morocco controlling the remaining 80%.
Pretoria formally recognized the republic on 15 September 2004 and supported self-determination for the Saharawi people. This position put the country at odds with Morocco, which accused Pretoria of interfering and confrontation.
Nasser Bourita, Morocco's minister of foreign affairs, African cooperation and residence in Morocco, said: “Normally there are no bilateral issues because we are geographically very far from each other and are at opposite ends of the spectrum in Africa.” Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Residency, told The Sunday Times.
“We have no common borders, no territorial disputes. This issue is related to one thing: SA has decided to take a position on an issue hundreds of kilometers from itself. and that position is inconsistent with that of the UN (United Nations) and now that of the AU (African Union). ”
Since then, both countries have sought to uplift each other.
In 2019, Pretoria hosted the Southern African Development Community Solidarity Conference on Western Sahara. Rabat retaliated by hosting a counter-conference in Marrakech, which was attended by more prominent dignitaries and had a larger turnout.
This argument eventually spilled over into the sports field.
Moroccan authorities did not grant Caster Semenya a visa to compete in the Diamond League in 2019 after he was allowed to compete in Rabat under World Athletics eligibility rules.
The two-time Olympian was eventually granted a visa from Rabat, but that was when it became nearly impossible for her to fly into the city.
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This was in retaliation for the South African government's position that the South African Football Association (SAFA) could not vote for Morocco to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
SAFA was caught in the middle as the SAFA government told SAFA one thing and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) urged the continent's federations to vote for Morocco.
SAFA president Danny Jordaan listened to the government and voted in favor of a joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Morocco was not satisfied. They blocked Mr. Jordaan from taking up the vacant FIFA Council seat that had been widely tipped to be filled by a late Moroccan-backed candidate to run against him as SAFA president.
“We were punished,” Jordaan told reporters at the 2019 African Cup of Nations (Afcon).
“That is why I am not a member of the FIFA Council. (But) your beliefs are non-negotiable. I come from a liberationist background. I am a member of Steve Biko, Raymond Mlaba, Govan. I come from the struggle of the 70s when there were people like Mbeki.”
“Those people never asked for money or kickbacks. We should accept suffering and not complain. We understand that. We understand that. South Africa has clearly stated its position.”
Morocco were given the crap when they were announced as one of the hosts of the 2030 World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal, but ultimately had the last laugh. Some matches were also scheduled to be held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to commemorate the tournament. Centenary.
Rabat has also celebrated other victories over Pretoria, including Pretoria's return to the African Union against South Africa's wishes and more recently being voted in to chair the United Nations Council of Rights, which South Africa had opposed. .
So on Tuesday night, Bafana Bafana will take on Atlas Lions for the last remaining quarter-final spot, a match that Pretoria and Rabat will be keenly chasing, and another opportunity for them to compete. right.
But the match is shaped by the powerful football rivalry that has seen South Africa's women's national teams and clubs battle it out for continental honors.
South Africa's women fared better than the men, with Banyana Banyana defeating the Moroccan national team in their own backyard to win their first African title.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies won two of the three CAF Women's Champions League titles at the expense of the Moroccan club. Their loss was against, you guessed it, a team from Morocco.
The Brazilian men's team suffered in the Champions League against Wydad Casablanca, were dethroned in their title defense in 2017, and failed to add a second star in 2019 and 2022.
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Sundowns finally exorcised that ghost when they won the African Football League last year, beating Wydad. Hugo Bruce's team is dominated by Sundowns players, who have been key to their success. The win left Themba Zwane wanting more.
“I want to win the Champions League again and of course I want to win something with the national team. The Afcon is coming up and I would be happy if we can win that,” Zwane said.
Sundowns are still in contention for Champions League qualification and need to get past Morocco to move closer to realizing their Afcon dream.
If Bafana can do that after defeating Morocco, it will be a win in Rabat that Pretoria, which has rarely had before, will celebrate loudly.
And who knows? President Cyril Ramaphosa could give the country another holiday, as he did when the Springboks won the World Cup.
Kick-off on Tuesday is 22:00.
