The TV stays on all day with soccer matches in the Safir cafe. Karim Senjaj watches the ball roll out of the corner of his eye, sipping the contents of his cup. The calm atmosphere inside the Petit Maghreb establishment in Montreal, however, has changed dramatically since the World Cup began on November 20.
“It’s not that I don’t like Canada, but it’s hard to deny where we come from,” says the Moroccan. “From a footballing point of view, I have no choice but to encourage Morocco. It’s a cry from the heart, and the heart, you can’t control it. »
For the Canada-Morocco meeting scheduled for 1er December, the best scenario, “it’s a draw”, he says, a handsome player. “If you win, we will digest it. The winner, we will applaud him, and the loser, we will wish him good luck for the next time. »
Tunisians and Algerians enter and leave the string of North African establishments on rue Jean-Talon. In a nearby alley, young people play soccer in the street, betraying the identity of the most popular sport in North Africa. The loyalty of all those who have been met by The duty goes to their country of origin.
It’s not that I don’t like Canada, but it’s hard to deny where we’re from
“We want Morocco to win a little more,” says Abes Arid a little further, at the Monsieur Fiore café. “The Atlas Lions” concentrate on their jersey all the pride of a people crazy about football, he underlines. “It’s not that we don’t like Canada, but Morocco, those are our first memories. the [soccer] is everywhere there. For our children, I don’t know, but we always have an eye on our origin. »
This amateur soccer player, in Montreal for decades, is still delighted with this exceptional participation from Canada. The last Canadian presence in the World Cup dates back to 1986. “If Canada wins, we will be able to say that we have something more than the other Moroccans when I go back to Morocco”, he notes with a smile . “We want a good match, that’s what’s most important! »
Belgians and Croats too
Marko Piperkovic may have been born in Quebec, but he grew up in the small Croatian community of Montreal. The Croatia-Canada match broadcast on the big screen in the basement of the only Croatian church on the island, not far from Place de la Savane, will give rise to scenes of great pride, he testifies.
“The heart is with Croatia, I can’t hide it. But it is also due to the history of the Canadian team. In the last five or ten years, we have seen that there is an enthusiasm for soccer here, but for us Croats, it’s practically part of our national identity. At the end of the civil war which pushed it to independence, this country of 4 million inhabitants saw its entry into the concert of nations through an exceptional performance at the 1998 World Cup, recalls -he. “The players didn’t have to join the army, they were like ambassadors. This is what identified us on the international scene. »
His team, nicknamed “the inflamed”, therefore creates in the Croats “an emotion that you cannot describe”. And expectations “are high”.
The ideal scenario: “Croatia first, Canada second. »
The nationalist fiber vibrates with less ardor among the Belgian partisans. “The only time I took out the Belgian flag in Quebec was to go see a match,” notes Guillaume Hubermont, a Belgian who has been living in Quebec for a long time. “We have a great soccer team, but it’s hard to believe. Belgium is a strange country, with strange supporters. »
The “red devils” had a good run at the last World Cup, finishing third. He who has just obtained his Canadian citizenship ultimately wants “that the best wins”.
“There are no small teams in large gatherings like this. »
He thinks, like everyone he’s met previously, that Team Canada will quickly become the team to follow if they manage to get past the first round. “In the end, that’s twice as many games to watch. I’m really happy about that! »