Motherly love boosts Morocco’s team spirit at World Cup

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Morocco’s players are sharing the World Cup spotlight with some of their most ardent fans: their mothers.
Many of the players have brought their mothers and other family members to Qatar and celebrated with them in the stadiums after the team’s impressive string of victories.
Midfielder Sofiane Boufal was dancing with his mother on the field after Morocco beat Portugal 1-0 on Saturday to become the first African and Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals. They held hands and danced in circles to the delight of the crowd.
Defender Achraf Hakimi posted images on social media of his mother giving him a kiss on the cheek after he scored the winning penalty against Spain in the round of 16 last week. “I love you mom,” he wrote.
Even coach Walid Regragui has been celebrating with his mother, climbing into the stands after the Spain match to embrace her among jubilant Morocco fans.
“We represent Morocco, so we have an image that we have to spread around the world,” the coach said Tuesday. “And because the World Cup is the best shop window, if you like, we want to show our players and how close they are to their families. That’s part of our culture, it’s where we’re from.”