I hnow that my webblog tackles cinematic matters,yet i want to translate what Shama Darchoul said about the batlle of narratic that was active against Morocco and of course i am still waiting for Algerian cinema people to produce that long feature film about Amir Abdelkader.
this is my 'darija' comment on Shama facebook notes about network flies:
شحال زوين وأو بخير منن تاتكل وأو كاتلذذ الكفتة مشوية في السوق وأو دبّان تايدور بيك
Shama writes....
Morocco's loss in this controversy stemmed not from what happened on the pitch, but from what didn't happen off it. In an era where matches are transformed into transcontinental content in seconds, Morocco's presence on social media remained traditionally hesitant and reactive, more reactive than proactive.
Instead of launching a digital offensive strategy to document the refereeing decisions that went against Morocco and present them to the international public in clear and professional visual language, a large segment of Moroccan pages and accounts engaged in a lackluster defensive discourse that justified rather than explained, denied rather than constructed a narrative. They offered brief comments, emotional responses, and direct exchanges with foreign accounts, without any organized archiving of the facts or their presentation in short, shareable analytical clips.
While some external voices were working to sow doubt through innuendo and biased headlines, this was not countered with any material utilizing modern tools such as illustrative graphics, comparisons with similar cases in other tournaments, or even a simplified legal explanation of why these decisions would be considered in similar contexts. By abandoning the battle of image and narrative, Morocco left the digital space open to a single narrative proliferating unchallenged. Morocco won on the field, but lost the space for influence off the field, where it is no longer enough to be right; one must demonstrate that one is right, and in a language the world understands.
The controversy surrounding referee appointments… and the misdirection of blame
The scene behind the scenes of the quarter-finals was clear and unambiguous… Six out of the eight teams expressed their discontent with the unprecedented delay in announcing the match referees, through official correspondence and local leaks reflecting a general sense of dissatisfaction with the CAF's handling of this sensitive matter. However, this reality was almost entirely absent from Arab, African, and international media coverage, reducing the crisis to a single name: Morocco. Thus began a systematic and selective approach to news production, with headlines such as "Moroccan pressure," "Moroccan moves behind the scenes," and "Moroccan anger over referee appointments," as if the other teams were either outside the equation or completely satisfied with the situation.
In this climate, French journalist Romain Molina entered the fray. He presents himself as an investigative journalist, but instead of publishing an investigation, he constructed a narrative based on insinuation. He spoke of "behind-the-scenes maneuvers," "unusual changes," and "sources" pointing to interventions and pressure, without once mentioning that the protest was collective. He didn't address the structural flaws within CAF, but rather redirected the focus solely towards Morocco, turning a general administrative crisis into a one-sided narrative. Thus, the story was reframed from a structural flaw within a continental institution to a "Moroccan move that influenced referee appointments," and from a widespread protest to a pre-packaged narrative portraying Morocco as either a pressure group or a perpetual beneficiary of chaos.
With this deliberate shift, the problem was no longer CAF's management style, but Morocco itself. Here, the media manipulation reached its peak, as a legitimate collective protest was transformed into an individual accusation targeting only one party. The most dangerous turning point in this trajectory came with the media appearance of journalist Grégory Schneider, from the newspaper Libération and a frequent guest on the L'Équipe television channel, when he spoke of a referee "commissioned" or "appointed" by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. This was no longer a discussion about refereeing, but rather an outright accusation of corruption.
Under French law, this type of statement falls under the category of criminal accusation. Any legal proceedings would require him to prove that the referee was influenced and that the Moroccan Federation was involved—elements that cannot be based on impressions or linguistic insinuations. Without conclusive evidence, the person making the statement himself becomes liable to prosecution for defamation.
Furthermore, the refereeing controversy is open to debate both ways... a potential penalty for Bryan Mbomo versus at least one clear penalty not awarded to Morocco. Any legal action of this kind in France could cost the "journalist" between 5,000 and 20,000 euros, given the risk of making such serious public accusations.
The picture from inside the stadium to the outside: Away from the noise, the Moroccan national team delivered one of its best tactical performances since the 2022 World Cup. Cameroon was forced to resort to the flanks in search of openings, but these were effectively shut down by a flawless defensive display. The result was clear... Cameroon didn't manage a single shot on target.
Herein lies the great paradox... a team that dominates tactically, controls the game, and then sees its victory reduced to a selective refereeing controversy that magnifies one incident while ignoring others.
What transpired after the Morocco-Cameroon match wasn't just a passing sporting discussion, but a battle of narratives and stories. Morocco won on the pitch, but some regional and international media outlets attempted to cast doubt on the achievement, driven by jealousy, symbolic calculations, or professional lapses.
The biggest challenge today remains not only continuing the winning streak on the field, but also regaining control of the narrative off the pitch.
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