Morocco knock out Netherlands on penalties; celebrations turn violent in The Hague

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The police were pelted with bottles in The Hague but there were hugs between sets of fans in Amsterdam after a tense last-32 tie

In the Netherlands the country’s World Cup last-32 tie against Morocco was always going to be about more than football. When the Atlas Lions dumped Ronald Koeman’s team out of the tournament in a penalty shooutout after an epic contest, joyous 6am celebrations were sparked among the Moroccan community in Amsterdam. In The Hague, on the other hand, the atmosphere turned grim.

Approximately 440,000 people of Moroccan descent live in the Netherlands, and approximately 440,000 of them were asked the same question before this game: “So who will you support, then?” It was mostly good-natured, and the former manager Ron Jans displayed genuine interest when putting the dilemma to his fellow pundit Ibrahim Afellay on Dutch national television. Afellay, capped 53 times for the Netherlands, expressed and explained his support for Morocco. In the real world, the most common reaction has been one of understanding, if not sympathy, regardless of which side someone picked.

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