Status: 12/12/2022 7:56 pm
Mourad Bounoua thrills in the World Cup semi-final between sensational team Morocco and defending champions France (Wednesday, 8PM). For the Franco-Moroccan ex-professional of FC St. Pauli and Hannover 96, the duel is a highly emotional affair.
When Romain Saiss of Qatar and Hugo Lloris, captains of Morocco and France, faced each other at the Al Bayt Stadium on Wednesday evening to toss a coin as to which side to choose, a very important decision was long overdue. has gone. The heath town of Sneverdingen, 6,000 km away. At a time of immense tension, Mourad and Jamal Bounoua must have given up. After all, the brothers of Moroccan parents who grew up in Alsace want to quickly know who’s wearing what on this historic evening – who’s wearing the navy blue jersey with the Gallic rooster and who’s wearing the five-pointed red jersey Star on the chest.
Number or King? coin decides jersey
Schneverdingen flipped the coin with a dirham, a piece of Moroccan money, as revealed by Mourad Bounoua, a former professional footballer with Hannover 96 and FC St. Pauli. He has a coin that is ideal for this purpose. And then the question will be: tails or kings? If this is also fixed, the dirham will flip through the air rotating around itself in an arc and, after hitting the ground, will present the result for a joint television evening with relatives and friends. “You have to prepare for an evening like this,” says Mourad Bounoua, 50, in a telephone conversation with NDR. He laughs at this.
A favorite team gone way too soon
In general, he and his brother have had a lot to celebrate over the past few weeks. Both went into the controversial World Cup in the desert state with three favorite teams – and two of them not only reached the semi-finals, but are also facing each other in it. With an emotional World Cup final already booked, they rejoice.
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well he with Germany, the country where the two have lived for 30 years, hasn’t really done that well, the two admitted together. Better yet, take a quick look at the pride of Africa. Because Morocco has also inspired him, charmed, yes, almost overwhelmed him.
“Yeah, of course, that makes you really proud.”
mourad dwarf
“He plays with a lot of discipline,” enthuses Jamal, who is two years older than him and, unlike his brother, hasn’t turned professional. He once played for Arminia Hannover, Goslar SC and Eintracht Celle, and is now the managing director of senior citizens’ facilities. Murad, who has played for 13 North German clubs, is the facilities manager for his brother.
Mourad Bounoua says he’s always asked about performing “Lions of the Atlas”: “Yeah, definitely, that makes you really proud.” The fact that Morocco was the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup “is the result of a real team on the field. Everyone is there for each other. And when you have a good day, everything is possible in life.” ” ,
Mourad Bounoua with an international match for Morocco
In his career, it was the perfect day when he was nominated for the Moroccan national team. He played one international match in 1998 against Bulgaria. A hernia contributed significantly to the fact that there were no more missions.
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Morocco have already had five good days at this World Cup. They drew 0–0 in their opening game against Croatia, followed by wins against Belgium, Canada, Spain and Portugal. And with just one goal (from Canada) we made it to the semi-finals. The result against France could not in any way negatively affect the rating of the team in the Mahgreb state. “They are already heroes there. And this result will give a real boost to football in Morocco – there are so many talented players. Oh, it’s good for all walks of life,” says Mourad, who like Jamal. Assured many times, but his heart beats for both the semi-finalists.
“Lions of the Atlas” with perhaps a unique chance
However, and the Bounoua brothers know this very well, on the one hand is France, which has already been twice world and European champions and has bright prospects for further victories in the near future. And on the other is Morocco, who have won the African Championship only once (1976) and who are now being offered a unique opportunity on football’s biggest stage, in the semi-finals of the World Cup.
And shouldn’t this have any bearing on the brothers’ reactions after the Schneeverdingen coin toss? Or wouldn’t it, the wearer of the Moroccan jersey would have to possess pretty good acting skills not to express joy about it. “Yes,” said Mourad Bounoua, laughing, “it may be so.”
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