The Fans Who Make Football: Raja Casablanca AC | Featured Documentary

The Mohammed V football stadium in the centre of Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, holds more than its sports legacy. It is a space to protest the country’s social, economic and political structures on national television.

As Raja Casablanca play, a sea of green from the stands blares out messages of defiance. When the TV director quickly orders the cameras to switch to another part of the stadium, another message appears at his chosen spot.

The national anthem is frequently drowned out by boos from the crowd and then their own song begins; a ballad of the disenfranchised that has become Raja’s anthem. The crowd sings out, “Fi blady dalmouni”, which means, “In my country, they have oppressed me.”

This film explores Raja Casablanca’s history as an outlet for the city’s working-class youth and their displeasure with the country’s politics. It also searches for the revolutionary fans of Casablanca and reveals those who, by sheer weight of numbers, cannot be ignored.

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