World Cup Clash: Morocco vs France Reignites Comedian Debbouze’s Divided Loyalties

A new dilemma for Jamel Debbouze. The round of 16 match of the Women’s World Cup between Morocco, his country of origin, and France, his country of adoption, will take place on Tuesday, August 8 at 1:00 p.m. (European time) at the Hindmarsh Stadium in the Australian city of Adelaide. The Atlas Lionesses, novices in the event, will seek to secure their ticket for the quarter-finals, while the Bleues are aiming for a fourth consecutive qualification. Which team will the organizer of the "Marrakech du rire" support for what promises to be a historic derby?

Will the husband of Melissa Theuriau do like in 2022 by not choosing either of the (male) teams that had faced each other in an unprecedented World Cup semi-final - a difficult victory in favor of the Blues? He had worn a jersey representing France and Morocco. Enough to annoy the Moroccans. At the "Stars in the place" international mega-concert organized each year by Congolese rapper Gims in Marrakech, Jamel Debbouze, a surprise guest, had been booed by part of the audience. He was accused of refusing to clearly support his country of origin during the World Cup.

In an interview with beIN Sports, the native of Trappes, in the Yvelines, had justified his position: "I wouldn’t know how to live this moment between France and Morocco, it would be like my mother playing against my father. It’s impossible, it’s a very complicated dilemma." An explanation far from satisfying the Moroccan journalist Rachid Allali. "Being half Moroccan doesn’t exist! It’s either Moroccan or not. The jersey of our country is not to be divided or shared. There, you made a blunder," he estimated.