France urges calm during World Cup game against Morocco

PARIS: France has urged its football fans to be responsible as their team prepares to face  African champions Morocco on Thursday in a World Cup quarter-final, after previous high-profile matches led to unrest.

Morocco won independence from France in 1956 and has a mostly settled relationship with the former colonial power, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Moroccans or French citizens of Moroccan descent.

Several members of Morocco’s national team this year were born in France and play for French clubs.

Team captain Achraf Hakimi was born in Spain but plays for Paris Saint-Germain.

Celebrations were mostly peaceful when France beat Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semi-final.

But security forces are to be on alert around France during the game from 10:00 pm (20:00 GMT) on Thursday.

“I appeal to everyone’s sense of responsibility. It has to remain a celebration,” Sports Minister Marina Ferrari told the France Info broadcaster.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has said “no misconduct would be tolerated”.

After the PSG beat Arsenal in the Champions League final in May, Paris police took 225 adults into custody, charging around half of them with offences including confronting the police and material damage, the city’s top prosecutor said.