Kamal raja young full#
His hands are thick but gently knit, full of sinews that dive in and out of his knuckles. Kamal has lived in Derb Sultan all his life. Periodically, he throws both hands above his head as if tossing a medicine ball. A small sign at the door reads, “Raja fans only.” As soon as the game starts, Kamal is out of his chair bellowing at the television. Kamal Fadili, 25, walks into a crowded café along the tramline in Derb Sultan, his neighborhood in Casablanca. The Raja Ultras, led by the Capo (in lime green jacket standing on the railing between levels) fill the stadium with drum lines, chants, and songs. And while the Moroccan government banned attendance at soccer matches in May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ultras will not fade from the scene. Even so, this stand-offish band of boys provides a sense of home for young men in a country that doesn’t provide for them. For many young men in Casablanca’s poorer neighborhoods, Raja has become a way of life, and the team’s “ultras” fan clubs have even become organized, politically active and occasionally violent. Raja has won 11 Botola (Moroccan domestic league) championships and seven various Confederation of African Football (CAF) titles, among other honors. These are fans of Raja Casablanca, one of Africa’s most successful soccer teams. The song they sing has become well-known across the Arab world, and its lyrics have almost nothing to do with soccer: “In my country they abuse me … Only knows, in this country we live in a dark cloud.” He raises his arms, and the stadium begins to throb with the voices of young men. Zakaria Belqadi stands on a railing before a hoard of fans in the cheapest section of Le Grand Stade de Marrakech. Yassine Oulheq of Morocco’s Connect Institute contributed reporting.