Will most Moroccans be rooting for their Meghrebine brothers in Tunisia, or is the intra-Meghebine rivalry and the bitterness of losing out on a spot in the WC to Tunisia such that Moroccans will actually root against Tunisia?

Years ago I worked with a bunch of international tax consultants, and it was amazing how even here in the U.S., the office was totally empty during the Cup as people suddenly scheduled tons of "offsite meetings" during key games.

Another acquaintance was due to land in Brazil shortly after they played in the championship game, and was wondering whether anyone sober - or anyone at all - would be staffing air traffic control.

I would hazard the opinion (recall I am in exile from MENA) that Moroccans will plump for their Maghrebine brothers. Now were it Algeria.....

were it algeria, Muammar would suggest unification again. with it being tunisia...

haha! i wonder if they'll try the green flag stunt again! last year when Zarzis played one of the Tunis teams, all of hte Zarzis fans showed up waving green flags. that match never made it on TV for some odd reason! some of my friends were there and barely made it out before the police waded into the crowd with clubs flailing. good times! (served those hooligans right too!)

i asked in another thread but it's worth asking here: does anyone know the tunis fight song?

When I lived in Miami in 2002, Cup passion seemed to be close to something you'd expect in Latin America or Europe. My bosses were pissed if we failed to show up and get plastered at the sports bars watching the games. All except the Colombians, who brooded in despair because their team wasn't in the Cup (and isn't this year either).

I envy you all. The American military network (AFN) isn't authorized to carry Cup games because of some heinous exclusivity rule and thus, myself and the other 500 odd fans on the ship (some of whom hail from participant nations like Mexico, Poland, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago and Iran) will suffer a total washout, save from what we can find out via the slow as mollasses ship internet.

some of whom hail from participant nations like Mexico, Poland, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago and Iran

Eddie: I find your phrasing more than slightly amusing given that the US itself is taking part. (For what it's worth, however, I think they're ranked too highly and I don't like their style of play.)

Its hard to cheer for American teams these days, considering the poor effort and attitude shown by our baseball, basketball and hockey squads over the past few years.
I tease my friends who hail from these countries and others that they must support their new country's line, but they recoil in (somtimes not so fake) mock horror at cheering for the American squad.

Actually the US team are surprisingly good. They just have a clunky technique that is not too fun to watch.

Apologies for not closing the bold tag above. Anyway, given that you are an American, there is a decent chance that you haven't come across the Tebbit test before.

No, I never heard of the Tebbit test until now. Heavens knows a test like that revolving around baseball or soccer in America would have the wingnuts frothing at the mouth and closing the borders for good.
I cheer for Japan or Cuba (baseball) and Senegal or Spain (soccer). I guess in America we're all immigrants of some sort, so this sort of thing doesn't bother most people the way it might in other countries.

My impression is that the cricket test is mostly referred to in jest.

Ali K: Yes, it is certainly not formal/legal, something I am certainly not complaining about. All my subcontinental friends holding Aussie/Kiwi/British passports happily and openly fail the test, although they all support their country of nationality as a second team.

it's so quiet here. Is everybody watching football instead of ranting?