Moroccan football

As you explore the areas surrounding the central square (Djemma El Fna) of Marrakech you will come into contact with all kinds of the weird and the wonderful. From snake charmers to acrobats it’s easy to wonder how these individuals started and developed their own unique skills.

This is arguably one of the most alluring aspects of the city of Marrakech but the mysteries don’t stop with the people themselves. After travelling north of the central square towards the direction of the souks, we came into contact with a series of bold and almost threatening murals.

A local caught us looking bewildered as we tried to figure out whether the murals held a political message but when we asked if this was the case he just laughed at us and told us we were reading too deeply into it. The local, whose name was Rachid told us (after promises to visit his local Hamman with him next week) that this was the emblem for the ‘Ultra Crazy Boys’ who are the cities most die hard supporters of KAC Marrakech, a local football team.

After a short walk back to the Riad Habiba I asked the hotel’s guardian (who is a local expert on all things Marrkaksi) for some more information about the UCB. He told me that although many Moroccan’s support European teams from England, Spain and Catalonia there is still a huge fan base for local teams.

The difference that separates the Ultra Crazy Boys and the football fan’s that I’m used to back in the United Kingdom is that UCB practice choreographed song and even dance routines for public demonstrations in the stands every time their football team plays.

If you decide to go see KAC Marrakech play during a visit to Morocco, take into mind that there the Ultra Crazy Boys have a strict colour scheme and all their songs are in the Moroccan dialect of Darija Arabic, you might want to consider brushing up your language skills before joing!