The 2022 World Cup has truly captivated fans from all over the world. Thousands of people watch the games from all sorts of places – from the comforts of their homes to their work or school campus. As familiar favorite countries and players mark their legacies, either sadly losing or fortunately advancing, newer and underestimated countries make history. As the games progress, more national teams are eliminated leaving many countries devastated. Morocco has officially become the first ever African and Arab team to make it to the World Cup semi-finals. 

On Saturday, December 10, 2022, Morocco played against the eminent Portuguese team and scored 1-0, advancing to the semi-finals. Fans exploded with excitement, this was making history. While numerous people around the world united and celebrated, others mourned the loss of their favorite team along with Christiano Ronaldo’s last chance to win a World Cup. The loss was devastating for many and seeing Ronaldo’s despondency was, to say the least, heartbreaking. Nonetheless, there was an abundance of jubilation growing for the Moroccan team, until one young girl said a comment that had fans agitated.

Not long after the game, a video taken of Moroccan fans gloating about their victory over Portugal went viral across social media. The video spread rapidly throughout TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram. However, it was one 11 year-old girl who ultimately took the severe hate from viewers after saying “the Portugal airport is that way” and that Ronaldo was “crying in his car.” The girl’s comments about Ronaldo provoked countless people, including some of those who previously were rooting for Morocco. Her words triggered many to start hoping for France’s Kylian Mbappe to take “revenge for Ronaldo,” making numerous edits on TikTok of just that. The young Moroccan girl was constantly verbally harassed through social media, thrown at with insults, hate comments, and even death threats from people much older than her. 

Eventually, a woman claiming to be the girl’s mother spoke out. She claimed that the little girl “refuses to eat or speak because of the comments” and begged to put a stop to the hateful videos. However, another video was released where the Moroccan girl addressed the woman’s words and informed the media that it was not actually her mother and that she was eating perfectly fine, proving that despite the disturbing comments targeted at her, she was content and not at all affected. 
Nevertheless, the girl had said something irritating about a respected and admired man, but it seems as though many overlooked the fact that she is a child. The amount of hate thrown at her was shocking and upsetting. It was even more disconcerting that she had faced so much backlash from social media while other grown people who have made similar comments before have not had to experience this.